Amazon announced today that its experimental smart glasses are available to purchase for everyone. Echo Frames have now exited its testing phase, which began last year.
The product was first unveiled in September of last year when Amazon announced tons of devices in its Echo family and more lineups. The company then debuted Echo Frames as part of its Day 1 Editions program where customers can gain access to its new, invite-only devices for testing.
Echo Frames have since gained new improvements such as better sound quality, longer battery life, and enhanced Alexa interactions. Amazon claims the glasses" battery life is now up to 40% longer for continuous playback, with the volume jacked up to 60%. The product also added a new feature that turns off its frames when it"s placed upside down for three seconds.
The updated glasses do not differ much from the original version in terms of design. When it comes to its features, Echo Frames now offer "richer and fuller sound" compared to the previous model. In addition, you can now set the volume level to automatically change when a song starts playing, depending on your surroundings" noise level and your preferred listening profile.
Like its predecessor, the upgraded pair retains the VIP Filter feature to permit sounds from certain apps and contacts while muting those that you don"t want to hear from. There"s support for calendars and group messaging as well. Amazon has also partnered with LensCrafters to provide prescription lenses to customers who use those lenses. Echo Frames also come with a guide for any optician.
You can still long-press the temple in order to pair the smart glasses to your iOS or Android device using the microphone and speaker to connect to the Alexa app. Additionally, you can use your device"s native digital assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant to play songs and perform other tasks via Bluetooth.
Echo Frames can be purchased for $249.99 starting today on Amazon, with shipping set to begin on December 10. If you"ve already purchased the Day 1 Editions version of Echo Frames, you can snag the updated pair for only $70. The smart glasses are available in Modern Tortoise, Horizon Blue, and Classic Black color variants. On the other hand, Amazon is pulling the plug on another Day 1 Editions product called Echo Loop, which debuted alongside the smart glasses.