HTC Vive Eagle: AI glasses with ChatGPT, 12 MP camera and real-time translation
With the Vive Eagle, HTC presents smart glasses for everyday life and travel with camera, translation and voice control in a lightweight design.
HTC enters the smart glasses market with the "Vive Eagle" – but only in Taiwan for the time being.
(Image: HTC Vive)
HTC's first AI glasses without a display are similar in design and technology to Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. The core features include listening to music, AI voice assistance, photography, video, and real-time translation. However, there will be no direct competition for Meta for now. HTC is developing the Vive Eagle in collaboration with Taiwan Mobile and 2020EYEhaus and intends to release the smart glasses exclusively in Taiwan for now. It is currently not known when and if HTC will bring the Eagle to Western markets.
AI assistant works with ChatGPT and Gemini
The smart functions of the Eagle are handled by HTC's proprietary “Vive AI” voice assistant, which accesses AI platforms such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google Gemini. The integrated 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera is designed to record photos and videos by voice command. HTC leaves open in the press release whether this is also possible by pressing a button on the frame. There are also no details on video length or supported formats.
Videos by heise
The Vive Eagle recognizes text content in twelve languages directly via the camera and can translate it into spoken language in real time. Languages supported include German, English, French, Japanese, and Arabic. An additional smartphone app is not required. When it comes to data protection, HTC emphasizes that all user data is stored locally and is not used to train AI models.
Even when accessing third-party AI, the data remains anonymous according to the manufacturer. An LED in the frame signals when camera recordings are in progress. If the glasses are removed or the light is blocked, recording stops automatically. According to HTC, data is encrypted in accordance with the AES-256 standard.
Six hours of battery life
HTC is presenting the Vive Eagle in four slightly transparent shades of brown, red, gray, and black. The design is also strongly reminiscent of the Wayfarer glasses from Ray-Ban. The LED and camera are located on the outer edges. At launch, the 49-gram lightweight frame will be fitted with tinted Zeiss sunglasses lenses with UV protection. There is no mention of corrective lenses.
According to HTC, the 235 mAh battery provides up to six hours of use and 36 hours of standby time. It remains to be seen how quickly these figures are put into perspective during video recording. Magnetic fast charging is said to charge 50 percent of the battery capacity in just ten minutes. A pass-through function also allows charging via a power bank or smartphone.
The Vive Eagle is now available for pre-order on the HTC website. The price is 15,600 Taiwan dollars, which corresponds to around 450 euros.
(joe)
