Meta Did a 'One More Thing' and It's an AI Tamagotchi

Apple has reportedly shelved plans to launch an AI pendant, while Meta appears to be going all out in the nascent hardware space with a new handheld AI companion. Mark Zuckerberg used his "one more thing" moment at the company's annual Connect event on Wednesday to unveil the Muse Charm, a puck about the size of an Apple Watch featuring a tamagotchi-like, interactive avatar that can be used to chat with the company's Muse AI. "Muse Charm is a delightful and fun device built for you to talk and interact with your Muse. It brings the power of Muse with a state of the art real-time voice model into a device that fits in your pocket. "We packed the whole Muse experience, including the whole real-time voice and avatar stack, into something that fits on a keychain and is always available to talk to. You just go ahead and tap here in the fingerprint sensor in the corner, and you can start talking without having to unlock a phone or open an app. "So if you're not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show what's going on around you." We'll have more to share later this year." That's all we got about the device, which Meta is aiming to have on sale by the holiday season. Otherwise, Connect was mostly about the company's new Meta VR Glasses. They have a tethered puck for the storage and battery, and the headset it is said to be five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3, with full-color passthrough video support and a 5K display. Meta says the glasses will offer "cinema-grade clarity" with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and they can deliver up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback on a single charge. The device runs every game available for Quest headsets, and supports Xbox Cloud Gaming. You can also connect it to a PC or Mac and control things with a virtual keyboard and trackpad on a desk. Meta VR Glasses are set to launch in the spring with a $1,300 starting price. Meanwhile, in an apparent bid to throw off the "pervert glasses" label, Meta also announced an audio-only version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses. The new model supports media playback and calls, and runs for up to 12 hours on a single charge, while the charging case adds up to 48 hours of battery life. Pre-orders are open and the glasses ship on October 13, starting at $349. Meta hasn't abandoned its camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses, though. Far from it. The company is refreshing its Ray-Ban Meta with a slimmer design and a button that activates Meta AI. The third-generation model is said to have a longer nine hours of battery life (versus eight on the second-gen model) and a new six-microphone array that the company says can cut out over 90 percent of background noise. The 12MP camera supports 3K video capture, with Dobly Atmos Spatial Audio support coming soon. There are multiple styles to choose from, and prices start at $449. Meta's AI Glasses are also getting a new FDA-cleared hearing enhancement feature later this year. Users can access it as part of a Meta One subscription, or they can pay a one-time cost of $149. A 30-day free trial will also be available. Popular StoriesApple's Smart Glasses to Enter a Rapidly Growing MarketApple's first smart glasses could arrive in a rapidly expanding market, with worldwide AI glasses shipments increasing 263% year-over-year during the first half of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. The figures are particularly relevant for Apple because display-less products accounted for 96% of shipments. Apple's initial smart glasses are likewise rumored to omit an augmented...Meta Agrees to Limit Teens' Time on Facebook and Instagram, Calls on TikTok and YouTube to MatchWednesday August 26, 2026 3:28 pm PDT by Juli CloverMeta today said it will implement major changes to Facebook and Instagram's child safety features as part of a settlement agreement with almost all U.S. states. Here's what will change for users under 18 on Instagram and Facebook if the agreement is approved. Time Limit - Teens will have a two-hour daily time limit on Facebook and Instagram, though it can be overridden by a parent. The...Siri AI Settlement Website Now Live: Apple to Pay Some iPhone OwnersSunday September 20, 2026 7:24 pm PDT by Joe RossignolIn May, Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle a U.S. class action lawsuit over Siri AI's delayed launch, and the settlement website is now live. Apple will pay an estimated $25 per eligible iPhone to eligible customers, who can submit a claim via the settlement website between September 21 and December 21 of this year. The exact payment may be higher or lower than $25 depending on the...