Tech
Google debuts AI-powered Android XR smart glasses at Google I/O
Google is trying out smart glasses again.
At its Google I/O keynote address on Tuesday, Google showed off a product that was referred to simply as "Android XR glasses" in both the presentation and the accompanying blog post. No price or release date was given, so between all of that and the fact that the product doesn't seem to have a real name yet, this could be quite a ways off from being on store shelves.
If you think these glasses are just a ripoff of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, think again. While Meta's specs are really just a camera you wear on your face with zero augmented reality features of any kind, Google's glasses have a full AR UI built into the lenses, which you can use to search for information about things you're looking at or navigate with Google Maps while you're out and about. Google also mentioned that you can use these glasses to message your friends and make appointments. However, it's worth noting that Google described the in-lens UI as "optional" in the blog post. Of course, it's all powered by Google's Gemini AI tech.
Credit: Screenshot: Google
Credit: Google
All the Gemini announcements from Google I/O 2025: Free Gemini Live, a Sora competitor, AI Ultra
The glasses also have cameras, microphones, and speakers built-in. The one and only live demo Google attempted during the I/O keynote was for a conversational language translation tool that would theoretically enable two people speaking different languages to speak to each other in-person. However, "theoretically" is doing a lot of work there, as the demo failed after a couple of sentences, leading Google to hit the ejector seat before it could really get going.
During this segment, Google also announced that Samsung's Project Moohan XR headset will be the first consumer device to run on the Android XR operating system. Moohan will launch later this year, but other than that, Google didn't say a lot about it. On top of that, Google announced that the XR glasses will be manufactured in collaboration with glasses brands like Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, so there could potentially be a little bit more variety to the way they look than Meta's Ray-Ban glasses.
Credit: Google
Credit: Screenshot: Google
Readers with functional memories might remember Google Glass, a similar product Google released to nearly universal derision in 2015. Glass very quickly transitioned from a consumer-focused product to an enterprise device within a couple of years of release, before Google stopped selling it altogether in 2023. It didn't work then, but maybe infusing the Android XR glasses with Gemini AI features will give them a leg up over Glass.
It should also be noted that one of Google's biggest competitors is reportedly interested in developing smart glasses, but today's news would put that company way behind the ball. Apple has been rumored to be developing AR glasses for a while now, but a report earlier this year indicated the project was dead. A different report just last month suggested Apple is still working on smart glasses, but they would be more akin to the Meta device than Google's new glasses. That would give Google a serious advantage in the market, to say the least.
SAVE $50: As of Aug. 6, buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 for $349.99 at Best Buy and get a free $50 e-gift card.
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A good smartwatch can be your constant companion when it comes to handling your day. It can track your fitness, handle notifications and texts, and even help you make calls, all while giving you a full spectrum of body-centric metrics. If you're already using an Android phone or want a reliable brand for your purchase, you should consider heading to Best Buy to grab a Samsung smartwatch and get a little extra.
As of Aug. 6, buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 for $349.99 at Best Buy and get a free $50 e-gift card.
The 2025 Galaxy Watch8 has a slew of features, including Google Gemini integration, something Samsung managed to get before Google could implement in its Pixel Watch lineup. It also has a wide variety of health and fitness options, including preset workout data, sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and much more to help you make sure you can face the day at your best.
Beyond those things, the Galaxy Watch8 also lets you handle comms straight from your wrist so you can make calls, text, use some of your favorite apps, and organize your life. Your personal AI assistant is voice-activated as well, so it can help you get things done even when your hands are busy.
You'd think Android and YouTube would work together flawlessly, but early this week, that wasn't the case.
As reported and confirmed by 9to5Google, YouTube users on Android devices couldn't change the playback speed on videos. Changing the speed to anything other than 1x would simply not work, as the setting change wouldn't save, acting as if you hadn't done it at all. Obviously, that's not a great user experience, considering that Android and YouTube are both Google's responsibility. It seems a bit strange for Android users specifically to lose access to a core YouTube feature, but that's what happened.
Thankfully, it seems that as of Wednesday morning, the issue has been fixed, per a YouTube community note. The note states that any users still experiencing the issue should simply close and reopen the app. Hopefully, by doing that, you can fix the problem and get back to frame-by-frame analysis of movie trailers at 0.25x speed.
For once, it paid off to use a Google app on iOS instead.
On top of directing horror hits Get Out, Us, and Nope, Jordan Peele has produced several exciting genre projects, from Dev Patel's Monkey Man to Nia DaCosta's Candyman, which he also co-wrote. Next up on his production slate is the football horror film Him, directed by Justin Tipping.
Co-written by Skip Bronkie, Zack Akers, and Tipping, Him introduces promising young football star Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers). Not only does Withers have acting experience from projects like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Atlanta, he was also part of Florida State University's 2017 football team as a wide receiver. Hopefully his experience playing was nothing like Cameron's in Him, though, because the trailer makes it out to be a full-on nightmare.
After suffering a traumatic brain injury at the hands of an unhinged fan, Cameron thinks his football dream is dead. But when his hero, legendary quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), offers to train him at his personal compound, he's excited to accept.
However, Isaiah's training methods are far more violent than Cameron realized. (And football is already pretty violent!) We're talking smashing footballs into players' faces until they bleed as punishment.
But that's just the start of the horrors that await in Him, which demands that Cameron sacrifice everything to be the GOAT he so badly wants to be. Check out the unsettling trailer above.
Him also stars Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, and MMA fighter Maurice Greene, as well as hip-hop artists Guapdad 4000 and Tierra Whack.
Him hits theaters Sept. 19.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 at Best Buy and get a free $50 e-gift card
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