The future is bright for consumer augmented reality.
Facebook announced Wednesday it is teaming up with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica to launch its first pair of smart glasses in 2021.
"After spending time with [EssilorLuxottica's] team and visiting their factory, I knew that they were the right partner for us to help bring the best technology together with the best glasses," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during a live stream for the Facebook Connect virtual conference.
The new advanced lens technology aims to "help people stay better connected to their friends and family," according to the two companies.
More details about the new product's name, specifications, software capabilities, and pricing will be released closer to the glasses' launch in 2021.
"With EssilorLuxottica we have an equally ambitious partner who'll lend their expertise and world-class brand catalogue to the first truly fashionable smart glasses," Andrew Bosworth, vice president of Facebook Reality Labs, said in a statement.
The glasses aren't Facebook's only push into AR wearables. Facebook Reality Labs also announced Project Aria on Wednesday. Researchers will use a proprietary set of glasses, not available for sale publically, to gather information to build and improve software and hardware necessary for augmented reality glasses. Testing by Facebook employees and contractors is set to begin later this month in the United States.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
