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29200 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
And most home builders are “out of touch and building homes that no one who needs affordable housing could ever afford,” Bagdasarian told TechCrunch in an interview.
The opportunity to help people overcome poverty and improve their chances for social and economic mobility was what attracted Bagdasarian and co-founder and CFO Robert Kavanagh to build Simply Homes’ model.
“Children that are able to move into lower-poverty neighborhoods can see a 31% increase in lifetime earnings,” Bagdasarian said.
And the pair are firm believers that you can still make money and do good at the same time.
Founded in 2020, Simply Homes spent its first couple of years developing its platform and associated models before buying its first home in January of this year. By the end of this month, the startup is expected to have 108 units, or homes, in its portfolio. Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter. |
29201 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
And most home builders are “out of touch and building homes that no one who needs affordable housing could ever afford,” Bagdasarian told TechCrunch in an interview.
The opportunity to help people overcome poverty and improve their chances for social and economic mobility was what attracted Bagdasarian and co-founder and CFO Robert Kavanagh to build Simply Homes’ model.
“Children that are able to move into lower-poverty neighborhoods can see a 31% increase in lifetime earnings,” Bagdasarian said.
And the pair are firm believers that you can still make money and do good at the same time.
Founded in 2020, Simply Homes spent its first couple of years developing its platform and associated models before buying its first home in January of this year. By the end of this month, the startup is expected to have 108 units, or homes, in its portfolio. Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter.
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. |
29202 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
“Children that are able to move into lower-poverty neighborhoods can see a 31% increase in lifetime earnings,” Bagdasarian said.
And the pair are firm believers that you can still make money and do good at the same time.
Founded in 2020, Simply Homes spent its first couple of years developing its platform and associated models before buying its first home in January of this year. By the end of this month, the startup is expected to have 108 units, or homes, in its portfolio. Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter.
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian. |
29203 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
“Children that are able to move into lower-poverty neighborhoods can see a 31% increase in lifetime earnings,” Bagdasarian said.
And the pair are firm believers that you can still make money and do good at the same time.
Founded in 2020, Simply Homes spent its first couple of years developing its platform and associated models before buying its first home in January of this year. By the end of this month, the startup is expected to have 108 units, or homes, in its portfolio. Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter.
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian.
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. |
29204 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
And the pair are firm believers that you can still make money and do good at the same time.
Founded in 2020, Simply Homes spent its first couple of years developing its platform and associated models before buying its first home in January of this year. By the end of this month, the startup is expected to have 108 units, or homes, in its portfolio. Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter.
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian.
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. |
29205 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Founded in 2020, Simply Homes spent its first couple of years developing its platform and associated models before buying its first home in January of this year. By the end of this month, the startup is expected to have 108 units, or homes, in its portfolio. Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter.
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian.
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri, among other cities. |
29206 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Founded in 2020, Simply Homes spent its first couple of years developing its platform and associated models before buying its first home in January of this year. By the end of this month, the startup is expected to have 108 units, or homes, in its portfolio. Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter.
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian.
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry. |
29207 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
By the end of this month, the startup is expected to have 108 units, or homes, in its portfolio. Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter.
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian.
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry.
Simply Homes operates in an operating company/property company structure, with the operational company using its technology platform and operational teams to source, acquire, renovate and manage the properties. |
29208 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Since its first-quarter launch, it’s seen its revenue grow by more than 50% quarter over quarter.
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian.
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry.
Simply Homes operates in an operating company/property company structure, with the operational company using its technology platform and operational teams to source, acquire, renovate and manage the properties. The property management company holds them long term. |
29209 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Over 80% of Simply Homes’ tenant base are single parents who would need to work an estimated 150 hours a week to afford market-rate rent on a home, notes Bagdasarian. Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian.
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry.
Simply Homes operates in an operating company/property company structure, with the operational company using its technology platform and operational teams to source, acquire, renovate and manage the properties. The property management company holds them long term.
Many proptech companies have struggled, or outright shut down, this year, in large part due to the sky-high interest rates. |
29210 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Utilizing HUD’s HCV program through Simply Homes, these families are paying no more than 30% of their income for rent, claims Bagdasarian.
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry.
Simply Homes operates in an operating company/property company structure, with the operational company using its technology platform and operational teams to source, acquire, renovate and manage the properties. The property management company holds them long term.
Many proptech companies have struggled, or outright shut down, this year, in large part due to the sky-high interest rates. But Simply Homes, according to Bagdasarian, factored in the possibility of high interest rates very early on in its model so it has been less affected by the macro environment. |
29211 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Currently, Simply Homes operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry.
Simply Homes operates in an operating company/property company structure, with the operational company using its technology platform and operational teams to source, acquire, renovate and manage the properties. The property management company holds them long term.
Many proptech companies have struggled, or outright shut down, this year, in large part due to the sky-high interest rates. But Simply Homes, according to Bagdasarian, factored in the possibility of high interest rates very early on in its model so it has been less affected by the macro environment.
“Everything is underwritten to a worst-case scenario. A lot of first generation ibuyers never underwrote interest rate risk. |
29212 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Its goal is to expand into Baltimore, Maryland and parts of the Midwest, including additional markets throughout Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry.
Simply Homes operates in an operating company/property company structure, with the operational company using its technology platform and operational teams to source, acquire, renovate and manage the properties. The property management company holds them long term.
Many proptech companies have struggled, or outright shut down, this year, in large part due to the sky-high interest rates. But Simply Homes, according to Bagdasarian, factored in the possibility of high interest rates very early on in its model so it has been less affected by the macro environment.
“Everything is underwritten to a worst-case scenario. A lot of first generation ibuyers never underwrote interest rate risk. But we started with that,” Bagdasarian said. |
29213 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry.
Simply Homes operates in an operating company/property company structure, with the operational company using its technology platform and operational teams to source, acquire, renovate and manage the properties. The property management company holds them long term.
Many proptech companies have struggled, or outright shut down, this year, in large part due to the sky-high interest rates. But Simply Homes, according to Bagdasarian, factored in the possibility of high interest rates very early on in its model so it has been less affected by the macro environment.
“Everything is underwritten to a worst-case scenario. A lot of first generation ibuyers never underwrote interest rate risk. But we started with that,” Bagdasarian said. “We made sure our large return rates were inclusive of high interest rates that still allowed us to operate profitably. |
29214 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Louis, Missouri, among other cities. The company looks for stable markets that aren’t susceptible to wild fluctuations in the housing industry.
Simply Homes operates in an operating company/property company structure, with the operational company using its technology platform and operational teams to source, acquire, renovate and manage the properties. The property management company holds them long term.
Many proptech companies have struggled, or outright shut down, this year, in large part due to the sky-high interest rates. But Simply Homes, according to Bagdasarian, factored in the possibility of high interest rates very early on in its model so it has been less affected by the macro environment.
“Everything is underwritten to a worst-case scenario. A lot of first generation ibuyers never underwrote interest rate risk. But we started with that,” Bagdasarian said. “We made sure our large return rates were inclusive of high interest rates that still allowed us to operate profitably. The other piece of that is we have highly stable income — because the way that Housing Choice Voucher works is that the tenant pays 30% of their adjusted monthly income. |
29215 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
The property management company holds them long term.
