Facebook and Ray-Ban have combined forces to publicize the ‘Ray-Ban stories, ‘ a new pair of Smart glasses type Snap Spectacles which can record videos and take pictures.
According to the duo of companies, above all else, the Ray-Ban Stories are glasses first; actually, they look less like smart glasses and more like traditional glasses, especially compared to Glasses.
In terms of design, the Ray-Ban stories come in transitional, clear, prescription, and sunglasses variants.
To take photos and videos, the glasses use two 5 megapixel cameras on top of the lenses. They offer a pixel resolution of 2592 x 1994 and take a single image with the help of computational photography. When shooting videos of up to 30 seconds, they offer a resolution of 1414 x 1414 pixels and shoot at 30 fps. The glasses also use AI to add HDR and video stabilization.
In general, Ray-Ban Stories are quite easy to use. For example, to take a photo, you need to briefly press and hold the button on the glasses, and to record a video, you need to quickly tap once to start and then again to turn it off. You can also say, “Hey Facebook, take a picture” or “Hey, Facebook, take a video.”
The images are then uploaded to Android from Facebook or the iOS View app. This app is the only way to access these images and from here you can save them directly to your smartphone gallery or import them to social media apps like Instagram and Facebook. You can even capture 3D photos and create a montage with the Facebook View app.
Ray-Ban Stories also works as a Bluetooth headset paired with your phone, allowing users to listen to music, take phone calls, and more. There is a capacitive touch area on the glasses that allows you to control your music and turn up the volume easily, and there are two built-in speakers. Ray-Ban stories are not very loud, but if you are in a quiet room or on public transport, people will be able to hear your music or your phone conversations.
Additionally, the Ray-Ban Stories boast up to six hours of battery life, and you can use their case to charge them up to three times as long as most wireless headphones.
Since smart glasses have a built-in camera that can record videos and photos, you are probably wondering about privacy and security. Facebook and Ray-Ban say that every time you take a photo or video, an LED light turns on over the lens of the glasses, indicating that the camera is active. You can also hear a shutter sound every time you take a photo.
“Overall, I found the Ray-Ban Stories to look quite impressive and they kept me in the moment.”
the Ray-Ban stories cost $ 369 CAD and price increase depending on the choice of lens. They are available in select Ray-Ban and Ray-Ban.com stores, along with Best Buy and Amazon. They come in ‘Wayfarer’, ‘Meteor’ and ‘Round’ styles.
I have been wearing the smart glasses for the past week and have really enjoyed my time with them so far. In a sense, I felt a bit like a spy because it’s not that clear to everyone around you when you’re taking a photo, despite Facebook and Ray-Ban’s claims regarding privacy. For example, I definitely surprised my roommates when I took pictures of our game of Settlers of Catan. Also, I know the drag queen didn’t know she was shooting a video while having brunch on Labor Day weekend.
Overall, I found that the Ray-Ban Stories look quite impressive and kept me in the moment, while still allowing me to capture video and photos. I could see that they are useful for content creators, and you can get some very cool snap shots and quick videos in situations where you don’t have time to get your smartphone out.
Facebook says that the target audience for Ray-Ban Stories are people who don’t want to trade style for technology and like innovative technology. With that in mind, although I felt very classy in them, I can definitely see that they are not for everyone.