Facebook had once experimented with the idea of launching its own smartphone a few years back though the idea had failed miserably. The company is however back with another plan to take on the smartphone segment though in the most radical manner – using AR-enabled smart glasses that would do away with smartphones, or so the social media giant believes.
Codenamed Orion, the project envisages the development of a smart glass that would look, for the most part, like any ordinary glasses currently in vogue. The glasses will have all the hardware stuff inside for it to replace the smartphone, which includes the ability to make and receive phone calls or directing the attention of the user to any notification that arrives using AR.
Also, of course, coming as it does from a company that prides itself on being the number one socializing company, users should always look forward to having features that would enable them to share thing with friends and associates. It’s not known though how users would be making inputs in the device though there is the talk of a ring like a thing named Agios that would serve the purpose using motion-sensing technology.
To give shape to their dreams, Facebook is also reported to have got into a partnership with eyewear brand Luxottica to develop the glasses once the technology is ready. As per information currently available, Facebook is currently engaged in miniaturizing the design to make it into a form factor that users find convenient for everyday usage.
However, the Orion smart glasses aren’t expected to be ready any time before 2023 or even 2025, if at all it does. That is because there is no surety of the project becomes mature enough for it to be deployed in the public domain. That said, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reported to have asked the head of hardware division, Andrew Bosworth to focus more on the Orion project.
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In another development, Facebook has also entered into another partnership with Ray-Ban. This, however, is to develop a spectacle that it hopes will help ward off competition from Snapchat Spectacles even though it too is expected to come with advanced features such as access to a digital assistant while there is going to be an app as well dedicated to the same.
