Another Morning, Another Test...

 

After getting the Ray-Ban Wayfarer Meta Gen 2 glasses, I have spent some time researching the genre.  Meta is leading the pack on Smart Glasses right now but it is a rapidly growing and changing market.  I really like the Wayfarers, but they do feel heavy on the bridge of my nose.

Meta also makes glasses in conjunction with Oakley, a brand owned by the same parent company as Ray-Ban.  I looked into different models of Ray-Ban and Oakley.  Oakley is known for more futuristic sunglasses designs.  They have one model called the HSTN that is similar, but more angular, to the Wayfarers.  While out and about the other day, we stopped in Best Buy and I tried on a pair of those.  I also tried on some Oakley Vanguard Meta Glasses - a larger more wrap-around style; it's what I think of when I think of Oakleys.

I order a pair of the Oakley Vanguards after reading a bunch of reviews.  Overnight delivery, they showed up at our house early this morning.  I took the box outside to get the glasses paired up with my phone and the Meta app.  Of course, it needed a firmware update.  Murphy was content to just hang out rather than explore... he's a good boy.

 The first thing you notice about these Oakleys: they are BIG.  When I first saw them, they reminded me of ski goggles.  Yeah, that "Oakley style."  I was never drawn to the Oakleys - I'm more of a Maui Jim kinda guy, having worn those for decades.  But, I digress - back to the Oakleys.

Joan suggested I give them a try on the same route I took yesterday on my ebike.  Good idea!  Before heading out, a photo...

 Not quite as big as ski goggles, but definitely more than typical sunglasses.  On the bright side, the reviews were right: these are comfortable.  At first test, more so than the Wayfarers.  I headed out on the bike.

 

The field of view is wider on this camera, compared to the one on the Wayfarer (122º vs 100º) - you notice it in the photos: you can see the brow on my bike helmet at the top of the photos.  And, on to the video...

 At first blush, I think I like the Oakleys better.  I'll take a day with the two of 'em and get a better feel for it.  Each of these were bought from Amazon; each have a 30 day return.  I will give them both more face time (not to be confused with the video phone feature of FaceTime from Apple) and make a decision.

Also, you might notice that the video above is in its native vertical format (check out the video in yesterday's post to see the difference).  YouTube, other than "Shorts," is horizontal.  We'll see how that aspect of it plays out... my past videos have been horizontal.  Also, the camera in the Oakleys is in the center, just above your nose; the camera in the Wayfarers is on the far left side of the glasses - that makes a difference, too.  And the size: not only are the Oakleys bigger on your face, but they don't fold up as compact as the Wayfarers... the charging case for the Oakleys is about twice the size as the charging case for the Wayfarers.  You are not going to put that in a pocket...

  Size, comfort, function... decisions, decisions.