The ‘glaringly’ apparent use case for the Ray-ban + Facebook smart glasses

Ray-ban Stories and why I think I want another pair

What are smart glasses?

My Ray-ban Stories smart glasses arrived in the mail yesterday. This collaboration by Facebook and Ray-ban brings a set of smart features to your face such as the ability to take photos, videos, talk on the phone, and listen to music.

Reactions from the press has been mixed, noting that these features exist in other wearables that have not succeeded as well as highlighting privacy concerns and implications. The glasses have been called everything from dumb and overpriced, to cool but creepy as well as articles questioning why you would wear them.

So why will I wear them?

On the day I received my glasses, I took my daughter to her volleyball game while my wife took my son to soccer. Of course, I was expected to send videos and text updates throughout the game to my wife. It was clear I was not the only parent in the stands given this responsibility.

If you have tried to take videos of your children at an event (sports, drama, theater, school, or church programs, etc.) you know that one of two things will happen. You will focus your energy on watching the event through your phone which you always regret. Or you watch the event naturally while your phone records, only to find out your hand wasn’t steady, and your video missed the moment that mattered. It is not uncommon to see a group of parents all standing shoulder to shoulder with their phones raised up — disconnected from the experience they should be enjoying.

These glasses made this problem much better.

I tried my new glasses at volleyball, and it was great. With a small tap, I was able to record every serve for my wife to watch while giving my full attention to supporting my daughter as she scored 4 points in a row (proud Dad)! My full attention was on the game and that translated into a video that captured all the action.

This is a clear use case, with a population that will pay. Can this use case help these glasses succeed where others have failed? Time will tell.

Why do I now wish I had a second pair?

I bought the sunglasses version and as weird as wearing camera glasses in the gym was, wearing the sunglasses version of them inside was weirder.

This is just one step toward a different world where we will spend a little less time looking at our phones — but it for me, it had clear value. I don’t think I will be alone.

Note: Not an ad, not paid — opinions are my own.