TLV tech: what happened when I wore a 'status bar for real life'

Eyes up, phone down: how I cut the chaos from my Tel Aviv commute with a discreet HUD

Enter Even Realities G1: prescription‑grade smart glasses that look like normal eyewear and project a private, text‑first HUD with QuickNotes, lightweight navigation cues, notifications, translation, and a teleprompter that actually follows your speech. No camera. No speakers. Just a bright, readable micro‑LED waveguide that lets you catch what matters at a glance. In the next few minutes, I’ll show you exactly how G1 solved the real problems of commuting and presenting in TLV—and where its limits are—so you can decide if it’s the right upgrade for your day.

Let’s be honest about the gap: commuting in TLV punishes phone habits

Between scooters on Ibn Gabirol, Moovit transfers to the Red Line, and late‑night calls on Dizengoff, Tel Aviv’s rhythm rewards tools that don’t steal attention. The friction adds up fast:

The aspiration is simple, executional, and very TLV: hit targets without extra taps, keep your head up in crowded streets, and make late calls while you’re still moving home. Until recently, your options were fragmented: audio‑only glasses (good for voice, bad for names and addresses), car‑bound HUDs, or AR media screens that are great on flights but awkward on sidewalks. None delivered a discreet, glanceable HUD you can wear all day.

What changed with Even Realities G1

Even Realities G1 blends a HAOS micro‑LED projector into premium frames to place a crisp, green text overlay a couple of meters ahead in your field of view. Think status bar for real life: time, next event, a street name, a line of your script, or the note you just dictated. It’s intentionally camera‑less and speaker‑less to keep weight down, privacy high, and styling “eyewear first.”

Core modules:

Hardware and wearability:

• Display: mono green 640×200, ~20° FOV, up to ~1,000 nits, tuned for outdoors readability.
• Frames: magnesium alloy front, titanium/silicone temples, screwless hinges; two shapes (round G1A, rectangular G1B); prescription‑ready with advanced coatings.
• Power: roughly a day+ on head; charging case adds about 2.5 recharges.

This “HUD, not headset” approach hits the Tel Aviv brief: it reduces phone pickups, keeps you socially acceptable, and follows you from sidewalk to scooter to car without adding bulk or awkwardness.

Four advantages that actually move the needle

1. Fewer phone interruptions; more heads‑up focus

What changes: Instead of fishing out your phone for every micro‑check, G1 surfaces the next meeting, a street name, or a filtered notification in‑eye. The result is fewer context switches and calmer commutes.

Feature tie‑in: the bright micro‑LED HUD (up to ~1,000 nits) shows ultra‑short text at a natural focal distance; notification filters in the Even app keep it to essentials.

Why it beats alternatives: Audio‑only glasses make you “just listen,” which is fine until you need an exact name or address. Watches still require wrist‑down glances. Car HUDs stop helping when you park. G1’s on‑face text follows you across modes.

Before/after:

• Before: 35–40 phone pickups across a typical day, spikes during transit legs and building entries.
• After: honest range for me has been 10–15 minutes saved daily from fewer phone‑out moments and app juggling. It’s not magic—just fewer steps.

2. Capture ideas on the move—and recall them exactly when needed

What changes: QuickNote lets you dictate between Hashalom and the office, then re‑surfaces that note in your field of view when you arrive or when you cue it—so you don’t reach for the phone to remember “floor 17, ask for Maya Cohen.”

Feature tie‑in: QuickNote dictation with searchable voice memos; context‑aware recall via the app; improved mic handling in noise by routing through your phone when needed.

Before/after:

• Before: muttering into Voice Memos, then scrolling outside the client’s lobby to find the right snippet.
• After: note pops up at a glance; walk in confidently.

What changes: You stop darting eyes to a laptop or phone. Teleprompt tracks your speech and bolds your current line so your gaze stays with the room.

Feature tie‑in: the in‑eye autocue that follows your pace—this is the standout feature reviewers called out.

