Credit: @rayban on Instagram
Itching to head to a music festival this summer? Well, you’ve got plenty of options!
Whether you’re heading to Camp Bestival with the kids, looking to groove to some reggae tunes at Boomtown, or aiming to attend the historic Reading and Leeds festivals, the UK’s summer music scene is waiting for you.
All you need to do is pack a few essentials for the best experience! This Skiddle guide particularly recommends bringing your mobile phone, personal ID—and, of course, some sunglasses and suncream. Though suncream is undoubtedly essential to protect your skin from the scorching heat, you’ll need to have some sunglasses handy, so that the sun’s glare won’t stop you from seeing your favourite acts live.
Why stop there? With all the modern innovations available nowadays, you can easily nab some specs that can enhance your festival experiences even further. Smart sunglasses are great for this, and there are few better than the Ray-Ban Meta.
Ray-Ban is a giant when it comes to stylish eyewear, and Meta is one of the key players in a smart glasses market that a Precedence Research report values at over $5.5 billion (£4.3 billion).
But what exactly makes the Ray-Ban Meta smart sunglasses so unique—and how can you use them at music festivals this summer?
Ray-Ban Meta’s smart sunglasses: what are they?
Credit: @raybanmeta on Instagram
First and foremost, they’re sunglasses. With a leading eyewear company in charge of the design, you’ll get all the same perks you’d get when buying iconic Ray-Ban sunglasses. That includes UV-blocking lenses with options to add polarised coatings and a prescription, on top of iconic frame designs like the Wayfarer and Headliner.
However, Ray-Ban is also known for always being on the cutting edge of eyewear innovation, as seen in its sustainable bio-based collection and Reverse models with lenses that curve inward. That’s why it’s no surprise that it teamed up with Facebook parent company Meta to create sunglasses that—though they look and feel like Ray-Bans—can pretty much do the same things your phone can.
The Ray-Ban Meta smart sunglasses come with an ultra-wide 12MP camera, a five-mic system, and open-ear speakers, meaning you can do everything from send texts and make calls to capture photos and videos, all hands-free. You also get music festival-friendly features, including up to 36 hours of battery life and water resistance with an IPX4 rating. However, there’s a reason why the Meta sells better and is more suited to your festival adventures than its predecessor, the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses: it boasts additional social media and AI integrations.
Here are four ways you can use all those features when attending music festivals this summer.
Ways to use the Ray-Ban Meta at music festivals
Navigate the festival grounds
Credit: @sidehustle.guides on Instagram
When attending festivals like Glastonbury for the first time, you’ll be walking the festival grounds that span over 1,500 acres. Getting lost and missing out on the important sets you’ve been looking forward to is not a great way to start your summer. Fortunately, you can avoid that while wearing your smart sunnies. With their AI assistant, you can simply say “Hey, Meta” and ask for directions, which you’ll then receive via the open-ear speaker. The best part is that Meta integrated multimodal AI into the sunglasses design, which you can use to ask about what you’re seeing. That can help you recognise any landmarks for easier navigation, meaning you can more easily make your way to a festival, around it, and back home without having to look at your phone.
Keep in touch with friends
Credit: @raybanmeta on Instagram
Attending music festivals with a group? The Ray-Ban Meta can simplify the process of gathering at the venue beforehand or meeting up again after going to the restroom, grabbing a bite, or watching different sets. A simple voice command can help you send and receive calls and texts even if you’re not connected to the internet. If you are, you can share what you’re seeing with friends when calling on WhatsApp or Messenger, making it easier for you to find each other on the festival grounds when you need to reconnect. Since you’ll be doing everything hands-free, you can keep walking towards them without stopping and meet back up again in no time.
Capture in the moment
Credit: @raybanmeta on Instagram
With these sunglasses, you never have to witness gigs through your smartphone screen again. If you’re looking to capture keepsakes to look back on once the festival’s over, you can use the Ray-Ban Meta to take unique shots from a first-person perspective—while still enjoying your favourite acts in the moment. Thanks to an extended battery life, it can take up to 100 60-second videos or 500 photos on a full charge. That’s for four hours of moderate use. If you need a top-up, take advantage of the accompanying sunglasses case: it holds up to 32 hours of charge and can get your sunglasses back up to 50% in as little as 22 minutes. You don’t need to worry about infringing on the privacy of other festival-goers, either: the Ray-Ban Meta comes with lights that let others know when you’re recording.
Share your experiences
Credit: @raybanmeta on Instagram
Looking to share your summer music adventures with family and friends who couldn’t make it to the festival? You’re in luck—since these smart sunnies were produced in part by Meta, you’ll get immediate integrations with Facebook and Instagram. Everything you capture goes straight to the Meta View smartphone app, which you can use to directly add photos and videos to your My Day or Stories. If you want to share the music in real-time, the Ray-Ban Meta lets you do that, too! Simply connect it to the Meta View app to start Facebook or Instagram live streams.
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