Ray-Ban and Facebook just unveiled Ray-Ban Stories, a pair of smart glasses that lets you listen to music, make calls, snap images, and record movies.
Two 5MP cameras are built inside the smart glasses, which can be used to snap images and record films up to 30 seconds long. Simply say “Hey Facebook” and ask the gadget to shoot a photo or start recording to capture a moment.
Facebook and Ray-Ban incorporated open-ear micro speakers and three microphones to the glasses so users could listen to music or podcasts while also taking calls. Bluetooth allows you to connect your phone to the glasses. On the arms of the frames is a touchpad that allows you to change volume, play or pause audio material, and more.
The glasses also work with the new Facebook View app. You may use the program to import photographs and videos, edit them, and publish them on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and other social media platforms. You can also save content to the camera roll on your phone. The smart glasses come with a charging case that can recharge the glasses three times. The provided USB-C cable can be used to charge the charging case.
Some of the privacy features of the glasses are integrated right into the frames, while others can be modified through the Facebook View app. White LED lights above the cameras on the frames themselves warn anyone nearby that you’re capturing a photo or video. If you don’t want to use the glasses’ smart functions, you can switch off the cameras and microphones.
What about privacy on Facebook’s smart glasses?
Facebook clearly knows that ‘privacy’ will be a much-asked question. Facebook attempts to make clear it only collects data to make sure your glasses and app work properly, featuring a disclaimer within the app explaining how data is used.
Smart glasses, in general, appear to be a novelty at the moment. We’re nowhere near the point where they’ll be able to take the place of a smartphone.
What Ray-Ban Stories does provide is a sense of what this form of wearable tech might look like.