HTC is now in the AI smart glasses race. Thomas Dexmier, VP of Sales and Marketing at HTC VIVE, came on the Metavertising Podcast to talk about Vive Eagle, the company's first pair. We recorded a few days before they went on sale in Europe.

Thomas has been at HTC for more than 15 years. Smartphones, then Vive and VR, now this. He says 2026 feels a lot like 2016, with one big difference. Back then HTC was asking people to step into the technology. This time the technology has to disappear into something people already wear on their face all day.

We go through the hardware: 49 grams, Zeiss lenses, a 12MP camera that shoots 3K video, 32GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, four microphones and open-ear speakers. The part I find more interesting is what HTC decided not to do, which is lock you into one AI. Vive AI sits on top as the experience layer, you pick between models like GPT and Gemini, and developers can point the SDK at their own enterprise LLM.

Then privacy, which is where every smart glasses conversation ends up right now. The recording LED is enforced in hardware, so covering it up does not get you a secret camera. Sensors know when the glasses come off your face. And if I am recording you and you are not happy about it, you can say "stop recording" out loud and Eagle stops, in English, French, German or Spanish. I had not seen that anywhere else, and it is one of the better answers I have heard to the camera problem.

We also talk about why opticians and Silmo Paris matter more to this launch than a shelf in a consumer electronics store, and why Thomas thinks the B2B side may end up bigger than consumer. Underneath all of it sits a question I keep coming back to. The industry has spent 20 years monetising the screen. What happens when the interface is your voice?

Vive Eagle went on sale on 3 September and ships from 21 September, starting at 469 euros, or 559 euros with the photochromic Zeiss lenses.

In this episode:

• Why AI smart glasses have to be glasses first and technology second
• Launching VR in 2016 versus launching AI glasses in 2026
• HTC's case for letting you choose your own AI model
• SDK access, enterprise LLMs and the B2B use cases HTC is already seeing
• Hardware enforced privacy and the "stop recording" command
• Opticians, telcos and Silmo Paris: selling glasses, not gadgets
• Frames, colours and the three Zeiss lens configurations
• Whether smart glasses really are the computing platform after the smartphone

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Follow Metavertising for conversations with the people building immersive tech and smart glasses.

• Connect with Thomas Dexmier
• Connect with Ely Santos
• Details on the HTC VIVE Eagle: https://www.vive.com

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AI smart glasses, HTC Vive Eagle, HTC VIVE, smart glasses privacy, Thomas Dexmier, Vive AI, Zeiss smart glasses, AI glasses Europe, GPT glasses, Gemini glasses, wearable AI, spatial computing, XR, enterprise smart glasses, smart glasses launch 2026, Metavertising

Camera-free smart glasses just hit a $1 billion valuation. Even Realities is betting that the winning pair of AI glasses is the one you forget you are wearing.

In this episode of Metavertising, host Ely Santos sits down with Raag Harshavat, developer ecosystem lead at Even Realities and previously at Snap Inc. and Meta, to unpack how the Even G2 became one of the most-worn devices in the smart glasses category without a single camera on board.

Raag breaks down the design decisions behind a 36 gram pair of glasses that runs for two days on one charge, why Even Realities builds its own prescription lenses in its own factory, and how a monochrome green micro LED waveguide display turns out to be a feature rather than a compromise. He also shares what happened when he ran live translation for twelve straight hours in China, and why "quiet tech" and ambient computing describe something very different from what most of the industry is shipping right now.

For developers and creative technologists, this is a practical map of the Even Hub ecosystem: 400+ apps and climbing, a JavaScript-based SDK, a desktop simulator, and a Claude skill that makes vibe coding your own glasses app a realistic weekend project.

In this episode:

👓 What the Even G2 and R1 ring actually do, explained from scratch🔇 Quiet tech and ambient computing: the case for glasses that disappear🌏 12 hours of live translation in China, and why session-based devices cannot do it🔒 No camera: constraint or deliberate choice, and what it solves for bystander privacy🟢 Why the display is monochrome green, and how that buys battery life and outdoor readability🛠️ Shipping your first G2 app: SDK, simulator, docs, Discord, and vibe coding💼 Enterprise use cases, monetization, and why now is an interesting moment to build

Timestamps

00:00 Intro: who is Raag Harshavat01:03 From Snap and Meta to Even Realities03:28 Why Even Realities, and what unicorn status signals05:33 What the Even G2 and R1 ring actually do09:08 Quiet tech and ambient computing explained13:31 Running live translation for 12 hours in China17:15 No camera: constraint or choice20:12 Why the display is monochrome green21:45 400+ apps on Even Hub and what people are building29:02 How to ship your first G2 app33:50 What is next for Even Realities and its developers36:04 Where to find Raag

Connect with Raag Harshavat: LinkedIn, Instagram
Build for the Even G2: hub.evenrealities.com
Connect with host Ely Santos: LinkedIn

Building for glasses? DM Ely on LinkedIn to join the Vibe Glass community, a group focused entirely on smart glasses development.

If this episode was useful, follow the show, leave a rating, and share it with someone who still thinks smart glasses are years away.

#SmartGlasses #AIGlasses #EvenRealities #EvenG2 #AmbientComputing #XR #AR #WearableTech #SpatialComputing #DeveloperEcosystem #Metavertising

Is China quietly shaping the future of smart glasses & AI glasses?

In this episode of Metavertising, Ely Santos sits down with Sylvan Shen, XR Technical Producer at Emmy-winning immersive studio No Ghost, China Reporter at ImmersiveWire, and builder of demos for Meta Quest, Snap Spectacles, Meta Ray-Ban glasses, and other smart glasses platforms.

Together, they unpack one of the most important but under-discussed areas of the XR industry: China’s smart glasses ecosystem.

While most conversations around XR focus on Meta, Apple, or Snap, China is moving incredibly fast across hardware, AI, manufacturing, and real-world use cases. Sylvan breaks down why Chinese smart glasses companies may offer a glimpse into where wearable computing is heading next.

In this episode, we cover:

• The 4 categories of smart glasses: audio-first glasses, portable display glasses, AI camera glasses, and full AI + AR glasses.
• Why the simplest smart glasses are winning today, even though the dream is still full AR.
• How China’s hardware manufacturing ecosystem gives local companies a major speed advantage.
• Why Shenzhen and Guangdong are sometimes called the “hardware Silicon Valley."
• The privacy concerns around smart glasses — and why they become even more sensitive when AI is involved.
• How Chinese brands are approaching privacy, compliance, GDPR, and international certifications.
• Why companies like XREAL, RayNeo, Rokid, Alibaba, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Even Realities are taking very different strategies.
• Why real-time translation, payments, productivity, gaming, and smart home control are major use cases in China.
• The difference between Western and Chinese consumer behavior when it comes to smart glasses.
• Why developer communities may be the missing piece for Chinese smart glasses to go global.
• How open-source AI models and user choice could influence the future of AI-powered wearables.

If you’re a developer, founder, marketer, investor, or XR enthusiast trying to understand the next wave of wearable computing, this episode is a must-listen.

Guest: Sylvan Shen - XR Technical Producer, China Reporter at ImmersiveWire
Host: Ely Santos - Metavertising Podcast

Follow Sylvan Shen on LinkedIn.
Follow Ely Santos on LinkedIn.

🎧 Enjoying Metavertising? Hit Follow, leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, and share this episode with someone who thinks the smart glasses race is only happening in Silicon Valley.

#Metavertising #SmartGlasses #AIGlasses #AR #XR #Wearables #SpatialComputing #ChinaTech #MetaRayBan #SnapSpectacles