Today in the Connected Economy: Meta Provides Glimpse of Smart Glasses Project

Today in the connected economy, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg offers a small preview of his company’s smart glasses project. Also, Pinterest tries to tap into the $400 million livestream shopping market, and Western Union forms a partnership with PagaPay to support cross-border money transfers.

Zuckerberg Hints at Upcoming Wearable AR Controller

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has teased a smart glasses project in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica.

According to a report by Reuters, Zuckerberg teased the project in a photo of the other company’s chairman wearing a prototype of a neural interface wristband that is meant to direct other devices.

In a post, Zuckerberg said EssilorLuxottica Chair Leonardo Del Vecchio was “using a prototype of our neural interface EMG [electromyography] wristband that will eventually let you control your glasses and other devices.”

Facebook parent Meta has said it wanted to create a wristband to control augmented reality glasses and let users interact with a virtual world with finger movements. Zuckerberg had been in Milan to discuss the possibility of EssilorLuxottica developing such a product.

Pinterest’s TV Studio App Broadens Live Commerce Efforts

Pinterest has debuted a Pinterest TV Studio app, a separate platform from its online shopping portal that lets creators livestream videos with features such as multiple cameras and improved editing tools.

For now, the offering is available to select users. Pinterest released the app earlier this week through the Apple and Google Play stores.

After launching, creators have to enter a code or scan a barcode provided by Pinterest to access the livestreaming tools. The rollout comes at a time when livestreamed shopping is projected to become a $400 billion business.

Western Union Collabs With PagaPhone to Grow Cross-Border Money Transfers

Western Union and PagaPhone have teamed up to expand cross-border transfer capabilities between the U.S. and Mexico and allow recipients to receive funds with their PagaPhone SmartPay account.

“By teaming with Western Union, PagaPhone SmartPay users in Mexico have yet another way to receive money from friends and family cross-border, using a brand known and trusted for decades,” said Ulises Tellez, CEO and founder of PagaPhone SmartPay and Cloud Transfer Services.

ConnectOne Bank Team With Nymbus on Digital Business Banking Platform

ConnectOne Bank has joined forces with cloud-native banking technology platform Nymbus to offer digital business banking solutions.

“Since inception, ConnectOne Bank’s mission has been to offer our clients best-in-class banking experiences tailored to their unique needs,” said Frank Sorrentino III, Chairman and CEO of ConnectOne Bank. “As we diversify our client roster, partnering with Nymbus allows us to continue that mission by building a niche-based vertical powered by leading technology.”

ConnectOne will combine Nymbus’ product suite with data and brand strategy to build new solutions, with the bank planning to launch products through its Nymbus collaboration by the end of the year.