Meta Unveils New Smart Glasses 😎!

It’s tech-tember, and your favourite AI companies are showing no signs of slowing down.

Forward thinkers, welcome to another issue of the Neural Frontier!

Today, we’re diving into some of the most fascinating updates from the Meta Connect event, Google’s slew of updates, and Notion’s foray into the agentic scene. 

Let’s get on with it! 🏃‍♂️

In a rush? Here's your quick byte: 

😎 Meta unveils new smart glasses!

🤖 Google brings Gemini to Chrome.

💪 Notion unveils new AI agents!

🎭 AI Reimagines: The cybernetic foodchain!

🎯 Everything else you missed this week.  

⚡ The Neural Frontier’s weekly spotlight: 3 AI tools making the rounds this week.

😎 Meta unveils new smart glasses!

Meta has launched a new pair of Ray-Ban-branded smart glasses, featuring a built-in display on the right lens for apps, alerts, and directions. The glasses are paired with a wristband controller, the Meta Neural Band, which detects subtle hand gestures to navigate apps.

Here’s the scoop: 

💡 What Makes These Glasses Different

• Display functionality: Users can view Meta apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, as well as directions and live translations directly on the lens.

• Neural Band controller: Resembling a Fitbit but without a screen, it uses electromyography (EMG) to detect signals between the brain and hand, letting users control the glasses with hand gestures.

• Battery and durability: The wristband offers 18 hours of battery life and is water-resistant.

• Onboard AI: Like the original Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the new display model includes an AI assistant, cameras, speakers, microphones, and cloud connectivity.

Meta says the combination of the display and gesture-controlled interface could change how users interact with devices, offering a new layer of control beyond traditional smartphones.

🤔 Meta’s Strategy: Meta aims to build on the success of its original Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which sold millions of units in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica. Unlike the Orion smart glasses from 2024, which featured full AR lenses and eye tracking, the Ray-Ban Display focuses on practical, consumer-ready features that users can access today.

⚠️ Limitations

• The display is simpler than the AR-capable Orion glasses.

• Full augmented reality and eye-tracking features may be years away from consumer release.

• Meta faces competition from Apple and Google, whose future devices may leverage their native operating system integration to gain an edge.

🤖 Google brings Gemini to Chrome.

Google is expanding Gemini in Chrome to all Mac and Windows users in the U.S., no longer limiting access to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Alongside this rollout, Google announced plans to add agentic capabilities, deeper Google app integrations, and AI features to enhance both browsing and productivity.

Here’s what you need to know:

💡 Key Features

• Ask Gemini on any webpage: Users can click the Gemini icon in the top-right corner of Chrome to clarify complex information. For example, you could convert a banana bread recipe to gluten-free directly on the page.

• Multi-tab functionality: Gemini can compare and summarize information across multiple tabs, useful for planning trips, comparing products, or research.

• Recall previous pages: Gemini will soon let users query previously visited pages, like “Where did I see that walnut desk last week?” without digging through browser history.

• AI Mode in the address bar: Type complex queries like “I’m a side sleeper with occasional lower back pain. Make me a table comparing mattress types,” and follow up with additional questions seamlessly.

🔧 Integration Across Google Services: Gemini in Chrome now integrates with Google apps like Calendar, YouTube, Maps, and Workspace, enabling users to:

• Schedule meetings without leaving the current page.

• Jump to specific sections of a YouTube video.

• Retrieve location details and other context-sensitive information.

Future agentic features will allow Gemini to perform routine tasks autonomously, such as:

• Grocery shopping from an email list.

• Booking appointments or restaurant reservations.

• Managing deliveries or recurring tasks.

🔐 Security and AI Assistance: Gemini Nano will detect and protect against AI-generated scams like fake virus alerts and fraudulent giveaways. Additionally, Chrome will soon offer one-click password resets on supported sites such as Coursera, Spotify, Duolingo, and H&M, using AI to generate and save new passwords.

Features are rolling out later this month in English for U.S. users, with plans to expand to other languages and countries. Desktop users can start using Gemini across multiple tabs immediately. Plus, mobile integration is live for Android and will soon be available for iPhone via Chrome.

💪 Notion unveils new AI agents!

Notion has entered the agent era with the launch of Notion Agents as part of Notion 3.0, available to all users. The company positions these agents as “teammates and Notion super users” capable of performing tasks across pages and databases automatically.

Here’s the 411:

⚒️ What Notion Agents Can Do

• Build and update pages and databases: Agents can generate new pages, update properties, and organize views without manual input.

• Act across connected tools: Pull in data from Slack, Google Drive, email, and other linked platforms to automate workflows.

• Autonomous work: Agents can complete up to 20 minutes of multistep tasks across hundreds of pages at once.

• Remember preferences: Each agent can store “memories” of user workflows, including content references and filing preferences, which can be edited in the user’s profile.

🧰 Use Cases: Notion highlighted several practical applications of its agents:

• Generating and editing email campaigns automatically.

• Aggregating and analysing feedback across multiple platforms into a single report.

• Transforming meeting notes into emails, proposals, or action items.

• Creating trackers and dashboards, such as restaurant visit logs or movie lists, based on user data and external sources.

🔧 Personalization and Profiles: Users can set up multiple agent profiles with distinct behaviors for different workflows. Profiles instruct agents on output style, referencing sources, and where to update results.

The company plans to roll out fully automated agents that operate on schedules or triggers, along with a template library for ready-made prompts.

🌐 Agentic AI Across the Platform: Notion’s AI Agents build on Notion AI, which previously allowed users to search and summarize content. The new agentic features enable more complex, multistep tasks, making it a true productivity partner.

With this update, Notion joins a growing list of enterprise platforms, including Salesforce, Fireflies, and Read AI, introducing AI agents to extract, analyze, and update information across apps and workflows.

🎭 AI Reimagines: The cybernetic foodchain!

This week, we’re reimagining the food chain through a cybernetic lens. Cool designs aside, you’ve gotta see the cybernetic bear 😅. 

🎯 Everything else you missed this week.

💸 NVIDIA buys $5B stake in Intel.

🪟 Microsoft is adding AI agents to Teams.

🤝 You can now share custom Gems in the Gemini app.

👨‍✈️ Xbox Copilot has started rolling out on Windows 11 PCs.

💼 Reddit wants a better AI deal from Google.

⚡ The Neural Frontier’s weekly spotlight: 3 AI tools making the rounds this week. 

1. 🎨 OSO Design: OSO Design is a subscription-based design service that combines senior designers with AI-powered workflows to deliver professional creative work within 48-hour turnarounds. 

2. ⚡ Solid: Solid is an AI-powered web development platform that generates production-ready full-stack applications using enterprise-grade technologies like Node.js, React, TypeScript, and Docker.

3. 💼 Career Steer: Career Steer is an AI-powered career development platform that offers comprehensive professional growth tools, including mock interview practice, intelligent job matching, and personalised career coaching. 

Wrapping up…

Tech-tember is in full swing, and we’re loving it! 

We can’t wait to see what the tide brings in next week. Till then, hit that share button and subscribe if you haven’t already. 

We’ll catch you next week on the Neural Frontier ✨.