News
Smart glasses without a camera? Even Realities bets productivity beats recording everyone
In the past few years, multiple tech executives have told us that glasses could be the next big interface for consumer hardware. And yet, today’s smart glasses rely a lot on phones, even if they have good hardware. Even Realities’ G2 smart glasses are in the same boat. They’re a premium-looking pair of glasses with a neon-style heads-up display you can see in any lighting — but their functionality relies heavily on their connectivity with the phone, which can be** unreliable and frustrating.
Even Realities takes a different approach to smart glasses than players like Meta. Their devices have a monochrome heads-up display that shows text and information in green, giving it the look of a neon board.
There are no cameras or speakers, and that is by design. The company wants to focus on productivity rather than recording, so the people around you don’t have to worry about being filmed.
The G2 is the second pair of smart glasses from Even Realities and an improvement over the G1 released a few years ago. The G2 has a brighter 1,200-nit display (vs. 1,000 nits on the G1), four mics (vs. two), and a 75% larger display area than its predecessor. The new display also has a better 60Hz refresh rate, compared with 20Hz on the G1.
In the few months I’ve used the G2, the connectivity with the phone has improved tremendously. Early on, the glasses would disconnect from the app so frequently that I nearly gave up on them. But after a few app updates, that issue got better.
The glasses are targeted at people who might be constantly in meetings, giving presentations, and traveling to countries where different languages are spoken.
Design
The glasses, which come in two frame designs, are very light at 35 grams. The frame is made out of magnesium alloy, and the temples (the arms that go over your ears) are made out of titanium alloy. In terms of weight and fit, the glasses were comfortable to wear.
Since I work from home most of the time, though, I didn’t feel much need to wear them all day. That said, the lenses have UV protection built in, so they’re still worth wearing outside just for eye protection — smart features or not.
The company claims that, based on typical usage, G2’s battery can last up to two days on a single charge. The glasses come with a protective case that can recharge them up to seven times before needing to be plugged in itself. I personally didn’t test the two-day claim, but the battery lasted me long enough to put them back into the case without running out of juice.
That case is big — you can’t shove it in a pocket — but it’s solid, and the glasses fit in snugly.
Features and operation
The glasses act as your companion for schedules, reminders, and access to notes. You can wake them up by tapping on the stem-based controls. If you double-tap on the control pad on the stem, you will see a dashboard with information like your upcoming meetings, stocks, and top news.
The G2 can also show real-time phone notifications, but the pop-ups weren’t always reliable — and since my phone is usually within reach anyway, I didn’t find much use for the feature.
Long-pressing the temple control opens a menu with several functions: a notifications tray, Translate, Conversate, Teleprompt, a to-do list, and Navigate. Translate lets you set a target language and converse with anyone. At the recent Global Connect Show (GCS) in China, I wore the glasses while talking to company reps doing demos, and the translation was good enough for me to follow along when someone spoke Chinese. I also tried it with other journalists speaking various languages, including French and Spanish. (The downside of this feature is that the other person doesn’t know what you’re saying in your language unless they’re also using the app.)
Navigate is a cool feature that shows turn-by-turn directions on the heads-up display. The catch: it doesn’t work with Google or Apple Maps. Instead, you have to set your route through the Even Realities app. I tried it a few times walking to cafes near my house. The directions showed up well on the display, but the app kept getting the addresses wrong, so I can’t rely on it for places I don’t already know how to get to. Still, I could see cyclists or motorbike riders finding it useful once the company fixes the accuracy issues.
Conversate, at first, just showed a live transcript of the conversation on the glasses, which felt pointless since you can just as easily record a meeting with an app or an external notetaker. Later, the company added a “prep notes” feature that surfaces more context: you can manually add notes or documents ahead of a meeting and let the AI reference them during the conversation, or let it listen in real time and pop up short explainer bubbles for concepts as they come up. For instance, during a briefing about energy, it showed me a bubble for “Green Hydrogen,” and tapping it brought up a definition right in front of my eyes. That was genuinely useful — though I wouldn’t want a transcript or explainer bubbles for every conversation I have.
At the center of all this is the built-in assistant, Even AI. As with any voice assistant, you say a wake word to activate it and ask questions or add items to your to-do list. It often misunderstood my to-do list requests, and for general questions, the answers were often long paragraphs that streamed across the screen with no way to interrupt or skip ahead.
Another issue: despite having four mics, Even AI often failed to activate, or misheard me, when I was outside. The ambient noise in India could have played a part, but I’d still expect a modern gadget to have better noise handling.
The G2’s screen was legible in most conditions, but in a bright room I had to adjust the brightness manually through the app. Even if the company hasn’t built an automatic-brightness sensor yet, I’d like to see a manual brightness control built into the glasses themselves, rather than requiring the phone app.
