Based on what we saw at CES, 2023 may be a breakthrough year for smart glasses and their apps to help users with impaired hearing. We already covered XanderGlasses: a high-tech wearable that uses augmented reality to display real-time conversation captions on the lens. XRAI also launched XRAI Glass, a smart glassware app used with Nreal AR smart glasses. XRAI does not produce glasses, just the app, but the app has several powerful features. The primary feature displays transcribed spoken content inside the smart glasses lens.
XRAI Glass runs on a smartphone. To use the AR glasses feature, you’ll need to purchase and connect to Nreal smart glasses via a USB-C cable. (A wireless version for the glasses is in the works.) You also can use a free version of the app on a smartphone with or without the glasses, but you have to look at your phone instead of the other person while you’re listening to them. Currently, the app is available for Android smartphones only, and Xrai suggests a Qualcomm chip for the best performance. Text and other content appear on the smartphone display, and on the smart glasses if you have them.
There are three XRAI Glass app subscription levels. The Essentials level, which is free, includes unlimited transcription of conversations from 9 languages and stores one day’s conversation history. For $20 a month, the XRAI Glass Premium version adds 30 days of conversation history, AR mode with 3D support, 10 hours of cloud-enhanced transcription with speaker Identification, UI customization, and translation into 9 languages. Opt for the $50 per month Ultimate subscription to add unlimited conversation history, unlimited cloud-enhanced transcription, a personal AI assistant, and additional AI content features and controls. In addition to helping you understand what others are saying even in noisy rooms, the XRAI Glass app gives you a kit of time and communications management tools.
