The Verge is covering the rapidly evolving world of wearables. We test everything from smartwatches like the Apple Watch, to smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans, to fitness trackers like the Oura Ring to find out which ones deliver on their promises. Follow along to find out whether covering our bodies in screens and sensors can actually make us smarter and healthier.
There’s also a ton of new software updates coming, including GLP-1 insights.
Well, I was too busy putting the finishing touches on my feature about the Enhanced Games to notice that the company is now offering a $10 million prize for sprinters who can break Usain Bolt’s 100m record of 9.58 seconds at the Enhanced Games 2027. Oh boy. Here we go.
The smart ring maker has confidentially filed its Form S-1 ahead of an IPO, and it plans to potentially go public this year, Bloomberg reports. Oura also said Wednesday that it’s “on pace” to pass five million paid subscribers this quarter.
Details are scant, but if you want to read about some of the capabilities, here’s my Android XR hands-on!
That includes Xreal’s Project Aura, plus previously announced glasses with Samsung, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker.
Personalized health is the holy grail, but there’s a long way to go before algorithms can factor in chronic conditions.
It’s the end of Fitbit as we knew it.
Months after reporting on men who approach women in public while wearing Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses or other similar devices, then post their covert recordings to get paid, the BBC has this update highlighted by Gizmodo. “Alice” was in a video viewed over 40,000 times on social media, and when she contacted the operator, they said they would remove it as a “paid service,” bringing back an old strategy with a new, and worse, wearable twist.
In its Q1 2026 investor letter, it advised analysts not to expect any contribution from Perplexity in its revenue guidance. The latter was supposed to have powered Snap’s AI search, but alas. The letter also hinted at more Specs news in June, because “intelligent eyewear” is still very much on the company’s agenda.
[s25.q4cdn.com]
After launching its first smart ring two years ago, Samsung is developing a more comfortable Galaxy Ring 2 with battery life increased from seven to up to 10 days, according to a translated Etnews report spotted by 9to5Google. However, the new version isn’t expected to be announced until early next year.
As spotted by 9to5Google, Fitbit posted a few teaser photos on Tuesday with the caption “Buckle up. 5.7.26.” The images don’t give away much, but the zoomed-in shots of a fabric band and metal buckle match earlier glimpses of the rumored screen-free “Fitbit Air.”
It’s less about which gadget. It’s better to be honest about what slots best into your life right now.
It told my spouse to drink alcohol nightly and wants us to battle for sleep supremacy.
This crop of smart glasses is the most stylish, affordable, comfortable, and capable yet. They still don’t make sense.
Yesterday we got our first good look at the purported design of Samsung’s smart glasses, and today Samsung itself confirmed they’re on the way, though it probably didn’t mean to. SamMobile spotted a mention of support for “Glasses” in an update to Samsung’s Nearby Device Scanning app, mentioning quick pair support too.
Instead of taking the easy route with an emulator, Chris Hackmann, the modder behind the excellent Frog Boy Color, created a watch-sized Game Boy Color using the handheld’s original CPU. It also plays games through custom tiny cartridges and features a tiny D-pad on the side along with other button controls.
Unsurprising, given Oura’s discreet form-factor and its long-term relationships with several professional sports organizations. You likely won’t see it on the pitch during this year’s World Cup (FIFA is a no-go for wearables during play). That said, it is another example of how professional athletes are integrating wearables into their training.
Cook once said Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind would be ‘about health.’ If true, he’ll get much of the credit.
According to journalist Ken Klippenstein, ICE may be working on developing smart glasses capable of facial and biometric recognition. Klippenstein claims the agency wouldn’t just be using this tech on illegal aliens, but all Americans, especially protesters. College students proved this tech is already doable, but thanks, I hate it.
[https://www.kenklippenstein.com]
The first hint was a sponsored Instagram post on March 31st. But Curry has been spotted wearing the mysterious device (possibly dubbed “Google Fitbit Air”) in a video from Sotheby’s, and it even made an appearance in a behind-the-scenes clip way back from All-Star weekend. We don’t know much, but it looks like Google is getting ready to take on Whoop.
Multiple CEOs have insisted it’s not ‘just a fitness tech company,’ but maybe it should be.
In a podcast with David Senra, Spiegel says, “I think Meta needed to partner with [Essilor]Luxottica because the Meta brand, I think, is not something people want anywhere near their face.” He’s not wrong. I hear that all the time from y’all in my smart glasses coverage — and the facial recognition controversy hasn’t helped.
The civil rights organization and 75 other groups published an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to “immediately halt and publicly disavow” plans for a reported facial recognition feature on its Ray-Ban smart glasses. It’s unsurprising that privacy advocates are wary, especially since documents show Meta originally planned to launch the feature during public unrest.
[ACLU of Massachusetts]
