Amazon has announced upgrading its smart eyewear collection with the launch of seven new styles, including five Echo Frames models, its proprietary brand, and two designs by Carrera, a house brand of Safilo Group. It is the first time the Italian eyewear company has partnered with Amazon.
All Amazon smart glasses are equipped with the group’s Alexa AI system that enables users to listen to music, ask for information, command connected house appliances or place phone calls, among many other functions. Added features include starting a playlist by pressing a button to filter the system’s notifications or locating misplaced glasses.
In terms of audio, the glasses’ open-ear technology directs the sound to the user’s ears without covering them while minimizing what other people around them can hear. Amazon said the audio quality has been enhanced from the previous generation of Echo Frames with improved bass and crystal-clear highs.
The e-commerce giant explained that the new range was developed to address customers’ demand for more variety in frame styles and better battery performances compared to the previous smart eyewear range. To meet these objectives, the company’s designers moved the circuitry from the front of the glasses to the temples while simultaneously making them 15 percent slimmer. Amazon also said it prioritized using high-quality materials such as acetate, German-engineered spring hinges and adjustable temple tips.
On the battery capacities, the new glasses can play media for up to six hours on a single charge, which represents a 40 percent increase in audio playback and an 80 percent increase in continuous talk time compared with the Echo Frames’ first range.
Amazon said these smart glasses come with different lens options, including sunglass lenses with UV400 protection or blue light lenses, and are IPX4 water-resistant and scratch-resistant. For customers needing prescription lenses, the company invites them to find an eye care provider in their neighborhood through its new store finder tool that lists 3,000 locations in the U.S. The e-tailer ECP partners include Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA) member practices, MyEyeDr., Visionworks, Cohen’s Fashion Optical, Eyeglass World, and America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses.
Amazon is also partnering with Boomerang, an online company launched by 1-800 Contacts in 2020 as an online lens replacement service for people wanting to reglaze their current glasses. People purchasing smart glasses from Amazon, either Echo Frames or Carrera, will have to send them to Boomerang together with their prescription and will receive them back at home at a discounted price.
“Safilo has always looked to the future with an innovative approach, and this is why we are very proud to collaborate with Amazon on this innovative project […],” said Angelo Trocchia, CEO of Safilo Group, and added, regarding the distribution of the Carrera Smart Glasses: “Furthermore, we are proud to combine our well-established traditional wholesale distribution model - which encompasses eyecare retailers, chains, department stores, specialized retailers, and boutiques - with Amazon’s incredible online distribution.” They will be only available in the U.S. to selected retail partners and on Carrera’s online shop.
Safilo Group’s stock price increased by approximately 6 percent on the day following the announcement.
