Phones don’t have lights

Mark Zuckerberg has defended the Ray-Ban Meta glasses’ camera by arguing they actually provide a clearer visual cue when taking photos than smartphones. In at least two recent interviews he pointed out that the glasses feature a light that activates during photo capture, and used that as a contrast to phones, which do not always emit an equivalent indicator. On The Verge’s latest Vergecast, hosts debated that defense and explored the broader privacy debate around wearable cameras. Joanna Stern, one of the interviewers referenced on the show, countered that while phones may lack a dedicated light, lifting a phone to frame a shot is itself a conspicuous action — a factor that complicates direct comparisons between phone and glasses-based cameras. The episode also covered the product announcements and software advances from Meta Connect. Panelists spent time discussing Muse, Meta’s AI assistant, crediting it with quickly changing perceptions of the company’s AI progress by making agent-like features more accessible. That development was tied to concerns about whether users will be willing to link Meta’s growing suite of services and hardware to a central assistant given ongoing privacy debates. Beyond the glasses controversy, the podcast reviewed new hardware from several companies. Discussion touched on audio-only Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Meta’s VR Glasses, and new laptops from Google (referred to as Googlebooks) that were noted for refined hardware and stronger integrations between desktop and mobile. The episode wrapped with a Lightning Round covering topics including the Paramount settlement, YouTube’s adoption of AI tools, the state of Xbox, and Rode’s introduction of 4K features.