Many proptech companies have struggled, or outright shut down, this year, in large part due to the sky-high interest rates. But Simply Homes, according to Bagdasarian, factored in the possibility of high interest rates very early on in its model so it has been less affected by the macro environment.
“Everything is underwritten to a worst-case scenario. A lot of first generation ibuyers never underwrote interest rate risk. But we started with that,” Bagdasarian said. “We made sure our large return rates were inclusive of high interest rates that still allowed us to operate profitably. The other piece of that is we have highly stable income — because the way that Housing Choice Voucher works is that the tenant pays 30% of their adjusted monthly income. The voucher covers the balance. |
29216 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
The property management company holds them long term.
Many proptech companies have struggled, or outright shut down, this year, in large part due to the sky-high interest rates. But Simply Homes, according to Bagdasarian, factored in the possibility of high interest rates very early on in its model so it has been less affected by the macro environment.
“Everything is underwritten to a worst-case scenario. A lot of first generation ibuyers never underwrote interest rate risk. But we started with that,” Bagdasarian said. “We made sure our large return rates were inclusive of high interest rates that still allowed us to operate profitably. The other piece of that is we have highly stable income — because the way that Housing Choice Voucher works is that the tenant pays 30% of their adjusted monthly income. The voucher covers the balance. So it’s highly predictable income.”
Initially, the company set out to solve the automated underwriting part of the process for third parties, and then for itself by leveraging Bagdasarian’s AI background and Kavanagh’s real estate experience. |
29217 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
But Simply Homes, according to Bagdasarian, factored in the possibility of high interest rates very early on in its model so it has been less affected by the macro environment.
“Everything is underwritten to a worst-case scenario. A lot of first generation ibuyers never underwrote interest rate risk. But we started with that,” Bagdasarian said. “We made sure our large return rates were inclusive of high interest rates that still allowed us to operate profitably. The other piece of that is we have highly stable income — because the way that Housing Choice Voucher works is that the tenant pays 30% of their adjusted monthly income. The voucher covers the balance. So it’s highly predictable income.”
Initially, the company set out to solve the automated underwriting part of the process for third parties, and then for itself by leveraging Bagdasarian’s AI background and Kavanagh’s real estate experience. Bagdasarian has two decades of experience in human process automation and machine learning, and previously was with HubSpot, having joined as part of the founding team of Motion. |
29218 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
“Everything is underwritten to a worst-case scenario. A lot of first generation ibuyers never underwrote interest rate risk. But we started with that,” Bagdasarian said. “We made sure our large return rates were inclusive of high interest rates that still allowed us to operate profitably. The other piece of that is we have highly stable income — because the way that Housing Choice Voucher works is that the tenant pays 30% of their adjusted monthly income. The voucher covers the balance. So it’s highly predictable income.”
Initially, the company set out to solve the automated underwriting part of the process for third parties, and then for itself by leveraging Bagdasarian’s AI background and Kavanagh’s real estate experience. Bagdasarian has two decades of experience in human process automation and machine learning, and previously was with HubSpot, having joined as part of the founding team of Motion. Kavanagh previously led the acquisition of Ireland’s largest social housing portfolio, and spent 10 years as an investment banker at Jefferies and Cantor Fitzgerald in New York and London, specializing in infrastructure and ESG assets. |
29219 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
“We made sure our large return rates were inclusive of high interest rates that still allowed us to operate profitably. The other piece of that is we have highly stable income — because the way that Housing Choice Voucher works is that the tenant pays 30% of their adjusted monthly income. The voucher covers the balance. So it’s highly predictable income.”
Initially, the company set out to solve the automated underwriting part of the process for third parties, and then for itself by leveraging Bagdasarian’s AI background and Kavanagh’s real estate experience. Bagdasarian has two decades of experience in human process automation and machine learning, and previously was with HubSpot, having joined as part of the founding team of Motion. Kavanagh previously led the acquisition of Ireland’s largest social housing portfolio, and spent 10 years as an investment banker at Jefferies and Cantor Fitzgerald in New York and London, specializing in infrastructure and ESG assets.
“We know what we can rent the homes for because the housing authority (or HUD) gives us that information. |
29220 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
The other piece of that is we have highly stable income — because the way that Housing Choice Voucher works is that the tenant pays 30% of their adjusted monthly income. The voucher covers the balance. So it’s highly predictable income.”
Initially, the company set out to solve the automated underwriting part of the process for third parties, and then for itself by leveraging Bagdasarian’s AI background and Kavanagh’s real estate experience. Bagdasarian has two decades of experience in human process automation and machine learning, and previously was with HubSpot, having joined as part of the founding team of Motion. Kavanagh previously led the acquisition of Ireland’s largest social housing portfolio, and spent 10 years as an investment banker at Jefferies and Cantor Fitzgerald in New York and London, specializing in infrastructure and ESG assets.
“We know what we can rent the homes for because the housing authority (or HUD) gives us that information. This means we can underwrite — using that data and machine learning — very accurately, very effectively and very rapidly,” Bagdasarian said. |
29221 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
The voucher covers the balance. So it’s highly predictable income.”
Initially, the company set out to solve the automated underwriting part of the process for third parties, and then for itself by leveraging Bagdasarian’s AI background and Kavanagh’s real estate experience. Bagdasarian has two decades of experience in human process automation and machine learning, and previously was with HubSpot, having joined as part of the founding team of Motion. Kavanagh previously led the acquisition of Ireland’s largest social housing portfolio, and spent 10 years as an investment banker at Jefferies and Cantor Fitzgerald in New York and London, specializing in infrastructure and ESG assets.
“We know what we can rent the homes for because the housing authority (or HUD) gives us that information. This means we can underwrite — using that data and machine learning — very accurately, very effectively and very rapidly,” Bagdasarian said. “This eliminates a lot of the friction that has kept other institutions out of the space and gives us this sort of first-mover advantage.”
Simply Homes collects the rent on its properties, which helps cover the cost of managing the properties. |
29222 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Bagdasarian has two decades of experience in human process automation and machine learning, and previously was with HubSpot, having joined as part of the founding team of Motion. Kavanagh previously led the acquisition of Ireland’s largest social housing portfolio, and spent 10 years as an investment banker at Jefferies and Cantor Fitzgerald in New York and London, specializing in infrastructure and ESG assets.
“We know what we can rent the homes for because the housing authority (or HUD) gives us that information. This means we can underwrite — using that data and machine learning — very accurately, very effectively and very rapidly,” Bagdasarian said. “This eliminates a lot of the friction that has kept other institutions out of the space and gives us this sort of first-mover advantage.”
Simply Homes collects the rent on its properties, which helps cover the cost of managing the properties. It takes a transaction fee, and a 3% fee on an ongoing basis to manage the portfolio. |
29223 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Kavanagh previously led the acquisition of Ireland’s largest social housing portfolio, and spent 10 years as an investment banker at Jefferies and Cantor Fitzgerald in New York and London, specializing in infrastructure and ESG assets.