Don’t put the R1 ring on it
Even launched a companion ring called the R1 alongside the G2. The idea is to control the glasses through a touch surface on the ring instead of the glasses’ own touch controls. But its price and functionality don’t quite justify the cost.
The ring works well, and I didn’t have any issues using it. But I struggled to find scenarios where I actually needed it, since the touch-sensitive temples on the glasses already do the same job.
On top of that, Even built health tracking into the ring — heart rate, calories, steps, sleep, and SpO2 (blood oxygen level). Personally, I’d rather go for a dedicated ring like Oura or Ultrahuman if I wanted that form factor with health tracking. Second, if I already use a fitness tracker, I wouldn’t want to buy a ring where health is an auxiliary function for a ring that is meant to control the glass.
All this functionality bumps up the ring’s price to $249, which is not cheap. If I used my smart glasses a lot, I would consider buying a controller ring at a lower price if it also had a mic, which I could use for issuing commands to the AI assistant. As it stands, I’d skip the R1.
Where does Even G2 stand?
Smart glasses are coming out fast. Camera-equipped, screen-free models like the Meta Ray-Bans are popular, but Meta, Snap, and other competitors are racing to build glasses with color screens, too. Only a handful of Chinese companies — like Rokid and Inmo — are making glasses with this same neon-display style.
The Even G2 costs $599 and delivers solid hardware in a light, good-looking frame. The company is also working to make the glasses more customizable by supporting third-party apps, though I didn’t find any app compelling enough to make me reach for the glasses more often. They’re a nice-to-have: fun to explore if you like tinkering with new hardware and don’t mind trying out third-party apps.
The hardware itself is good, but outside of jobs that require constant translation or teleprompting, it’s hard to find a clear everyday use case for smart glasses like these.
Even’s bet is that skipping the camera and speakers is the right move for a productivity-focused device — and I don’t disagree with that direction. But now that the company has newly reached unicorn status, it needs to build out more first-party software to make the glasses something people actually reach for every day.
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News
WAFU-B Women’s Champions League Qualifiers: Ruthless Edo Queens Crush AS Garde Nationale 7-0, Moses Bags Hat-Trick
Nigeria champions Edo Queens made a sensational start to their WAFU-B Women’s Champions League qualifying campaign after thrashing AS Garde Nationale of Niger 7-0 in their opening Group B encounter in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Edo Queens wasted no time making their intentions clear as Chioma Moses opened the scoring in the fifth minute, giving the Nigerian champions an early advantage and putting their opponents under immediate pressure.
Read Also: Gift Okunwa-Igunbor: NFF Fact-Finding Committee Must Demand Better Working Conditions
Moses doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time after converting from the penalty spot, sending Edo Queens into the break with a commanding 2-0 advantage.
The Nigerian champions returned from the interval with even greater intensity, with Atume Doosuur scoring just two minutes into the second half to make it 3-0.
Doosuur completed her brace in the 56th minute before Aminat Folorunsho added a fifth goal six minutes later as Edo Queens continued to tear apart the AS Garde Nationale defence.
Moses completed her hat-trick in the 76th minute, producing the standout individual performance of the match, before Oluwakemi Adegbuyi put the finishing touch on the emphatic victory with the seventh goal in the third minute of stoppage time.
The victory was built around a sensational display from Chioma Moses, who emerged as the Woman of the Match after scoring three goals and playing a central role in Edo Queens’ dominant performance.
Moses’ hat-trick not only underlined her clinical finishing but also gave the Nigerian champions a major attacking weapon as they began their campaign in emphatic fashion.
The 7-0 demolition gives Edo Queens an early boost in their bid to secure another appearance at the CAF Women’s Champions League after their impressive run in the competition in 2024.
Edo Queens won the WAFU-B competition on their debut in 2024 before going on to finish fourth at the CAF Women’s Champions League later that year. (“aclsports.com” (https://www.aclsports.com/caf-womens-champions-league-edo-queens-in-burkina-faso-for-qualifiers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
Ahead of this year’s competition, Edo Queens assistant coach Gabriel Benson had expressed confidence in the squad and challenged the players to represent Nigeria and Edo State with pride.
“Edo Queens have all it takes to make the country proud,” Benson said before the tournament. (“punchng.com” (https://punchng.com/edo-queens-begin-wafu-b-campaign-against-as-gnn/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
“The girls are ready and good to go.”
They backed up that confidence with a ruthless performance, with Moses’ hat-trick and Doosuur’s brace highlighting the attacking firepower available to the Nigerian champions.
Edo Queens will now turn their attention to their remaining Group B fixtures against ASEC Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghanaian champions Ampem Darkoa, knowing that stronger tests await them in their pursuit of a place in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
But after putting seven goals past AS Garde Nationale in their opening match, Edo Queens have already delivered a powerful warning to their WAFU-B rivals — and with Woman of the Match Chioma Moses leading the charge, the Nigerian champions look ready for another big continental run.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF), a family of funds supporting environmental action globally, says African countries are the largest beneficiaries of its funding for sustainable environmental projects.
