This ain’t no Google Glass, people. Not only will Snapchat Spectacles cost a fraction of Google Glass’s price tag, they’re way way cooler. The Spectacles are a rounded pair of sunglasses in a bizarre/futuristic/hipster style with the ability to record up to ten seconds of footage at a time, which can then be uploaded directly to Snap. The purpose of the Spectacles is that you wear them and capture the adventures of your daily life while you’re on the move. Now we’ve done our research, and though it’s early days yet, we have the feeling that unlike the disappearance of Google Glass the Snapchat Spectacles have the technology and the appeal to make a lasting mark on consumer culture. Here’s everything you need to know about the first major product initiative of Snap Inc. (the company formerly known as Snapchat Inc.).
SPEC SPECS
The Spectacles are a pair of sunglasses with a front facing camera in the upper-left corner. When you tap on the top of the glasses, the lights around the camera lens illuminate and video recording begins. The camera has a 115-degree lens, with the purpose of mimicking how your eye sees and captures images. The Spectacles can record 10-second video clips that upload to Snapchat via an iPhone or Android phone paired through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The camera automatically stops after 10 seconds, but you can tap again to add another clip, with a maximum of 30 seconds for any one recording. The videos sync with a smartphone making it easy to share them with your followers. Essentially, it’s an experience of your experience, from your direct point of view. The batteries will last about a day, and you can recharge them using the charging case and cable that come with the Spectacles.
CHOICE OF A NEW GENERATION
Head-wearable eye tech is like the ‘go west and discover’ area of the tech world, but most smartglasses so far haven’t matched the latest technology with consumer applicability, style, and comfort. Google Glass looked bizarre, made you feel weird when you wore it, and everyone you looked at thought you were recording them and invading their privacy. Snap Inc.’s Spectacles look like something we could wear for more than a few seconds. They don’t blend in, they stand out; and they’re stylish too (in a weird funky hippy kind of way). The Spectacles aren’t aimed at techies; they’re aimed at the far larger social media market, so it will be interesting to see if instant video recording becomes more socially accepted and popular with the masses.
COST AND RELEASE
The Spectacles will cost $130 and come in three colours: black, teal, and coral. The cost is in the ‘spontaneous purchase zone’, and cost about as much (even less) than most top-brand sunglasses. Many people may buy the Spectacles just to check them out, even if it’s just for a weekend concert, trip, or experience. If teens think the Spectacles look cool, then the future could be very bright for Snap Inc. The company, its founder Evan Spiegel, and Steve Horowitz, the engineer behind the design of the Spectacles, are no doubt very excited to dive headfirst into the pool of Snapchat’s 150 million daily users. The release date for the Spectacles is sometime this fall.
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