Snapchat Announces 'Spectacles,' $130 Sunglasses That Record 10 Seconds of Video at a Time

[thisistomok]

sure the snapchat version isn't great, but when TC announces "apple Specs" in spring 2018, this will be the next market for wearables.

Cause you know they'll do it right. Collaborations with all of the worlds biggest headwear brands, lots of configurations etc - just like the watch.

 

[Christian 5G]

Can't wait to see people wearing those

 

[APlotdevice]

the 1990's called. they want their "mini" cameras back.

Err, I think you're overstating what was possible with 90s technology. Mini digital cameras were something that cropped up in the early 2000s as I recall.

 

[MR-LIZARD]

Their marketing seems to aiming it in the right direction. Calling it a 'toy' and not being too serious about it also seems a good move too.

The round video sounds ridiculous though. Rectangular maybe a vestige of paper but I'm not going to be watching a circular video on my circular iPhone or circular TV anytime soon. Wasted screen space just seems silly. I can only assume that circular videos will give it an immediate marketing trick as people will instantly know the video was filmed with "spectacles" rather than a standard smartphone or GoPro.

 

[macs4nw]

While this is intended for the Snapchat generation, I can't help but imagine a more mainstream application for something like this.

Google Glass was too early for its time but its time may be coming. A pair of glasses that records everything that you see while wearing them is something that could exist in an era of unlimited storage which cloud computing will inevitably lead to. Artificial intelligence able to recognize and index objects, moments and people would make it possible to search our lives for memories. "Show me that time when I first noticed my wife walking out of Macy's".

There's a privacy concern that is gradually fading away as the generation that Spectacles was built for have grown up expecting cameras everywhere and not only not caring that they're being filmed but craving it. Older folks will hate it but the world will no longer be built for them.

In light of a sea of negativity and mockery in the first 25 posts towards these 'sunglasses', it's rather surprising I'm not the only one who thinks there's a future for devices like these. Me thinks you're right on the money.

Consider this a crude first iteration. When the units become more fashionable and refined, with GPS, longer recording times, or even direct uploads to the cloud, there's a ton of uses for these things running the gamut from family fun and trips, to being useful for law enforcement, security firms, private eyes, undercover investigations, and in our litigious society, pretty much anyone who wants a video record of what's happening around them.

Will these sorts of technologies make us more paranoid? Probably, but that train left the station when security cameras started appearing in large numbers over the last dozen or so years.

I'm not willing to discount the 'Spectacles' as a joke either; this type of tech has a definite future imho.

 

[evoga]

I would buy the Pivothead glasses before this as they look much better and record in 1080 for a hell of a lot longer.

 

[DPUser]

Most of the posters here sound frickin' OLD and grouchy. I'm old, too, but, really...

I would not be at all surprised if these things are a hit. They're not expensive. Mr. Lizard has it right... fun and funny for a generation that expects every element of life to be recorded; but circular video doesn't line up too well with displays or text or other photos.

 

['Dorian]

A land of guns and shooting people America is and you want to wear a set of the these glasses. Good luck with that as you may want to pick the place you what to be put to rest.

As a strange turn, if everyone had a pair then people would finally realize the only people being shot in America are being shot by police and government officials. The bigger a system gets the more it can be used against it's creators.

 

[Morrile]

Designed by Dame Edna

 

[MrGimper]

Uncanny.

 

[lowkey]

Bwahahaha

 

[iapplelove]

I want to go off grid more and more.

 

[Starship77]

This is cool and all but "snapchatters" only do selfies, right? maybe he should have created something like this:

 

[toke lahti]

One camera at each side?
Why two cameras?

 

[2010mini]

sure the snapchat version isn't great, but when TC announces "apple Specs" in spring 2018, this will be the next market for wearables.

there is no market for smart glasses except maybe for military/police use

 

[toke lahti]

So you enjoy jail? I hope so since that's right where you'd go for assault, battery and destruction of property

It's common knowledge that nobody knows that in public place everybody can shoot photos or video as much as they want. But for publishing you need permissions. But you can't shoot secretly, so camera has to be noticable, like in these goggles.

 

[CarlJ]

Wonder how many box-tops he had to send in to get those.

 

[gRF]

Imagine if one day (almost) everyone wears spectacles similar to these - if everyone's recording videos - who are we recording them for?

 

[TrueBlou]

Smoking too much weed.

There's not enough of that on the planet that would get me to wear them and I've done some daft stuff in my short but colourful life
[doublepost=1474711283][/doublepost]

Funny you think glass isn't the future when you have everyone having to pull out their phones while driving, eating and pretty much doing any sort of activity. With glass everything is hands free. 5 years from now everyone will be wearing them. If you think glass is dumb I'm curious about your thoughts on the (pointless)iwatch

Nothing wrong in principle of a HUD and control interface and yes maybe even cameras built into wearable technology.

But if you're going to do it, don't get someone who reads in braille exclusively to design them

And that's before we even get into the, having to wear a big sign on your head to inform people you may be recording them and could they fill in a form to give you permission

 

[vmachiel]

Hahaha go home Snapchat you're drunk

 

[tucotuti]

While this is intended for the Snapchat generation, I can't help but imagine a more mainstream application for something like this.

Google Glass was too early for its time but its time may be coming. A pair of glasses that records everything that you see while wearing them is something that could exist in an era of unlimited storage which cloud computing will inevitably lead to. Artificial intelligence able to recognize and index objects, moments and people would make it possible to search our lives for memories. "Show me that time when I first noticed my wife walking out of Macy's".

There's a privacy concern that is gradually fading away as the generation that Spectacles was built for have grown up expecting cameras everywhere and not only not caring that they're being filmed but craving it. Older folks will hate it but the world will no longer be built for them.

Do you know the mini series Black Mirror? The third episode reminds me of this, very creepy.

 

[Scellow]

RIP snapchat, time to find something else, like every 2-4 years

 

[TrueBlou]

Do you know the mini series Black Mirror? The third episode reminds me of this, very creepy.

I'd never heard of Black Mirror before, but a quick search later and I'm definitely going to be checking that out.

Cheers. See, these forums do have an actual useful function sometimes

 

[babaroga73]

Whoever first thought that this creepy surveillance stuff should be mainstream , should be covered in gasoline and burned to death. It's nerd-creep level ABSURD. Some things just should not exist. I get the Go-Pro, but this , just no.

 

[JetLaw]

"The video is recorded in a circular format, as Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel argues that the square and rectangle form that photos and videos currently come in are a vestige of early photos being printed on paper."

Um yeah, because here in 2016 the devices we use to view photos are all round... That's a very strange bit of logic from Mr. Spiegel.