Ulrich Apel, GEF Senior Environmental Specialist, disclosed this on Monday while responding to questions on mechanisms for accessing environmental finance.
Apel said Africa had received about 30 per cent of GEF funding, ahead of Asia, which received 18 per cent, and Latin America and the Caribbean, which received 15 per cent.
“First of all, we have programmes that cover all the available funding. We programme all of our available funding, and in fact, the African region is the largest beneficiary of our funding, having received about 30 per cent of the funds, followed by Asia with 18 per cent, and Latin America and the Caribbean with 15 per cent,” he said.
He was responding to PREMIUM TIMES’ questions about how African countries, including Nigeria, could more easily access GEF funding.
According to him, African countries are a particular focus of the GEF’s funding because of the region’s vulnerability to land degradation, desertification and drought, which are central issues at the ongoing United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP17.
“So, I don’t think the problem is necessarily the accessibility of funds, because we programme all the funding that we have available,” Apel said.
The disclosure came as governments, financial institutions and businesses at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia intensified efforts to mobilise finance for land restoration and drought resilience.
Finance takes centre stage at COP17
24 August was designated as Finance Day at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with discussions across meeting rooms and the plenary hall focused on mobilising public and private investment for land restoration and drought resilience.
The 17th Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD is placing particular emphasis on rangelands — including drylands, grasslands, shrublands, wetlands and deserts — which cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface.
Despite their importance to pastoralists, biodiversity, food systems and carbon storage, about half of the world’s rangelands are estimated to be degraded.
Against this backdrop, governments, development banks, investment funds and businesses participating in COP17 on Monday announced $1.3 billion in new and pipeline financing for land restoration and drought resilience across 23 countries on five continents.
GEF unveils drought programme
The GEF also announced the development of a new Drylands and Drought Management Integrated Program aimed at helping countries proactively manage drought, strengthen resilience in drylands and respond to growing risks to ecosystems, food security, water availability, livelihoods and health.
The programme will be implemented during the GEF-9 investment cycle, covering 2026 to 2030.
The facility said the programme responds to requests from parties to the UNCCD for the GEF to prioritise drought resilience in its programming.
It will support countries and communities in better preparing for, monitoring, assessing, mitigating, and responding to the cascading impacts of drought.
“Investing in healthy land and healthy people means investing in food security, climate resilience, biodiversity, water, jobs, and peace,” said Claude Gascon, GEF Interim CEO and Chairperson.
“Through this new Integrated Program, we will support countries in moving from crisis response toward proactive drought resilience.”
The Drylands and Drought Management Integrated Program has a tentative GEF grant envelope of $140 million.
It will work closely with the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, the Drought Resilience Investment Facility, and other initiatives that support resilience across drylands and rangelands.
GEF backs rangelands initiative
As part of the broader push, the GEF is also supporting the Rangelands Flagship Initiative, a multi-partner global initiative led by Mongolia and the UNCCD to significantly increase investments in conserving, sustainably managing and restoring rangelands.
The GEF supports the development and coordination of the initiative through the UNCCD COP17 Legacy Project, a $3.3 million GEF investment implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The project is leveraging an additional $8 million in co-financing from Mongolia and IUCN.
During the GEF-8 cycle, which runs from 2022 to 2026, the GEF approved 50 projects across its family of funds supporting sustainable rangeland management and restoration, as well as pastoralist livelihoods.
The projects represent a total investment of more than $300 million.
The GEF said the projects, which are at various stages of development, could complement the Rangelands Flagship Initiative and help scale up successful approaches to rangeland management and restoration.
What GEF-9 means for Africa
With an initial programming level of $3.9 billion, GEF-9 will support expanded investments in nature-positive development, drought resilience and sustainable land management.
Four GEF-9 Integrated Programs are strongly aligned with UNCCD objectives and are expected to attract more than $800 million in GEF grant funding.
READ ALSO: COP17 advances $1.3bn for land restoration, puts rangelands at centre
They include programmes focused on Food Systems, Critical Forest Biomes, Blue and Green Islands, and the new Drylands and Drought Management Integrated Program.
Under GEF-9, drought resilience is expected to become more central, targeted and measurable.
The cycle includes a dedicated objective for implementing national drought plans, a drought vulnerability index incorporated into the resource allocation formula for countries, and new indicators to track improvements in drought resilience.
The GEF said GEF-9 would enable investments that help countries address urgent environmental priorities through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
Across the GEF family of funds, 20 per cent of resources are expected to benefit Indigenous Peoples and local communities directly.
The replenishment also places greater emphasis on mobilising private capital for environmental action. Ten per cent of total GEF-9 funding is allocated to the blended finance window, with an overall target of using 25 per cent of GEF resources to help mobilise private-sector investment
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