“We know what we can rent the homes for because the housing authority (or HUD) gives us that information. This means we can underwrite — using that data and machine learning — very accurately, very effectively and very rapidly,” Bagdasarian said. “This eliminates a lot of the friction that has kept other institutions out of the space and gives us this sort of first-mover advantage.”
Simply Homes collects the rent on its properties, which helps cover the cost of managing the properties. It takes a transaction fee, and a 3% fee on an ongoing basis to manage the portfolio.
Besides expanding into new markets, the company plans to use its new capital in part toward developing a series of AI-powered virtual analysts that “rapidly” interpret massive amounts of data that Simply Homes aggregates and leverages to make its acquisitions. |
29224 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
“We know what we can rent the homes for because the housing authority (or HUD) gives us that information. This means we can underwrite — using that data and machine learning — very accurately, very effectively and very rapidly,” Bagdasarian said. “This eliminates a lot of the friction that has kept other institutions out of the space and gives us this sort of first-mover advantage.”
Simply Homes collects the rent on its properties, which helps cover the cost of managing the properties. It takes a transaction fee, and a 3% fee on an ongoing basis to manage the portfolio.
Besides expanding into new markets, the company plans to use its new capital in part toward developing a series of AI-powered virtual analysts that “rapidly” interpret massive amounts of data that Simply Homes aggregates and leverages to make its acquisitions.
Gutter Capital and Watchung Capital co-led the company’s recent $22 million funding round, which included participation from Village Global, Ambush Capital, RavenOne Ventures, Neil Parikh, Gabe Flateman, Luke Sherwin and others. |
29225 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
This means we can underwrite — using that data and machine learning — very accurately, very effectively and very rapidly,” Bagdasarian said. “This eliminates a lot of the friction that has kept other institutions out of the space and gives us this sort of first-mover advantage.”
Simply Homes collects the rent on its properties, which helps cover the cost of managing the properties. It takes a transaction fee, and a 3% fee on an ongoing basis to manage the portfolio.
Besides expanding into new markets, the company plans to use its new capital in part toward developing a series of AI-powered virtual analysts that “rapidly” interpret massive amounts of data that Simply Homes aggregates and leverages to make its acquisitions.
Gutter Capital and Watchung Capital co-led the company’s recent $22 million funding round, which included participation from Village Global, Ambush Capital, RavenOne Ventures, Neil Parikh, Gabe Flateman, Luke Sherwin and others.
James Gettinger, managing partner at Gutter Capital, told TechCrunch that he believes Simply Homes is doing something “that very sorely needs to be done.”
“By rejuvenating the aging housing stock, they’re able to make homes available to people who are affected by the affordability crisis the most,” he said. |
29226 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
It takes a transaction fee, and a 3% fee on an ongoing basis to manage the portfolio.
Besides expanding into new markets, the company plans to use its new capital in part toward developing a series of AI-powered virtual analysts that “rapidly” interpret massive amounts of data that Simply Homes aggregates and leverages to make its acquisitions.
Gutter Capital and Watchung Capital co-led the company’s recent $22 million funding round, which included participation from Village Global, Ambush Capital, RavenOne Ventures, Neil Parikh, Gabe Flateman, Luke Sherwin and others.
James Gettinger, managing partner at Gutter Capital, told TechCrunch that he believes Simply Homes is doing something “that very sorely needs to be done.”
“By rejuvenating the aging housing stock, they’re able to make homes available to people who are affected by the affordability crisis the most,” he said. “One facet of the housing shortage that I think doesn’t get enough attention, frankly, is the fact that starter homes are no longer built. |
29227 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Besides expanding into new markets, the company plans to use its new capital in part toward developing a series of AI-powered virtual analysts that “rapidly” interpret massive amounts of data that Simply Homes aggregates and leverages to make its acquisitions.
Gutter Capital and Watchung Capital co-led the company’s recent $22 million funding round, which included participation from Village Global, Ambush Capital, RavenOne Ventures, Neil Parikh, Gabe Flateman, Luke Sherwin and others.
James Gettinger, managing partner at Gutter Capital, told TechCrunch that he believes Simply Homes is doing something “that very sorely needs to be done.”
“By rejuvenating the aging housing stock, they’re able to make homes available to people who are affected by the affordability crisis the most,” he said. “One facet of the housing shortage that I think doesn’t get enough attention, frankly, is the fact that starter homes are no longer built. The average size of new construction homes has gone from something like 1,400 square feet 50 years ago to 2,200 square feet today. |
29228 | Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis
Gutter Capital and Watchung Capital co-led the company’s recent $22 million funding round, which included participation from Village Global, Ambush Capital, RavenOne Ventures, Neil Parikh, Gabe Flateman, Luke Sherwin and others.
James Gettinger, managing partner at Gutter Capital, told TechCrunch that he believes Simply Homes is doing something “that very sorely needs to be done.”
“By rejuvenating the aging housing stock, they’re able to make homes available to people who are affected by the affordability crisis the most,” he said. “One facet of the housing shortage that I think doesn’t get enough attention, frankly, is the fact that starter homes are no longer built. The average size of new construction homes has gone from something like 1,400 square feet 50 years ago to 2,200 square feet today. The downstream consequence of that is…basically, none of the new homes that are coming on market are affordable to the majority of Americans..”
“I haven’t seen anyone who’s addressing affordability for the bottom end of the market like this,” he added. |
29229 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
The purpose of the Amazon Echo Frames is obvious: to provide quick access to Alexa no matter where you are because it’s on your face. But generally speaking, that’s not why anyone wants smart glasses, let alone a pair that costs $389.99 like the Carrera Cruiser model I’ve been wearing for the past week.
For better or worse, most people’s vision of smart glasses is informed by Tony Stark, James Bond, and other iconic sci-fi and spy movie characters: sleek, discreet devices that have some sort of hidden mixed reality display or the ability to capture the world around you. The original Google Glass cemented that image, while successors like the Snap Spectacles and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses have leaned heavily into content creation. But the Echo Frames hasn’t really ever been quite that ambitious. Like the Bose Frames, Amazon’s approach to smart glasses has primarily been as a pair of open-ear headphones that you can take calls on, listen to music with, and ask the occasional Alexa query. |
29230 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
But generally speaking, that’s not why anyone wants smart glasses, let alone a pair that costs $389.99 like the Carrera Cruiser model I’ve been wearing for the past week.
For better or worse, most people’s vision of smart glasses is informed by Tony Stark, James Bond, and other iconic sci-fi and spy movie characters: sleek, discreet devices that have some sort of hidden mixed reality display or the ability to capture the world around you. The original Google Glass cemented that image, while successors like the Snap Spectacles and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses have leaned heavily into content creation. But the Echo Frames hasn’t really ever been quite that ambitious. Like the Bose Frames, Amazon’s approach to smart glasses has primarily been as a pair of open-ear headphones that you can take calls on, listen to music with, and ask the occasional Alexa query. There’s no camera, no screen, and nothing to clue anyone in that you’re not just wearing ordinary glasses. |
29231 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
For better or worse, most people’s vision of smart glasses is informed by Tony Stark, James Bond, and other iconic sci-fi and spy movie characters: sleek, discreet devices that have some sort of hidden mixed reality display or the ability to capture the world around you. The original Google Glass cemented that image, while successors like the Snap Spectacles and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses have leaned heavily into content creation. But the Echo Frames hasn’t really ever been quite that ambitious. Like the Bose Frames, Amazon’s approach to smart glasses has primarily been as a pair of open-ear headphones that you can take calls on, listen to music with, and ask the occasional Alexa query. There’s no camera, no screen, and nothing to clue anyone in that you’re not just wearing ordinary glasses.
