Iâve experienced Metaâs translation with text before and found it adequate for reading my childrenâs books in Spanish; Meta AI even offered, unprompted, some funny insights. When traveling, my coworker Kate Knibbs discovered that live translation is a little awkward when itâs limited to the written word. Live translation with other speakers should make it much more useful.
The company also announced new frame styles and colors, like the Skyler cat-eye style in chalky gray, as well as a few more software features. Youâll now be able to send and receive messages from Instagram on your glasses, ask Meta AI to play music from an expanded list of music apps (as long as you ask in English), or ask Meta AI to identify songs in passing. Meta is also expanding access to Meta AI in other countries in the European Union, as well as launching the glasses themselves in Mexico, India, and the United Arab Emirates. âAdrienne So
Kia EVs Can Now Use Teslaâs Superchargers
Photograph: Kia
Kia EVs are finally part of the Tesla Supercharger club, the company has confirmed, and its cars can now access more than 21,500 of Teslaâs DC fast chargers in North America.
The move, which was originally approved in January, expands Kiaâs charging network by more than 80 percent and sees the automaker joining the likes of Ford, Rivian, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz in tapping into Teslaâs resources.
As part of the move, the company announced that its refreshed 2025 EV6 and the 2026 EV9 will come with Tesla-compatible NACS connectors, but existing Kia EV owners with a CCS1 charging port can get adapters from their dealer. âVerity Burns
Cuisinartâs First-Ever Espresso Bar âCollectionâ
Photograph: Cuisinart
Anyone for coffee? This week, Cuisinart announced what itâs touting as its very first espresso bar collectionâa Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear of three bottomless portafilter machines. The range starts with a vanishingly slim profile, 15-bar EM-160 Espresso Bar Slim retailing at $230, and tops out with a $600 âGrind and Brewâ EM-640 model with 16 espresso grind settings. The mid-sized $300 machine, EM-320, doesnât have a grinder but adds 5 bars of pressure compared to the Slim.
This is hardly Cuisinartâs first foray into espresso, but it does amount to a bit of a reboot for the American brand. Each device in the Espresso Bar collection comes equipped with a frothing wand, a 52-millimeter stainless steel bottomless portafilter, and an option on cold-extracted espresso for iced lattes or martini lovers. The devices offer a fairly tall profile: Cuisinart advertises that each will allow room for a 20-ounce travel mug. Likely the most distinctive of the three machines, the lowest-priced âSlimâ device is less than 7 inches wide.
Tuesday was the official launch for the new line, but retailers like Williams-Sonoma and Crate & Barrel quietly added the Cuisinart appliances to their websites in mid-Aprilâan increasingly common strategy from manufacturers who want advance reviews on retailer websites by the time the companyâs PR officially declares liftoff. âMatthew Korfhage
Fellow Drops Its First Espresso Machine
The coffee news doesn’t stop there. With the fanfare and tightly controlled pre-hype usually reserved for iPhone launches, San Francisco coffee device maker Fellow announced its first espresso machine. The retro-futuristic-looking Espresso Series 1 comes in black, cherry red, or malted chocolate. It offers adaptive pressure at the coffee puck, guided brewing, and a steam wand with a thermostat that stops frothing at the designated temp.