Solos AirGo V2 Smart Glasses: A Privacy Focused Alternative to Meta
The smart glasses market has been dominated by Meta, but a new challenger is emerging with a unique focus on user privacy. Solos, a company previously known for audio only smart glasses, has just announced two new pairs of glasses, including the camera enabled AirGo V2 and the audio only AirGo A6.
The headline feature of the Solos AirGo V2 is the optional Privacy Kit. This $79 accessory set includes a clip on privacy shield that physically blocks the cameras from view and stops them from recording. This allows you to keep wearing the glasses in audio only mode, giving you control over when the cameras are active. The kit also includes a clip on polarized lens, offering modular versatility.
These $299 glasses are designed to compete directly with Meta’s popular smart glasses, offering similar features like photo and video capture, music playback, and an AI assistant that can see what you see. They can be fitted with prescription lenses and boast a 10 to 12 hour battery life.
However, the approach to privacy raises some questions. The need to buy a separate accessory and manually clip it on and off every time you want to disable the camera is an extra step that might deter users from bothering with privacy at all. More concerning is that the system doesn’t prevent bad actors from simply removing the clip on blocker later in an interaction, for example, after entering an event that prohibits camera recording.
Solos’ first camera enabled glasses, the AirGo Vision launched in 2024, received a lukewarm reception. WIRED placed them in the “Don’t Bother” category, citing middling media capture quality, frustrating touch controls, and a power hungry app. They haven’t yet reached the standard set by Meta.
Meta has been the dominant force in smart glasses, but they have faced significant criticism. Their devices have been called creepy “pervert glasses,” and the company faced backlash after silently adding and then quickly removing face recognition code following a WIRED report. Recently, Meta also announced it will start charging for features that were previously free on its smart glasses.
While Meta acknowledges a market for audio only glasses exists, they have not moved away from their camera forward approach. This leaves room for competitors like Solos to chip away at the market, especially among privacy conscious consumers. Other companies are also entering the space, including Google and Samsung with a partnership for Android XR, and Apple reportedly building its own smart glasses.
Summary
The Solos AirGo V2 smart glasses offer a compelling alternative for users concerned about privacy, featuring a clip on privacy shield to physically block the cameras. While the glasses aim to compete directly with Meta’s popular smart glasses, the privacy kit’s effectiveness is limited by being a separate purchase and its vulnerability to removal by bad actors. Despite Solos’ previous model receiving mixed reviews, the reemphasis on privacy comes at a time when Meta is facing criticism over privacy concerns and paywalls. As the smart glasses market expands, Solos is carving out a niche by giving users more control over their camera, even if the implementation has its flaws.
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