6 Verge Score Amazon Echo Frames Carrera Cruiser $ 314.99 The Good More stylish and more options
Improved battery life and audio
Can use with multiple devices The Bad Bass still isn’t great and audio leaks
Does less or sounds not as good as others in this category
Alexa still isn’t the best assistant when you’re on the go
Pricey for the category $315 at Amazon How we rate and review products
Amazon isn’t straying too far from that formula with these third-gen Echo Frames. |
29232 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
But the Echo Frames hasn’t really ever been quite that ambitious. Like the Bose Frames, Amazon’s approach to smart glasses has primarily been as a pair of open-ear headphones that you can take calls on, listen to music with, and ask the occasional Alexa query. There’s no camera, no screen, and nothing to clue anyone in that you’re not just wearing ordinary glasses.
6 Verge Score Amazon Echo Frames Carrera Cruiser $ 314.99 The Good More stylish and more options
Improved battery life and audio
Can use with multiple devices The Bad Bass still isn’t great and audio leaks
Does less or sounds not as good as others in this category
Alexa still isn’t the best assistant when you’re on the go
Pricey for the category $315 at Amazon How we rate and review products
Amazon isn’t straying too far from that formula with these third-gen Echo Frames. The big thing now is that they’re lighter, the battery lasts longer, the bass is more bassy, and they look a lot more stylish than previous iterations. |
29233 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
There’s no camera, no screen, and nothing to clue anyone in that you’re not just wearing ordinary glasses.
6 Verge Score Amazon Echo Frames Carrera Cruiser $ 314.99 The Good More stylish and more options
Improved battery life and audio
Can use with multiple devices The Bad Bass still isn’t great and audio leaks
Does less or sounds not as good as others in this category
Alexa still isn’t the best assistant when you’re on the go
Pricey for the category $315 at Amazon How we rate and review products
Amazon isn’t straying too far from that formula with these third-gen Echo Frames. The big thing now is that they’re lighter, the battery lasts longer, the bass is more bassy, and they look a lot more stylish than previous iterations. I don’t think that’s enough to turn the Echo Frames into a must-have gadget — but it’s a half-step in the right direction.
Strike a pose
It’s a big deal that Amazon’s latest Echo Frames look nicer than before. |
29234 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
6 Verge Score Amazon Echo Frames Carrera Cruiser $ 314.99 The Good More stylish and more options
Improved battery life and audio
Can use with multiple devices The Bad Bass still isn’t great and audio leaks
Does less or sounds not as good as others in this category
Alexa still isn’t the best assistant when you’re on the go
Pricey for the category $315 at Amazon How we rate and review products
Amazon isn’t straying too far from that formula with these third-gen Echo Frames. The big thing now is that they’re lighter, the battery lasts longer, the bass is more bassy, and they look a lot more stylish than previous iterations. I don’t think that’s enough to turn the Echo Frames into a must-have gadget — but it’s a half-step in the right direction.
Strike a pose
It’s a big deal that Amazon’s latest Echo Frames look nicer than before. Style is one of the most underrated criteria for smart glasses, and put simply, you’re just not going to wear something that makes you look like a dweeb. |
29235 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
The big thing now is that they’re lighter, the battery lasts longer, the bass is more bassy, and they look a lot more stylish than previous iterations. I don’t think that’s enough to turn the Echo Frames into a must-have gadget — but it’s a half-step in the right direction.
Strike a pose
It’s a big deal that Amazon’s latest Echo Frames look nicer than before. Style is one of the most underrated criteria for smart glasses, and put simply, you’re just not going to wear something that makes you look like a dweeb. Everyone’s face and vision is different, and a successful pair of smart glasses is going to account for that by offering a wide range of styles, colors, and fits.
It’s a vibe.
With the third-gen Echo Frames, you can choose between clear, prescription, blue light filtering, and sunglass lenses. They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. |
29236 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
I don’t think that’s enough to turn the Echo Frames into a must-have gadget — but it’s a half-step in the right direction.
Strike a pose
It’s a big deal that Amazon’s latest Echo Frames look nicer than before. Style is one of the most underrated criteria for smart glasses, and put simply, you’re just not going to wear something that makes you look like a dweeb. Everyone’s face and vision is different, and a successful pair of smart glasses is going to account for that by offering a wide range of styles, colors, and fits.
It’s a vibe.
With the third-gen Echo Frames, you can choose between clear, prescription, blue light filtering, and sunglass lenses. They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses. |
29237 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Strike a pose
It’s a big deal that Amazon’s latest Echo Frames look nicer than before. Style is one of the most underrated criteria for smart glasses, and put simply, you’re just not going to wear something that makes you look like a dweeb. Everyone’s face and vision is different, and a successful pair of smart glasses is going to account for that by offering a wide range of styles, colors, and fits.
It’s a vibe.
With the third-gen Echo Frames, you can choose between clear, prescription, blue light filtering, and sunglass lenses. They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses.
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. |
29238 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Style is one of the most underrated criteria for smart glasses, and put simply, you’re just not going to wear something that makes you look like a dweeb. Everyone’s face and vision is different, and a successful pair of smart glasses is going to account for that by offering a wide range of styles, colors, and fits.
It’s a vibe.
With the third-gen Echo Frames, you can choose between clear, prescription, blue light filtering, and sunglass lenses. They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses.
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. |
29239 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Style is one of the most underrated criteria for smart glasses, and put simply, you’re just not going to wear something that makes you look like a dweeb. Everyone’s face and vision is different, and a successful pair of smart glasses is going to account for that by offering a wide range of styles, colors, and fits.
It’s a vibe.
With the third-gen Echo Frames, you can choose between clear, prescription, blue light filtering, and sunglass lenses. They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses.
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. The Cruiser (the one I have) and Sprinter model will both set you back $389.99. |
29240 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Everyone’s face and vision is different, and a successful pair of smart glasses is going to account for that by offering a wide range of styles, colors, and fits.
It’s a vibe.
With the third-gen Echo Frames, you can choose between clear, prescription, blue light filtering, and sunglass lenses. They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses.
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. The Cruiser (the one I have) and Sprinter model will both set you back $389.99. The latter is more of a boxy, Wayfarer-esque frame and gives you the option of sunglass or blue light filtering lenses. |
29241 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
It’s a vibe.
With the third-gen Echo Frames, you can choose between clear, prescription, blue light filtering, and sunglass lenses. They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses.
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. The Cruiser (the one I have) and Sprinter model will both set you back $389.99. The latter is more of a boxy, Wayfarer-esque frame and gives you the option of sunglass or blue light filtering lenses.
I have a low nose bridge, so I had to keep pushing these up after a few seconds. |
29242 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
It’s a vibe.
With the third-gen Echo Frames, you can choose between clear, prescription, blue light filtering, and sunglass lenses. They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses.
