I'm not sure if I love or hate the Halliday smart glasses for their tiny screen and intrusive artificial intelligence.

At the latest CES 2025 edition, wearable devices are capturing attention, especially the new smart glasses. Among the most innovative proposals are Halliday's smart glasses, designed as "ocular leisure with proactive AI" aimed at enhancing the user's reality by providing instantly visible information.

The Halliday glasses are lightweight, weighing 35 grams, and maintain the appearance of conventional glasses. However, they incorporate advanced technology, featuring a microdisplay called Digi Window. Unlike other devices, such as Snap Spectacles and Meta Orion, which use waveguide technology, Halliday presents a remarkably small display that does not interfere with the lens of the glasses.

The Digi Window, developed by Gygeslabs, is a tiny display about the size of a pea, located in the upper right corner of the frame. In the images shown, it appears to be adjustable, allowing the user to position it optimally. Although it resembles a 3.5-inch monochrome screen, its utility in everyday life raises questions, particularly due to the need to look up to access information.

The real advantage of these glasses may lie in their integration with the Halliday AI app, available on Android and iPhone devices. This app not only allows users to query the AI agent but, with the user's permission, can proactively listen to conversations through an integrated microphone and provide answers to complex questions during meetings.

Additional features of the Halliday glasses include the ability to summarize meetings, send notifications, act as a teleprompter, translate voice, navigate with step-by-step instructions, and take notes. Furthermore, a custom control ring can be used for interaction through taps and swipes.

The glasses are available in black and tortoiseshell colors and offer a battery life of up to eight hours on a single charge. They are designed to fit with prescription or clear lenses and are expected to start distribution in the first quarter of the year. The estimated price in the United States is $489.99, with similar costs in other international markets.

Despite their innovative approach, the implementation of a 3.5-inch virtual screen could present challenges, especially in a market where a rise in full-field augmented reality by other companies like Meta and Snap is anticipated over the next two years. Placing the display outside of the line of sight reduces obstruction possibilities but also means the user must look away to check information, reminiscent of the experience with Google Glass, where one had to look up to see what was displayed.

A more detailed assessment will be awaited once there is an opportunity to personally try the Halliday glasses.