Photo courtesy of Spectacles.
Snapchat has unveiled its first ever hardware product—a pair of glasses called Spectacles. Following in Google’s footsteps, the social media company (recently rebranded as Snap Inc.) is rolling out sunglasses with built-in cameras. At the touch of a button—located at the side of the shades—wearers will be able to record 10-second videos that wirelessly transmit to their Snapchat stories via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The sunglasses are equipped with a 115-degree integrated lens that mimics the field vision seen by the human eye. The camera is framed by a ring of light that illuminates when the wearer starts recording.
Spectacles take on the form of oversized, circular sunglasses, and are available in three colors: black, coral, and teal. They also come in a Snapchat yellow case that doubles as a charging device (the battery lifespan is long enough to record for the duration of an entire day). As for the video quality, playback is in full-screen mode and features both landscape and portrait perspectives.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel spoke about his experience with the prototype while on vacation with his fiancée, Miranda Kerr, in Big Sur, California. “We were walking through the woods, stepping over logs, looking up at the beautiful trees,” the 26-year-old explained. “And when I got the footage back and watched it, I could see my own memory, through my own eyes—it was unbelievable. It’s one thing to see images of an experience you had, but it’s another thing to have an experience of the experience. It was the closest I’d ever come to feeling like I was there again,” he revealed.
The company is yet to announce a launch date, but we’re certain these Snapchat influencers will be first in line when they do. If you can’t wait until then, get a glimpse of the sunglasses in the teaser video below.
Set to go on sale for US $130; AED/SAR 477 and with a limited distribution.