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. The Cruiser (the one I have) and Sprinter model will both set you back $389.99. The latter is more of a boxy, Wayfarer-esque frame and gives you the option of sunglass or blue light filtering lenses.
I have a low nose bridge, so I had to keep pushing these up after a few seconds.
Because the Cruiser only comes with sunglass lenses, I wore these during my commute and on outdoor walks. |
29243 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses.
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. The Cruiser (the one I have) and Sprinter model will both set you back $389.99. The latter is more of a boxy, Wayfarer-esque frame and gives you the option of sunglass or blue light filtering lenses.
I have a low nose bridge, so I had to keep pushing these up after a few seconds.
Because the Cruiser only comes with sunglass lenses, I wore these during my commute and on outdoor walks. They are a vibe. |
29244 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
They also come in multiple shapes, including round, cat eye, square, rectangle, and “modern” rectangle. These start at $269.99 for the most basic clear lenses, $299.99 for blue light filtering lenses, and $329.99 for sunglasses.
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. The Cruiser (the one I have) and Sprinter model will both set you back $389.99. The latter is more of a boxy, Wayfarer-esque frame and gives you the option of sunglass or blue light filtering lenses.
I have a low nose bridge, so I had to keep pushing these up after a few seconds.
Because the Cruiser only comes with sunglass lenses, I wore these during my commute and on outdoor walks. They are a vibe. I’ve been described as channeling Yeezy, a Kardashian reject, a card-carrying member of the Jersey Shore mafia, and a time traveler from the ’80s. |
29245 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. The Cruiser (the one I have) and Sprinter model will both set you back $389.99. The latter is more of a boxy, Wayfarer-esque frame and gives you the option of sunglass or blue light filtering lenses.
I have a low nose bridge, so I had to keep pushing these up after a few seconds.
Because the Cruiser only comes with sunglass lenses, I wore these during my commute and on outdoor walks. They are a vibe. I’ve been described as channeling Yeezy, a Kardashian reject, a card-carrying member of the Jersey Shore mafia, and a time traveler from the ’80s. I most definitely have turned heads while on the street. |
29246 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
These are all subtler options, but if you like a flashier style, Amazon is also continuing its partnership with Carrera. That extra pizzazz comes with a heftier price tag. The Cruiser (the one I have) and Sprinter model will both set you back $389.99. The latter is more of a boxy, Wayfarer-esque frame and gives you the option of sunglass or blue light filtering lenses.
I have a low nose bridge, so I had to keep pushing these up after a few seconds.
Because the Cruiser only comes with sunglass lenses, I wore these during my commute and on outdoor walks. They are a vibe. I’ve been described as channeling Yeezy, a Kardashian reject, a card-carrying member of the Jersey Shore mafia, and a time traveler from the ’80s. I most definitely have turned heads while on the street. I had fun wearing these, and most folks could pull this off so long as they put a little swagger in their step — but personally, this isn’t the style I’d pick for my day-to-day sunnies, mostly because they didn’t fit my face well. |
29247 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
The latter is more of a boxy, Wayfarer-esque frame and gives you the option of sunglass or blue light filtering lenses.
I have a low nose bridge, so I had to keep pushing these up after a few seconds.
Because the Cruiser only comes with sunglass lenses, I wore these during my commute and on outdoor walks. They are a vibe. I’ve been described as channeling Yeezy, a Kardashian reject, a card-carrying member of the Jersey Shore mafia, and a time traveler from the ’80s. I most definitely have turned heads while on the street. I had fun wearing these, and most folks could pull this off so long as they put a little swagger in their step — but personally, this isn’t the style I’d pick for my day-to-day sunnies, mostly because they didn’t fit my face well. While these are made of a lightweight acetate weighing 46.3g, I have a low nose bridge, and these were slipping down my face every five seconds. |
29248 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
I have a low nose bridge, so I had to keep pushing these up after a few seconds.
Because the Cruiser only comes with sunglass lenses, I wore these during my commute and on outdoor walks. They are a vibe. I’ve been described as channeling Yeezy, a Kardashian reject, a card-carrying member of the Jersey Shore mafia, and a time traveler from the ’80s. I most definitely have turned heads while on the street. I had fun wearing these, and most folks could pull this off so long as they put a little swagger in their step — but personally, this isn’t the style I’d pick for my day-to-day sunnies, mostly because they didn’t fit my face well. While these are made of a lightweight acetate weighing 46.3g, I have a low nose bridge, and these were slipping down my face every five seconds. The other thing I didn’t love about the Cruiser glasses was the build quality. |
29249 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Because the Cruiser only comes with sunglass lenses, I wore these during my commute and on outdoor walks. They are a vibe. I’ve been described as channeling Yeezy, a Kardashian reject, a card-carrying member of the Jersey Shore mafia, and a time traveler from the ’80s. I most definitely have turned heads while on the street. I had fun wearing these, and most folks could pull this off so long as they put a little swagger in their step — but personally, this isn’t the style I’d pick for my day-to-day sunnies, mostly because they didn’t fit my face well. While these are made of a lightweight acetate weighing 46.3g, I have a low nose bridge, and these were slipping down my face every five seconds. The other thing I didn’t love about the Cruiser glasses was the build quality. While they look high fashion, they feel plasticky in my hands and not befitting of their nearly $400 price tag. |
29250 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
They are a vibe. I’ve been described as channeling Yeezy, a Kardashian reject, a card-carrying member of the Jersey Shore mafia, and a time traveler from the ’80s. I most definitely have turned heads while on the street. I had fun wearing these, and most folks could pull this off so long as they put a little swagger in their step — but personally, this isn’t the style I’d pick for my day-to-day sunnies, mostly because they didn’t fit my face well. While these are made of a lightweight acetate weighing 46.3g, I have a low nose bridge, and these were slipping down my face every five seconds. The other thing I didn’t love about the Cruiser glasses was the build quality. While they look high fashion, they feel plasticky in my hands and not befitting of their nearly $400 price tag.
Forget the bass
As I said, these are less smart glasses than they are a pair of open-ear headphones. |
29251 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
I most definitely have turned heads while on the street. I had fun wearing these, and most folks could pull this off so long as they put a little swagger in their step — but personally, this isn’t the style I’d pick for my day-to-day sunnies, mostly because they didn’t fit my face well. While these are made of a lightweight acetate weighing 46.3g, I have a low nose bridge, and these were slipping down my face every five seconds. The other thing I didn’t love about the Cruiser glasses was the build quality. While they look high fashion, they feel plasticky in my hands and not befitting of their nearly $400 price tag.
Forget the bass
As I said, these are less smart glasses than they are a pair of open-ear headphones. On that front, the Echo Frames are alright for the category but are nothing mind-blowing. |
29252 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
I most definitely have turned heads while on the street. I had fun wearing these, and most folks could pull this off so long as they put a little swagger in their step — but personally, this isn’t the style I’d pick for my day-to-day sunnies, mostly because they didn’t fit my face well. While these are made of a lightweight acetate weighing 46.3g, I have a low nose bridge, and these were slipping down my face every five seconds. The other thing I didn’t love about the Cruiser glasses was the build quality. While they look high fashion, they feel plasticky in my hands and not befitting of their nearly $400 price tag.