Why it beats alternatives: No other everyday‑looking glasses deliver a teleprompter that tracks your voice. Tablets and laptops pull your attention down; camera‑glasses draw social friction. G1 looks like normal eyewear and shows only to you.

4. Navigate TLV without learning the hard way

What changes: Walking cues and street names appear as you move so you can keep your head up on Dizengoff or Rothschild. It’s built for glanceable micro‑prompts, not cinematic AR.

Feature tie‑in: Navigate module with lightweight, high‑contrast text; outdoor readability thanks to the mono micro‑LED brightness.

Why it beats alternatives: Phone mounts on bikes/scooters divide attention and can vibrate your phone’s camera to death; earbuds alone won’t tell you the street name at a glance; AR media glasses occlude more than they help while walking. G1 threads the needle: minimal, legible, private.

Before/after:

• Before: stopping on the corner to check Moovit; or worse, looking down while rolling.
• After: quick glance, keep moving. No promises you’ll “never get a ticket”—but it helps you avoid the down‑and‑back phone habit that leads to mistakes.

5. Wear it all day without the “gadget” look—or the privacy baggage

What changes: Your smart glasses become your actual glasses. The magnesium/titanium build, prescription options, and subtle styling make G1 invisible in offices, cafés, and client sites.

Feature tie‑in: prescription‑grade frames, advanced lens coatings, and a charging case that extends runtime; intentionally no camera or speakers.

Why it beats alternatives: Camera‑forward glasses raise eyebrows in sensitive workplaces; AR rigs look like gear; audio‑only frames don’t solve the visual gap. G1 keeps social friction low by design.

Before/after:

• Before: “Is that recording?” awkwardness when walking into a meeting with camera‑glasses.
• After: no one notices. You just give a better pitch.

Pragmatic specs and price context

• Optical engine: HAOS micro‑LED to waveguide; mono green 640×200; ~20° FOV; ~2 m virtual focus; up to ~1,000 nits for sun readability.
• Frames/build: magnesium alloy front; titanium/silicone temples; screwless hinges; G1A (round) and G1B (rectangular).
• Inputs: touch temples; dual mics; optional phone‑mic routing in noise; Bluetooth to phone.
• Software: QuickNote, Teleprompt, Translate, Navigate, Notifications, AI Concierge (Perplexity by default, optional ChatGPT).
• Power: roughly a day+ on charge; case adds ~2.5 recharges.

Pricing: official DTC frames with HUD are widely reported at $599. Typical owner cost with prescription lenses and sun clip runs ~$729–$849 before shipping/tax. For local context, Ray‑Ban Meta smart glasses sell via resellers in Israel around ₪1,499–₪1,714 but lack a text HUD and include cameras; Xreal Air 2 sits ~$299–$359 and targets media/virtual screens, not glanceable HUD use.

A few candid caveats (and how to handle them)

Proof that matters, not slogans

Worried about price vs value? Here’s the benchmark I used

If you’re already in designer frames, G1’s total cost sits close to the price of premium eyewear plus a productivity upgrade that can save around 10–15 minutes a day. Over a month, that’s a few extra focused hours and fewer risky phone‑out moments on the street. If you don’t need the HUD, buy audio‑glasses or stick with a watch. If you do, this is the first option that looks like eyewear and behaves like a HUD.

Your safety net:

• 14‑day return window for like‑new products if it’s not a fit.
• Limited warranty: 1 year outside the EU (2 years within the EU) against manufacturing defects, with repair or replacement options.

In a city where targets don’t wait for quiet offices and sidewalks double as work corridors, the difference between “just another gadget” and “finally useful” is whether it reduces steps without adding friction. Even Realities G1 does exactly that: a private, sun‑readable HUD for notes, nav, and prompts in frames you can wear all day—no camera baggage, no theater. Glance, note, go. If you’ve got that, you’re in.