Do you really feel like there’s not enough Snapchat in your life, even though you’re on the photo and video sharing app almost every minute you’re awake? Now you can actually take it wherever you go, even without your smartphone. The company has announced its first foray into wearable technology with Spectacles. It is also the start of a company-wide rebranding to Snap Inc, although we’re not yet in the know if they will also be calling their app that as well.
In a nutshell, Spectacles is a bit like Google Glass, except that it’s sole function (for now) is to take videos and post them on your Snapchat account. The specs have a wirelessly-enabled camera built into its supposedly cool-looking frames. The idea is to take videos from the perspective of human eyes so it really looks like you’re re-watching something from the person’s perspective, just like what you see in movies. It has a 110-degree wide angle lens so you’re supposedly seeing what your real eyes are seeing.
The camera, located on the hinges of the spectacles, can only capture ten seconds of video, which can then be transferred to your smartphone. You won’t be able to look at the video you took from your Spectacles, only on your device. Of course the danger of having people take videos that violate others’ privacy is always there, which was one of the shortcomings of Google Glass (among other things). But the spectacles actually show if someone is taking videos with an illuminated ring around the lens.
Also, unlike Google Glass which cost a thousand dollars, the Spectacles are priced at $129.99, which is even cheaper than some designer sunglasses. It will be available in teal, coral, and black. There are no details on the other specs of the spectacles yet. It will also be interesting to find out what the rebranding to Snap Inc will mean for the brand and the app in general.
SOURCE: Snap