Forget the bass
As I said, these are less smart glasses than they are a pair of open-ear headphones. On that front, the Echo Frames are alright for the category but are nothing mind-blowing.
Bass is purportedly three times better on the new Echo Frames, but they’re still not going to bring the thump of even standard AirPods. |
29253 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
While these are made of a lightweight acetate weighing 46.3g, I have a low nose bridge, and these were slipping down my face every five seconds. The other thing I didn’t love about the Cruiser glasses was the build quality. While they look high fashion, they feel plasticky in my hands and not befitting of their nearly $400 price tag.
Forget the bass
As I said, these are less smart glasses than they are a pair of open-ear headphones. On that front, the Echo Frames are alright for the category but are nothing mind-blowing.
Bass is purportedly three times better on the new Echo Frames, but they’re still not going to bring the thump of even standard AirPods. I’ve been listening to a lot of Stray Kids lately, and Felix’s TikTok-breaking rumbly baritone is absolutely lost on these. |
29254 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
While these are made of a lightweight acetate weighing 46.3g, I have a low nose bridge, and these were slipping down my face every five seconds. The other thing I didn’t love about the Cruiser glasses was the build quality. While they look high fashion, they feel plasticky in my hands and not befitting of their nearly $400 price tag.
Forget the bass
As I said, these are less smart glasses than they are a pair of open-ear headphones. On that front, the Echo Frames are alright for the category but are nothing mind-blowing.
Bass is purportedly three times better on the new Echo Frames, but they’re still not going to bring the thump of even standard AirPods. I’ve been listening to a lot of Stray Kids lately, and Felix’s TikTok-breaking rumbly baritone is absolutely lost on these. In God’s Menu, the song’s famous “cookin’ like a chef I’m a 5-star Michelin” line is reduced to zero-star Michelin. |
29255 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
The other thing I didn’t love about the Cruiser glasses was the build quality. While they look high fashion, they feel plasticky in my hands and not befitting of their nearly $400 price tag.
Forget the bass
As I said, these are less smart glasses than they are a pair of open-ear headphones. On that front, the Echo Frames are alright for the category but are nothing mind-blowing.
Bass is purportedly three times better on the new Echo Frames, but they’re still not going to bring the thump of even standard AirPods. I’ve been listening to a lot of Stray Kids lately, and Felix’s TikTok-breaking rumbly baritone is absolutely lost on these. In God’s Menu, the song’s famous “cookin’ like a chef I’m a 5-star Michelin” line is reduced to zero-star Michelin. On a loud train, I couldn’t even hear it despite turning the volume up to the max. |
29256 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
While they look high fashion, they feel plasticky in my hands and not befitting of their nearly $400 price tag.
Forget the bass
As I said, these are less smart glasses than they are a pair of open-ear headphones. On that front, the Echo Frames are alright for the category but are nothing mind-blowing.
Bass is purportedly three times better on the new Echo Frames, but they’re still not going to bring the thump of even standard AirPods. I’ve been listening to a lot of Stray Kids lately, and Felix’s TikTok-breaking rumbly baritone is absolutely lost on these. In God’s Menu, the song’s famous “cookin’ like a chef I’m a 5-star Michelin” line is reduced to zero-star Michelin. On a loud train, I couldn’t even hear it despite turning the volume up to the max.
This isn’t a problem limited to the Echo Frames — it’s a common problem with any open-ear audio headphones. |
29257 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Forget the bass
As I said, these are less smart glasses than they are a pair of open-ear headphones. On that front, the Echo Frames are alright for the category but are nothing mind-blowing.
Bass is purportedly three times better on the new Echo Frames, but they’re still not going to bring the thump of even standard AirPods. I’ve been listening to a lot of Stray Kids lately, and Felix’s TikTok-breaking rumbly baritone is absolutely lost on these. In God’s Menu, the song’s famous “cookin’ like a chef I’m a 5-star Michelin” line is reduced to zero-star Michelin. On a loud train, I couldn’t even hear it despite turning the volume up to the max.
This isn’t a problem limited to the Echo Frames — it’s a common problem with any open-ear audio headphones. That said, the same song on the Meta smart glasses sounded a bit richer. |
29258 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
On that front, the Echo Frames are alright for the category but are nothing mind-blowing.
Bass is purportedly three times better on the new Echo Frames, but they’re still not going to bring the thump of even standard AirPods. I’ve been listening to a lot of Stray Kids lately, and Felix’s TikTok-breaking rumbly baritone is absolutely lost on these. In God’s Menu, the song’s famous “cookin’ like a chef I’m a 5-star Michelin” line is reduced to zero-star Michelin. On a loud train, I couldn’t even hear it despite turning the volume up to the max.
This isn’t a problem limited to the Echo Frames — it’s a common problem with any open-ear audio headphones. That said, the same song on the Meta smart glasses sounded a bit richer. These were a lot better for podcasts or less bass-heavy songs, but you still can’t get away from the feeling like you’re listening to something from a few feet away instead of right next to your ear. |
29259 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
I’ve been listening to a lot of Stray Kids lately, and Felix’s TikTok-breaking rumbly baritone is absolutely lost on these. In God’s Menu, the song’s famous “cookin’ like a chef I’m a 5-star Michelin” line is reduced to zero-star Michelin. On a loud train, I couldn’t even hear it despite turning the volume up to the max.
This isn’t a problem limited to the Echo Frames — it’s a common problem with any open-ear audio headphones. That said, the same song on the Meta smart glasses sounded a bit richer. These were a lot better for podcasts or less bass-heavy songs, but you still can’t get away from the feeling like you’re listening to something from a few feet away instead of right next to your ear.
I don’t love the charging stand, but battery life has been improved.
At the same time, there’s a fair amount of audio leakage. No one asked me to turn things down while I was commuting. |
29260 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
In God’s Menu, the song’s famous “cookin’ like a chef I’m a 5-star Michelin” line is reduced to zero-star Michelin. On a loud train, I couldn’t even hear it despite turning the volume up to the max.
This isn’t a problem limited to the Echo Frames — it’s a common problem with any open-ear audio headphones. That said, the same song on the Meta smart glasses sounded a bit richer. These were a lot better for podcasts or less bass-heavy songs, but you still can’t get away from the feeling like you’re listening to something from a few feet away instead of right next to your ear.
I don’t love the charging stand, but battery life has been improved.
At the same time, there’s a fair amount of audio leakage. No one asked me to turn things down while I was commuting. Trains and city noises are loud. But at the same volume in the office, all of my co-workers could hear that I was listening to something. |
29261 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
On a loud train, I couldn’t even hear it despite turning the volume up to the max.
This isn’t a problem limited to the Echo Frames — it’s a common problem with any open-ear audio headphones. That said, the same song on the Meta smart glasses sounded a bit richer. These were a lot better for podcasts or less bass-heavy songs, but you still can’t get away from the feeling like you’re listening to something from a few feet away instead of right next to your ear.
I don’t love the charging stand, but battery life has been improved.
At the same time, there’s a fair amount of audio leakage. No one asked me to turn things down while I was commuting. Trains and city noises are loud. But at the same volume in the office, all of my co-workers could hear that I was listening to something. They might not have been able to discern the song, but it was loud enough to be distracting.
