At its annual developers conference "Meta Connect," the social media giant's boss, Mark Zuckerberg, announced an array of devices in partnership with sunglasses brands Ray-Ban and Oakley. The firm also introduced a so-called neural wristband that pairs with its Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses to allow users to carry out tasks like sending messages with small hand gestures. The event comes as the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp owner faces ongoing scrutiny over the impact of its products, particularly on children.

He called the technology a "huge scientific breakthrough" before an audience of hundreds gathered on the company's Silicon Valley campus. The Meta Ray-Ban Display comes with a full-colour high-resolution screen in one lens where users can conduct video calls and see messages. It also features a 12-megapixel camera. During his demonstrations to the audience, things didn't always go to plan. A call via WhatsApp - which is also owned by Meta - to the glasses did not go through despite repeated attempts. "I don't know what to tell you guys," Mr Zuckerberg said to attendees.

"I keep on messing this up." Despite the hiccup, Mr Zuckerberg hopes Meta's line of smart accessories will be a key platform for integrating its artificial intelligence tool, Meta AI, into people's lives. Analysts say smart glasses are likely to be more successful than the firm's multi-billion dollar Metaverse project - virtual worlds to connect users across digital environments. (BBC)