Technologies

Better Than Ray-Bans? Meta Could Unveil ‘Hypernova’ Glasses Next Month

Not only could the new AR glasses arrive sooner than expected, they’re rumored to be cheaper than expected.

September is gearing up to be one of the most exciting months of the year for new technology launches, with Meta reportedly set to unveil its next-generation smart glasses. Codenamed Hypernova, according to Bloomberg, the glasses are set to start around $800 for the basic model — that’s at least $200 less than previously thought.

This pair of glasses will reportedly differ from the current Meta Ray-Bans due to the addition of a small augmented-reality display in the right lens of the glasses, which will only be visible to the wearer. On this display you’ll be able to see mini apps and alerts, and you’ll have control over the content with assistance from the same neural input wristband used to operate Meta’s Orion AR glasses.

When CNET Editor-at-Large Scott Stein tried out the concept wristband with Orion earlier this year, he noted that the gestures «weren’t perfect yet,» but that he could see their potential.

The Hypernova glasses will cost around $500 more than the Meta Ray-Bans, but Meta has apparently managed to slash that price from $1,000 by accepting lower margins. It hopes that this will help boost demand for the glasses, but you’ll likely pay more for prescription lenses or style variations.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Aug. 19

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Aug. 19.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is one of those puzzle grids with absolutely no empty spaces in the grid. So if you get all the Across answers, the Down ones will fill right in. Other than 1-Across, it went pretty quickly for me today. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Animal that falls in love with a tape dispenser, in a classic New Yorker cartoon
Answer: SNAIL

6A clue: Language written in Devanagari script
Answer: HINDI

7A clue: Singer Presley or Costello
Answer: ELVIS

8A clue: George ___, «Middlemarch» author
Answer: ELIOT

9A clue: Things «read» by fortune tellers
Answer: PALMS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Blind followers
Answer: SHEEP

2D clue: ___ wafers (Nabisco treat)
Answer: NILLA

3D clue: Heavy item falling from the sky in some classic cartoons
Answer: ANVIL

4D clue: «In a pickle» or «in a jam»
Answer: IDIOM

5D clue: They might end with «etc.»
Answer: LISTS

Technologies

Google Translate Reportedly Adding AI Integration, Duolingo-Like Game Elements

This update could spell trouble for its translation competitor, the internet’s favorite green owl.

Google Translate could soon get some major AI enhancements, like the ability to select different AI models and a game-like practice mode, according to a report from Android Police on Monday.

Android analyst AssembleDebug looked into the Google Translate app’s latest build, version 9.15.114, and found what appears to be new changes to the user interface. At the top, there’s a new model selector, Fast and Advanced. Fast would presumably be for quick translation tasks, like deciphering menu items. Advanced will likely use Gemini to understand the context of a text or a conversation with more accuracy

Read more: Best Language Learning Apps for 2025

According to the report, the update will also include a practice mode to help gamify language learning, similar to that used in the popular language app Duolingo.

A representative for Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

For the last two years, Google’s been showcasing various demos and releasing features to make language interpretation easier. At Google I/O earlier this year, the tech giant showed off a demo of what live translation might look like for someone wearing a pair of its Android XR smartglasses.

With the launch of the Pixel Fold in 2023, the company also released a live interpreter mode that used the device’s inner and outer screens.

Understanding different languages is a key innovation of AI. The ability to use large language model technology to interpret between two distinct languages expands the content and conversations humans can have with one another.

Already, Google has released auto-dubbing tech on YouTube, allowing English-speaking audiences to watch Japanese YouTubers, for example.