As for call quality, these were good enough. |
29262 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
This isn’t a problem limited to the Echo Frames — it’s a common problem with any open-ear audio headphones. That said, the same song on the Meta smart glasses sounded a bit richer. These were a lot better for podcasts or less bass-heavy songs, but you still can’t get away from the feeling like you’re listening to something from a few feet away instead of right next to your ear.
I don’t love the charging stand, but battery life has been improved.
At the same time, there’s a fair amount of audio leakage. No one asked me to turn things down while I was commuting. Trains and city noises are loud. But at the same volume in the office, all of my co-workers could hear that I was listening to something. They might not have been able to discern the song, but it was loud enough to be distracting.
As for call quality, these were good enough. I called a friend during an hour-long walk, and she was able to hear me despite beeping trucks and wind. |
29263 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
That said, the same song on the Meta smart glasses sounded a bit richer. These were a lot better for podcasts or less bass-heavy songs, but you still can’t get away from the feeling like you’re listening to something from a few feet away instead of right next to your ear.
I don’t love the charging stand, but battery life has been improved.
At the same time, there’s a fair amount of audio leakage. No one asked me to turn things down while I was commuting. Trains and city noises are loud. But at the same volume in the office, all of my co-workers could hear that I was listening to something. They might not have been able to discern the song, but it was loud enough to be distracting.
As for call quality, these were good enough. I called a friend during an hour-long walk, and she was able to hear me despite beeping trucks and wind. In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. |
29264 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
I don’t love the charging stand, but battery life has been improved.
At the same time, there’s a fair amount of audio leakage. No one asked me to turn things down while I was commuting. Trains and city noises are loud. But at the same volume in the office, all of my co-workers could hear that I was listening to something. They might not have been able to discern the song, but it was loud enough to be distracting.
As for call quality, these were good enough. I called a friend during an hour-long walk, and she was able to hear me despite beeping trucks and wind. In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. |
29265 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
At the same time, there’s a fair amount of audio leakage. No one asked me to turn things down while I was commuting. Trains and city noises are loud. But at the same volume in the office, all of my co-workers could hear that I was listening to something. They might not have been able to discern the song, but it was loud enough to be distracting.
As for call quality, these were good enough. I called a friend during an hour-long walk, and she was able to hear me despite beeping trucks and wind. In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop. |
29266 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Trains and city noises are loud. But at the same volume in the office, all of my co-workers could hear that I was listening to something. They might not have been able to discern the song, but it was loud enough to be distracting.
As for call quality, these were good enough. I called a friend during an hour-long walk, and she was able to hear me despite beeping trucks and wind. In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop.
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. |
29267 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
But at the same volume in the office, all of my co-workers could hear that I was listening to something. They might not have been able to discern the song, but it was loud enough to be distracting.
As for call quality, these were good enough. I called a friend during an hour-long walk, and she was able to hear me despite beeping trucks and wind. In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop.
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics. |
29268 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
They might not have been able to discern the song, but it was loud enough to be distracting.
As for call quality, these were good enough. I called a friend during an hour-long walk, and she was able to hear me despite beeping trucks and wind. In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop.
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics.
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. |
29269 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
As for call quality, these were good enough. I called a friend during an hour-long walk, and she was able to hear me despite beeping trucks and wind. In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop.
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics.
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. (Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. |
29270 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop.
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics.
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. (Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) |
29271 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
In her words, I sounded “echo-y,” and she could hear a lot of the ambient noise around me, but at no point was she unable to hear me. I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop.
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics.
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. (Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) On the right side, there are two action buttons that you can use to take or decline calls, put the device into pairing mode, or mute Alexa. |
29272 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
I do like that you can pair the glasses to multiple devices and have them switch between the two — that’s something the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses weren’t really capable of. However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop.
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics.
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. (Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) On the right side, there are two action buttons that you can use to take or decline calls, put the device into pairing mode, or mute Alexa. If you press the back action button twice, you can launch a personalized playlist on the music streaming service of your choice. |
29273 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
However, this is only useful if you’re getting clear glasses, as you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses indoors while on your laptop.
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics.
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. (Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) On the right side, there are two action buttons that you can use to take or decline calls, put the device into pairing mode, or mute Alexa. If you press the back action button twice, you can launch a personalized playlist on the music streaming service of your choice. For me, I’d think that’d be a list full of K-pop and sad indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. |
29274 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
The right side has two action buttons. The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics.
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. (Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) On the right side, there are two action buttons that you can use to take or decline calls, put the device into pairing mode, or mute Alexa. If you press the back action button twice, you can launch a personalized playlist on the music streaming service of your choice. For me, I’d think that’d be a list full of K-pop and sad indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. Instead, the glasses played a list full of artists I didn’t know and songs that I would never listen to. |
29275 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
The volume rocker is on the left side. You can also see some of the directional speakers and mics.
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. (Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) On the right side, there are two action buttons that you can use to take or decline calls, put the device into pairing mode, or mute Alexa. If you press the back action button twice, you can launch a personalized playlist on the music streaming service of your choice. For me, I’d think that’d be a list full of K-pop and sad indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. Instead, the glasses played a list full of artists I didn’t know and songs that I would never listen to.
Like I said, these are more headphones than smart glasses. |
29276 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
The controls are at least easy to navigate. On the left arm, you’ve got a self-explanatory volume rocker. (Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) On the right side, there are two action buttons that you can use to take or decline calls, put the device into pairing mode, or mute Alexa. If you press the back action button twice, you can launch a personalized playlist on the music streaming service of your choice. For me, I’d think that’d be a list full of K-pop and sad indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. Instead, the glasses played a list full of artists I didn’t know and songs that I would never listen to.
Like I said, these are more headphones than smart glasses.
Alexa on your face
The main thing that’s supposed to set the Echo Frames apart is the fact that they have Alexa built in. |
29277 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
(Though, I found myself reaching for the volume rocker on my phone far more often. Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) On the right side, there are two action buttons that you can use to take or decline calls, put the device into pairing mode, or mute Alexa. If you press the back action button twice, you can launch a personalized playlist on the music streaming service of your choice. For me, I’d think that’d be a list full of K-pop and sad indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. Instead, the glasses played a list full of artists I didn’t know and songs that I would never listen to.
Like I said, these are more headphones than smart glasses.
Alexa on your face
The main thing that’s supposed to set the Echo Frames apart is the fact that they have Alexa built in. My problem here is that Alexa has never been and still isn’t a particularly good voice assistant when you’re on the go. |
29278 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Habits are hard to break, especially if you often have your phone in hand anyway.) On the right side, there are two action buttons that you can use to take or decline calls, put the device into pairing mode, or mute Alexa. If you press the back action button twice, you can launch a personalized playlist on the music streaming service of your choice. For me, I’d think that’d be a list full of K-pop and sad indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. Instead, the glasses played a list full of artists I didn’t know and songs that I would never listen to.
Like I said, these are more headphones than smart glasses.
