FACEBOOK has launched a pair of smart glasses that can film everything you see. The stylish specs are built by Ray-Ban, and can upload footage to social media to share with pals. They’ve been teased for months – but the Ray-Ban Stories spectacles finally official. You can use the glasses to capture both photos and […]
FACEBOOK has launched a pair of smart glasses that can film everything you see.
The stylish specs are built by Ray-Ban, and can upload footage to social media to share with pals.
They’ve been teased for months – but the Ray-Ban Stories spectacles finally official.
You can use the glasses to capture both photos and videos, thanks to built-in 5MP cameras.
And three microphones make it possible to answer phone calls too.
Video is recorded in 1184×1184 resolution at 30 frames per second – with a 105-degree field of view.
And you can snap clips up to 30 seconds long.
You can also take 2592×1944-pixel photos, if you’d prefer.
Activating the camera is done with the tap of a button, or a vocal “Hey Facebook” command.
On-device storage caters for 35 videos and up to 500 photos, but you can offload these in seconds to the new Facebook View app and clear the device for re-use easily.
If you’re panicking about privacy, Facebook has helpfully built a warning LED into the camera.
This will flash if you’re recording or taking photos, to alert people nearby of your photography antics.
It’s not fool-proof – what if someone covered up the LED?
But sadly there’s no way to stop sickos from taking sneaky snaps in public – and covert cameras already exist in many forms.
The glasses are designed to be as stylish as possible, and come in standard Ray-Ban options.
This includes Wayfarer, Round and Meteor designs, with six different lens types – including prescription options.
There are five colours available too: Shiny Black, Black Matte, Shiny Blue, Shiny Olive and Shiny Brown.
All models come with a charging case that powers up the battery.
You can get about six hours of usage from Ray-Ban Stories according to Facebook.
And zero to 100% charge takes around 70 minutes – or 50% in 30 minutes.
And a fully charged case will give you three Ray-Ban Stories charges.
The Facebook View app is free to use, and lets you download media – or share it to various social media platforms.
This (obviously) includes Facebook and Instagram.
Ray-Ban Stories cost $299 (or $329 if polarised) which isn’t cheap, but the price could drop with later iterations.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen “smart” glasses, of course.
Google Glass launched back in 2013, offering early augmented reality features – and a built-in video camera.
Snapchat has also launched several iterations of its Spectacles.
These glasses come with built-in cameras that let you record footage with a first-person view.
The video recordings can then be shared on Snapchat with followers.
That’s very similar to how Facebook’s new glasses function.
By Sean Keach
I’ve had my hands on these spiffing spectacles, and I’m impressed so far.
They’re stylish enough – in fact, they just look like a proper pair of Ray-Bans.
Of course they’re a little bulky around the arms, and there are cameras built-in.
But at a glance, they would pass for any old pair of Ray-Ban specs – which is refreshing.
The charging case is easy to use, and is definitely a practical method of powering the glasses up.
And using the specs is simple enough too.
Tap once on the button to take a video, and tap again to end it.
And if you hold the button, you can take a photo.
You can also use a “Hey Facebook” command to do both, which worked fine for me.
Downloading the media to your phone takes a few seconds.
Quality is solid in daylight, although media becomes noisy in low-light conditions.
And the glasses aren’t waterproof, which is a shame.
Overall, they’re a decent and fun accessory for the social media obsessed.
Ultimately, they’re probably too pricy for some people – but they’re a fun alternative to a GoPro for average consumers.
Still, if I had $299 to spend on a bit of Facebook headwear, I’d probably just buy the Oculus Quest 2…
Ray-Ban Stories are available to buy on Ray-Ban.com.
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed. Always do your own research before making any purchase.
If you click on a link in this story we will earn affiliate revenue.
We spoke to two tech experts to get their hot takes on these smart glasses…
Leo Gebbie, tech expert and analyst at CCS Insight said:
“The market for smartglasses is in the extremely early stages of development, and I don’t expect the Facebook & Ray-Ban glasses to suddenly transform this.
“It will take time for people to see the value of the technology, especially as early generations of new products are typically very expensive. Other smartglasses products which don’t feature AR have failed to inspire the mass market.
“So I’d question whether Facebook’s new product will change this trend. Still, it’s worth noting that Facebook has taken an aggressive position in the nascent VR market, with a clear strategy to build share rapidly with its Oculus Quest 2 headset which undercuts rival offerings; it may seek to replicate that approach here.
“Looking forward, the most natural use case for Facebook AR glasses is social, given this is the main focus of the company.
“Allowing seamless digital interaction where AR makes it seem like your family and friends are right in front of you is the Holy Grail for many device makers and developers, and I expect to see Facebook focus heavily focus on this.”
A Privacy International spokesperson said:
“We don’t know much about how Facebook plans to keep secure and private the video and other data their smart glasses will collect, but a look at recent history could possibly give us an idea.
“This year alone the personal data of over 500 million Facebook users, including people’s location, phone numbers, and more, was leaked online due to a Facebook vulnerability.
“Do we want videos of our kids or private moments with friends and loved ones left in the hands of a company that has failed over and over to keep people’s information safe?
“Further, by partnering with Ray-Ban and apparently including none of their own branding on the product, people will be hard-pressed to recognise when a person is wearing these glasses.
“If people believe this product is more harmful than useful, they should make their voices heard. “Otherwise, we’d unfortunately expect to see the product in the media again, only next time after something goes horribly wrong.”
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