Facebook And Ray-Ban Reveal Much Anticipated $299 Smart Glasses
At the Facebook Connect event in 2020, Facebook revealed a multi-year collaboration with eyewear company EssilorLuxottica to create the next-generation of smart glasses. Now, the first product of the partnership has been unveiled.
On Thursday, Facebook and Ray-Ban unveiled Ray-Ban Stories. The glasses are not as smart as many had hoped for and don’t feature augmented reality (AR), the technology that overlays digital content onto the real world, but they are pretty stylish. The $299 glasses use EssilorLuxottica owned Ray-Ban’s classic Wayfarer frame style and will be available for purchase in 20 style combinations online.
As chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg explained in an announcement video, “We wanted to build something that would enable you to easily capture and share experiences from your point of view. And we thought, if we’re going to build best-in-class glasses, a great place to start is with the iconic Ray-Ban frames that people already love.”
It’s clear that design and aesthetics were the focus rather than technology for Ray-Ban Stories. And at only 5 grams heavier than a standard Ray-Ban of the same style and only a few millimeters wider, the overall effect is impressive. Facebook says it eventually plans to embed AR functionality but it could be five to 10 years away, according to the company’s chief scientist.
The glasses let users take photos and video: users can snap high resolution (2592x1944 pixels) photos by pressing and holding a button on the right side of the glasses or can record video (1184x1184 pixels at 30 frames per second) by pressing it once. Users can also listen to music and answer phone calls. Music and calls are streamed to the glasses from an iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth. A basic Facebook voice assistant is also present.
Concealed within the frames are an array of features: embedded Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi to synchronise with a phone; dual 5-megapixel camera sensors; enough storage for 500 pictures; a battery; and dual micro speakers. Essentially, the device combines the functionality of earbuds with mobile camera functionality in a stylish pair of glasses.
Ray-Ban Stories pairs with the new Facebook View app, which means users can share content easily. The app on iOS and Android allows users to import, edit and share content captured on the smart glasses to apps on their phone: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, and more. Users can also save content to their phone’s camera roll and edit and share from there. Post-capture enhancements built into Facebook View enable users to put their own spin on posts.
Facebook, which has been criticised over its handling of user data, said it would not access the media used by Stories customers without their consent. The company also said it would not use the content of the photos or videos captured using the glasses and stored in the Facebook View app for personalising ads, and said the glasses would be an “ads-free experience.” The guidelines for responsible use can be found on the Ray-Ban Stories privacy microsite.
Many eyes will be on the success of this device, as it will allow the social media giant to build its advertising and messaging business without having to rely on systems and hardware made by competitors.
However, the smart glasses market is already pretty crowded. Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. released Spectacles back in 2016 and is working towards Spectacles with AR capabilities. Amazon released Echo Frames in 2019 which take calls and use Alexa. Whilst Apple is expected to release AR glasses “in the middle of the decade” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Ray-Ban Stories represent Facebook’s first step towards its vision: AR glasses as the next computing platform, but what they mean to the everyday user is yet to be seen.
Ray-Ban Stories are available at Ray-Ban stores and ray-ban.com in the U.S., U.K., Italy, Australia, Ireland, and Canada. The glasses arrive at select Luxottica retail partners on Monday, Sept. 13.