Alexa on your face
The main thing that’s supposed to set the Echo Frames apart is the fact that they have Alexa built in. My problem here is that Alexa has never been and still isn’t a particularly good voice assistant when you’re on the go. It’s fine at answering odd queries, setting timers, and telling you the weather — but it’s much better at controlling your smart home than replacing Siri or Assistant. |
29279 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
If you press the back action button twice, you can launch a personalized playlist on the music streaming service of your choice. For me, I’d think that’d be a list full of K-pop and sad indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. Instead, the glasses played a list full of artists I didn’t know and songs that I would never listen to.
Like I said, these are more headphones than smart glasses.
Alexa on your face
The main thing that’s supposed to set the Echo Frames apart is the fact that they have Alexa built in. My problem here is that Alexa has never been and still isn’t a particularly good voice assistant when you’re on the go. It’s fine at answering odd queries, setting timers, and telling you the weather — but it’s much better at controlling your smart home than replacing Siri or Assistant.
It’s not that you can’t do things. You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. |
29280 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
For me, I’d think that’d be a list full of K-pop and sad indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. Instead, the glasses played a list full of artists I didn’t know and songs that I would never listen to.
Like I said, these are more headphones than smart glasses.
Alexa on your face
The main thing that’s supposed to set the Echo Frames apart is the fact that they have Alexa built in. My problem here is that Alexa has never been and still isn’t a particularly good voice assistant when you’re on the go. It’s fine at answering odd queries, setting timers, and telling you the weather — but it’s much better at controlling your smart home than replacing Siri or Assistant.
It’s not that you can’t do things. You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. |
29281 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Instead, the glasses played a list full of artists I didn’t know and songs that I would never listen to.
Like I said, these are more headphones than smart glasses.
Alexa on your face
The main thing that’s supposed to set the Echo Frames apart is the fact that they have Alexa built in. My problem here is that Alexa has never been and still isn’t a particularly good voice assistant when you’re on the go. It’s fine at answering odd queries, setting timers, and telling you the weather — but it’s much better at controlling your smart home than replacing Siri or Assistant.
It’s not that you can’t do things. You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. |
29282 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Like I said, these are more headphones than smart glasses.
Alexa on your face
The main thing that’s supposed to set the Echo Frames apart is the fact that they have Alexa built in. My problem here is that Alexa has never been and still isn’t a particularly good voice assistant when you’re on the go. It’s fine at answering odd queries, setting timers, and telling you the weather — but it’s much better at controlling your smart home than replacing Siri or Assistant.
It’s not that you can’t do things. You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. |
29283 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Alexa on your face
The main thing that’s supposed to set the Echo Frames apart is the fact that they have Alexa built in. My problem here is that Alexa has never been and still isn’t a particularly good voice assistant when you’re on the go. It’s fine at answering odd queries, setting timers, and telling you the weather — but it’s much better at controlling your smart home than replacing Siri or Assistant.
It’s not that you can’t do things. You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. |
29284 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
My problem here is that Alexa has never been and still isn’t a particularly good voice assistant when you’re on the go. It’s fine at answering odd queries, setting timers, and telling you the weather — but it’s much better at controlling your smart home than replacing Siri or Assistant.
It’s not that you can’t do things. You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. |
29285 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
It’s fine at answering odd queries, setting timers, and telling you the weather — but it’s much better at controlling your smart home than replacing Siri or Assistant.
It’s not that you can’t do things. You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. |
29286 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
It’s not that you can’t do things. You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. |
29287 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
You can now use this to make non-Alexa calls and, if you have an Android phone, reply to text messages. Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. |
29288 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Directions are also possible, but it’s clunky. Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background. |
29289 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Alexa told me I’d get a notification on my phone to start... but that meant tweaking my notification settings to a less preferred option. When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers. |
29290 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
When I did get it working, it suggested I go to Bowling Green in Kentucky instead of the Manhattan train station five minutes away. Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. |
29291 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) |
29292 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Most things are still just easier (and faster) on my phone. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of reasons to actually use Alexa on these glasses. That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) This is an issue I have with nearly every pair of smart glasses with some kind of voice assistant. |
29293 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) This is an issue I have with nearly every pair of smart glasses with some kind of voice assistant. Earbuds are a visual and cultural signal that we all implicitly understand. |
29294 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
That was only exacerbated by the fact that I had a pair of sunglasses instead of regular glasses.
It relies on your phone for a connection, and that’s a pro and a con. So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) This is an issue I have with nearly every pair of smart glasses with some kind of voice assistant. Earbuds are a visual and cultural signal that we all implicitly understand. If I’m talking to midair with AirPods in, you can be confident I’m on a call. |
29295 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
So long as you have a stable Bluetooth connection and your phone has signal, you can use Alexa reliably while on the go. On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) This is an issue I have with nearly every pair of smart glasses with some kind of voice assistant. Earbuds are a visual and cultural signal that we all implicitly understand. If I’m talking to midair with AirPods in, you can be confident I’m on a call. Me talking to myself with no phone or AirPods in sight got me some odd looks from strangers — and confused looks from some of my friends. |
29296 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
On the flip side, you don’t have much offline usability on that front. Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) This is an issue I have with nearly every pair of smart glasses with some kind of voice assistant. Earbuds are a visual and cultural signal that we all implicitly understand. If I’m talking to midair with AirPods in, you can be confident I’m on a call. Me talking to myself with no phone or AirPods in sight got me some odd looks from strangers — and confused looks from some of my friends.
In terms of notifications, I like that you have some control over when you get notified. |
29297 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Plus, you need to make sure the Alexa app is always open and running in the background.
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) This is an issue I have with nearly every pair of smart glasses with some kind of voice assistant. Earbuds are a visual and cultural signal that we all implicitly understand. If I’m talking to midair with AirPods in, you can be confident I’m on a call. Me talking to myself with no phone or AirPods in sight got me some odd looks from strangers — and confused looks from some of my friends.
In terms of notifications, I like that you have some control over when you get notified. There’s a VIP Filter you can curate so that only select apps and contacts will notify you. |
29298 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
It says to just ask Alexa, but I didn’t find much to ask beyond the weather and timers.
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) This is an issue I have with nearly every pair of smart glasses with some kind of voice assistant. Earbuds are a visual and cultural signal that we all implicitly understand. If I’m talking to midair with AirPods in, you can be confident I’m on a call. Me talking to myself with no phone or AirPods in sight got me some odd looks from strangers — and confused looks from some of my friends.
In terms of notifications, I like that you have some control over when you get notified. There’s a VIP Filter you can curate so that only select apps and contacts will notify you. The glasses will play a sound whenever you get a notification, and then you can pull your phone out to check. |
29299 | Amazon’s latest Echo Frames are more style than substance
Even so, it’s just weird to say “Alexa” in public. (You can change the wake word to Echo if that feels better, but for me, it did not.) This is an issue I have with nearly every pair of smart glasses with some kind of voice assistant. Earbuds are a visual and cultural signal that we all implicitly understand. If I’m talking to midair with AirPods in, you can be confident I’m on a call. Me talking to myself with no phone or AirPods in sight got me some odd looks from strangers — and confused looks from some of my friends.
In terms of notifications, I like that you have some control over when you get notified. There’s a VIP Filter you can curate so that only select apps and contacts will notify you. The glasses will play a sound whenever you get a notification, and then you can pull your phone out to check. It won’t read your texts, but I appreciate that. |
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