Once struggling to connect, Brett Laxton now communicates through Translate.
Brett Laxton lives in a hearing world, while deaf. He wasn't born that way, so he didn't know sign language. He had to use a transcriber on his phone to communicate, until he found Even G1. Brett uses Translate to be able to communicate with others at his job while looking them in the eyes. The thing that surprised him was how with Even G1 he wasn't on his phone as often. Read more about his life-changing journey in his own words.
See Even G1 through Brett's eyes.
What initially drew you to Even Realities and the concept of digital glasses? What was your first impression when you unboxed the Even G1?
Living in a hearing world while deaf can have its difficulties, compounded by the fact that I wasn't born deaf so I don't know sign language. The last 10 years or so I have used a transcriber on my phone to communicate. The last several years with AI wear becoming more and more a reality, I kept myself aware of what technology was out there. First, I wanted a good, normal pair of glasses that could transcribe conversations like my phone. There have been several pairs of glasses that have come out, but all of them were large and clunky. One day, while doing my normal research for glasses, I saw a short youtube video. The first thing that caught my attention was that the glasses were good looking and you couldn’t tell there was technology built in. As I continued to research, I realized Even G1 were the glasses I'd been waiting for.
I preordered so the wait seemed excruciating. As I waited I read blogs, Reddit, and watched reviews from other preorders that had received their glasses. When I finally received the glasses, the wait was worth it. Everything seemed very well-thought-out, from boxing to the glasses. I was up and running within 10 or 15 minutes. The first day I had them, I wore the glasses to a dinner meeting. I was surprised at how well they worked, even in a noisier environment.
How has Even G1 impacted your ability to communicate with others?
Having Even G1 has quite honestly been life-changing for me. After using a transcriber on my phone for over a decade, I was used to looking at my phone while people talked. With Even G1, I'm able to look people in the eye again while they talk. It was almost uncomfortable for me for a while. I've had so many people that're used to me looking down at my phone ask if I had learned to lip read. They really had no idea that while they were talking I was able to read what they were saying through my glasses. People honestly thought I just had a new pair of glasses. Almost everyone I tell about the glasses immediately want to try them on. They can’t believe that this technology actually exists.
In my role at my church, I'm in charge of helping people get connected to community groups. I'm a part of meetings, leading meetings, going to lunch with new folks - every part of my job requires me to be around people. Even G1 has reallly changed meetings for me. Before, when I needed to share something I never knew quite when the appropriate time to share was. I would wait until a pause in the transcriber to look up and share. But with that lag, there were times I found myself interrupting someone else who started to share during the pause. With Even G1, I'm looking at the people in the meeting so I know when there is a pause to share my input.
How has Teleprompt helped in your role as a public speaker and community leader?
Teleprompt scared me at first. Anytime I'm leading a meeting or speaking, I never rely on technology for my notes. I have all my notes printed out, so I have a hardcopy in front of me. With Teleprompt I started small. While leading a meeting, I had my hardcopy in front of me, but I also loaded the notes into the Even Realities App. I can say after using Teleprompt several times, it has worked very, very well. This was not a feature I thought I would use at all when purchasing Even G1.
How would you describe the design and comfort of Even G1? On average, how many hours a day do you wear it?
Like I said, the first thing I noticed about Even G1 when the YouTube video popped up was not only did they not look like a piece of technology, but they were actually good looking. They were stylish. They had a great color palette to choose from. Upon receiving the glasses, one of the first things I noticed was the clarity and quality of the lenses. They're better than the glasses I used to wear everyday.
I wear my Even G1 everyday, all day. I would say 80% of the time the Translate is left on. On average I would say that the glasses are on my face for 9 to 10 hours. Battery has never been an issue. After all-day use with Translate left on most of the time, I may be around 27 or 28% of battery life left.
After three months of daily use, how has your experience with Even G1 evolved?
After several months of owning Even G1 the thing that's surprising is how the glasses have allowed me to keep my phone in my pocket. If you are anything like me, I may just want to see what time it is, so I would get out my phone see the time, oh I have a text, some other notification with a silly video, next thing I know it's been 10 minutes of looking through crazy videos when all I wanted to do was know what time it was. Just having the dashboard available to look up quickly and see the time or weather outside. Even with the Translate turned on, I can still see what time it is. For me, it has been some of the more simple features like, weather, time, or calendar being on the dashboard that have been amazing.
What advice would you give to others who are considering purchasing Even G1?
Think about what you want these glasses for. If you are wanting to watch a video or game then these are not the glasses for you, obviously. But if you're looking for something to subtly make your life a little easier, then these are for you. If you're looking for something to help you unplug from you phone, then these are for you. If you're needing a translation feature, these are for you. If you're hard of hearing or deaf, then these are for you. If you're wanting a good looking pair of glasses that also have hidden tech for the user, then purchase Even G1.
What are your hopes for the future of wearable technology?
I'm looking forward to transcribing becoming more and more accurate—for the microphones to continue to be more sensitive and powerful. When it comes to this feature specifically, it can only get better.
