The Google Glass seemed like the future when they were first revealed, but sadly, it crashed and burned before it could even land on store shelves as a consumer product. Since then, a few companies have thrown at us their take on “smart glasses” with varying degrees of smartness. Amazon also gave it a shot with the Echo Frames. Now, the company is introducing its third-gen Echo Frames, which look like an improvement over the company’s previous attempts

Amazon has introduced the next generation of Echo Frames. The company said that it focused on customer feedback to enhance the new version, and with this new release, it’s focusing on features such as battery life and giving customers more options for styles. The glases still aren’t augmented reality like Google Glass, though—the only interaction is through Alexa with the built-in microphones and speakers.

The Echo Frames now come in seven stylish designs, including options from Carrera Eyewear. The smart glasses offer various lens choices, such as sunglass lenses, prescription lenses, or blue light lenses. They are IPX4 water-resistant and scratch-resistant, and they feature a slimmer design with improved battery life. Amazon claims up to six hours of continuous media playback on a full charge.

Amazon says that it put a lot of care into making your glasses as premium as possible, while also making sure that they actually felt like actual glasses. One of the changes the company made was to move the circuitry from the front frames to the temples, making the frames considerably thinner.

As for other improvements, the audio experience has been enhanced with a custom-built speaker driver and redesigned open-ear audio architecture that delivers three times the bass and improved audio quality. The new Echo Frames prioritize directing sound to your ears while minimizing sound leakage to others. Additional features include the ability to connect to multiple devices simultaneously, start playlists with a button press, filter notifications with VIP Filter, and use Alexa to locate misplaced glasses. You can also mute the microphones with a button press.

The Echo Frames start at $269.99, while the special Carrera frames can be priced at a whopping $389.99.

Source: Amazon