Prefer WhistleOut in Google
Last Christmas, I was given a pair of Bluetooth audio sunglasses, the JBL Soundgear Frames (pictured above). They were affordable, competent enough and, miraculously, exactly my style. I loved wearing them, but our time together was short-lived, and I blame the Meta Ray-Bans of the world.
As a tech journalist, I’m not easy to buy gifts for. But it was pleasant to get something I would never have purchased myself that I didn’t even know I needed. Something I would just as happily wear as a regular pair of sunglasses.
After a long stint of working from home, I’ve grown tired of wearing earbuds. I don’t know if it's the unnecessary noise isolation when you work from home alone, or the slight discomfort that grows more and more apparent with every passing day, but I’ve slowly moved away from earbuds unless I’m at the gym.
That’s why the JBL Soundgear Frames were such a breath of fresh air. I felt just a little more connected to my surroundings on my morning walk. When I ordered my morning coffee, I could keep listening to my podcast without worrying about not hearing my name called. When I took my kids to the local pool, I could take calls with enough spatial awareness to know where my kids were and if they needed me.
But the cost of that convenience quickly became obvious, and at no fault of JBL. When I approached the counter at my local cafe, my usual barista served me with a slightly furrowed brow. I didn’t think too much of it. When I took my kids to the pool, I noticed another father sitting a few metres away, shifting uncomfortably on his towel as he stared intermittently in my general direction.
When I took my two-year-old daughter to a kid’s birthday party at a public playground - rocking, of course, my new favourite pair of shades. A close friend of mine pulled me aside to catch up, and as they focused on my sunglasses, I sensed a touch of concern. I assured them that the JBL Frames were purely an audio device and absolutely not smart glasses. They were visibly relieved.
That’s when it dawned on me. Everyone thought I was wearing smart glasses. At the cafe, at the pool, at the kids' birthday party.
Oh no.
I casually hung the JBL Frames over the top button of my party shirt, as you do, and haven’t worn them out in public since. As much as I loved the JBL Soundgear Frames, it wasn’t worth it if I had to constantly explain that I wasn’t wearing “smart” or “AI” glasses.
Hindsight is 20/20, but I should have realised people would confuse this particular pair of shades for smart glasses. They have a smoky transparent finish that reveals the inner workings of their limited tech, much like your favourite Game Boy Colour or Nothing phone. In fact, they probably look more like smart glasses than actual smart glasses.
Meta’s augmented Ray-Bans, on the other hand, are designed to look… normal, discrete even. And that attempt to hide or normalise the technology isn’t just creepy, it begins to make people second-guess anyone wearing Bluetooth audio glasses like the JBL Frames.
That’s not to say that everyone using smart glasses is doing something shady, but the truth is that there are people using them to secretly record in public places. Even if they aren’t actively hiding the recording indicator, which is concerningly common, it’s not immediately obvious if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
This problem isn’t going away anytime soon. Meta and Ray-Ban manufacturer EssilorLuxottica reportedly moved seven million units of their AI glasses range in 2025 alone, and at this year’s I/O, Google revealed its latest attempt to crack the smart glasses market. In collaboration with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, Google is following in Meta’s footsteps by making smart glasses that look more like everyday glasses and less like tech. Apple is also rumoured to be working on its own smart glasses.
There are, of course, many legitimate use cases for smart glasses, particularly for people living with visual impairments. But as is so often the case, the technology is being spoiled by a few bad apples.
The more AI smart glasses resemble regular glasses, the harder they will be to police. It’s clear that a large part of the population is uncomfortable with them, and can you really blame them? The person sitting across from you on the train might not be secretly recording you with their AI smart glasses, but how would you know?
The same goes for Bluetooth audio glasses like my JBL Soundgear Frames. I’d love to be able to wear them without putting people on edge, but I’m afraid that ship has already sailed.
Brodie Fogg
Managing Editor - Streaming
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