Meta Platforms unveiled a new line of smart glasses at its Connect 2025 event on Wednesday, with the most significant launch being the Meta Ray-Ban Display, the company's first consumer-ready smart glasses featuring a built-in display in the right lens.

The event featured multiple failed live demonstrations of the glasses' capabilities, including a cooking tutorial and a video call, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg attributed to Wi-Fi issues.

Zuckerberg acknowledged the failures, stating, "I don’t know what happened," and later remarked on the irony of years of development being thwarted by the event's Wi-Fi, saying, "you spend years making technology and then the Wi-Fi at the day kind of catches you." Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth humorously noted that his team would now have to debug the issue, emphasizing the pressure of the September 30 release date.

Despite the technical hiccups, the keynote highlighted the glasses' features, such as a high-resolution display, 3K video, double the battery life, and integration with a Neural Band wristband for gesture control.

This launch marks a pivotal step in Meta's strategy to integrate artificial intelligence into everyday wearables, positioning the glasses as a vehicle for "superintelligence."  The event also introduced the Oakley Meta Vanguard, a sports-focused model for athletes, and a second-generation update to the standard Ray-Ban Meta glasses with improved battery life and video quality.

The Meta Ray-Ban Display, priced at $799, features a small display in the right lens capable of showing text messages, video calls, turn-by-turn navigation, and visual results from AI queries. It will be available for purchase starting September 30, 2025, at select brick-and-mortar retailers in the US, including Best Buy, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and Ray-Ban Stores.

The glasses are sold with a companion Meta Neural Band wristband, which uses electromyography (EMG) to detect hand gestures for control, such as pinching to select, swiping to navigate, and twisting to adjust volume. The wristband offers up to 18 hours of battery life and has an IPX7 water rating.

The display has a 20-degree field of view and a resolution of 600 x 600 pixels, with brightness ranging from 30 to 5,000 nits, though visibility can be challenging in direct sunlight. The external camera is a 12-megapixel sensor, recording 1080p video for up to six hours per charge, with an external case providing an additional 30 hours of battery life.

The launch of the display glasses is a key part of Meta's effort to build its own consumer electronics ecosystem, competing with companies like Apple and Google. The company has invested billions in hardware and recently made a $3.5 billion investment in EssilorLuxottica, its partner for the Ray-Ban brand.

The Oakley Meta Vanguard is a wraparound design aimed at runners, cyclists, and other athletes, priced at $499. It features a centered camera, louder speakers with deeper bass, and new video shooting modes like 60-frames-per-second video, slow-motion, and time-lapse capture.

The glasses offer improved water resistance and integrate with fitness platforms such as Garmin and Strava to deliver real-time training stats and post-workout summaries. They will be available starting October 21, 2025, in several countries including the US, Canada, UK, and parts of Europe and Asia.

 A second-generation version of the standard Ray-Ban Meta glasses was also announced, featuring almost twice the battery life of the previous model and improved video recording capabilities, now supporting 3K video. The starting price for this updated model is $379, up from $299.

The Meta Connect 2025 conference, held at Meta's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, was a major event focused on the company's AI and wearable technology advancements  The new glasses are part of Meta's strategy to move AI from a reactive tool to a constantly running service that assists users throughout the day.

President Donald Trump was welcomed to Windsor Castle on Wednesday, for his unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom, greeted by King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Catherine. The visit is the first time a U.S. president has been invited for a second state visit by a British monarch, following his 2019 visit under the late Queen.

The visit featured a grand royal carriage procession, a state banquet for 160 guests in St. George’s Hall, and a full program of ceremonial events, including a joint U.S.-U.K. military flyover and a special musical performance.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived at Windsor Castle aboard Marine One, which landed inside the Walled Garden, a rare occurrence.

The couple was greeted by Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, before joining King Charles III for a carriage procession through the royal estate in the Irish State Coach, followed by Queen Camilla and Melania Trump in the Scottish State Coach.

The procession was escorted by 80 soldiers from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and flanked by the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals, with 1,300 military personnel and 120 horses participating in the ceremony.

A 41-round gun salute and the playing of both nations' national anthems marked the arrival.

Trump and the King inspected the Guard of Honor before attending lunch in the State Dining Room.

Tiffany Trump  joined dad Trump to meet the British Royal during the historic state visit. The 31-year-old, who gave birth to son Alexander in May, was accompanied by husband Michael Boulos, 28, for the trip. The couple were spotted arriving to the state banquet hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, where the President and First Lady are guests of honor.

Tiffany, who entered with Michael behind Kate Middleton and Prince William, opted for a royal blue off-the-shoulder gown which shimmered with sequins.

The state dinner was held in St. George’s Hall, where the Waterloo Table, capable of seating 160 guests, was set with over 4,000 pieces of silver and china. Guests included British politicians and Trump administration officials.

President Trump was also accompanied by several prominent tech executives at the state banquet. The guest list included the CEOs of Apple, OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft and Google DeepMin, Tim Cook, Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, Satya Nadella and Demis Hassabis respectively, and Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer for Alphabet (Google), and her husband. Rupert Murdoch, the News Corp and Fox Corporation owner was also present. Trump recently filed a lawusuit against him and and his media outlet Wall Street Journal.

Trump delivered a toast at the Windsor Castle banquet, praising the "special relationship" between the U.S. and U.K. He described the relationship as "priceless, eternal. It's irreplaceable and unbreakable," comparing the nations to "two notes in one chord or two verses of a poem" and praising King Charles as a "very, very special man" and Prince William as "remarkable."

"It’s a singular privilege to be the first American president welcomed here and, if you think about it, it’s a lot of presidents and this was the second state visit, and that’s the first, and maybe that’s going to be the last time," said Trump to bust of laughter in the room. "But this is truly one of the highest honors of my life, such respect for you and such respect for your country."

In his toast, King Charles paid tribute to the "special relationship," stating the U.S. and U.K. are now the "closest of kin," having fought, died, innovated, traded, and mourned together. He emphasized the enduring bond between the two nations and urged global cooperation on environmental stewardship.

The King urged Trump to consider the importance of protecting the environment, stating the legacy of both nations should ensure future generations experience "natural treasures" and have access to clean water, air, and food.

The musical program at the banquet included classical pieces, the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and a James Bond Medley, reflecting Trump's personal playlist.

The wine list featured a 2016 Wiston Estate Cuvée, a 2018 Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne, a 2000 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello, and a 1998 Pol Roger, Extra Cuvée de Réserve.

After dinner, guests were served Warre’s 1945 Vintage Port, Hennessy 1912 Cognac, and Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1980, a gift to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Trump visited St. George’s Chapel, where he laid a wreath at the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II and toured the historic chapel.

Despite the royal welcome, protests by far-leftists occurred in London, with over 1,500 police deployed and around 50 groups represented, including the Stop Trump Coalition, who opposed the visit due to Trump's policies

On Tuesday night, images of Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle, leading to four arrests.