Watch Mark Zuckerberg unveil Ray-Ban Stories, Facebook’s first pair of smart glasses

Facebook has launched its first pair of smart glasses developed in partnership with Ray-Ban’s parent company, EssilorLuxottica.

Dubbed the Ray-Ban Stories, the smart sunglasses enables their wearers to capture photos and video, as well as listen to music or take phone calls hands-free by connecting it to your phone’s Bluetooth.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained Ray-Ban Stories’ functionalities in a video he uploaded on social media on Thursday, Sept. 9.

Ray-Ban Stories are built with two 5MP cameras, which will allow you to take high-resolution photos (2592×1944 pixels) and quality video (1184×1184 pixels at 30 frames per second).

“You can activate the camera by pressing the buttons on the side of the frame. A tap starts recording a video or you can tap on it to take a photo,” Zuckerberg said. When your hands are full, you can still capture stills and clips simply by saying “Hey Facebook, take a video,” which will activate Facebook’s AI voice assistant.

The wearables also come with a LED light on the right front corner of the sunglasses to “let people around you know that you are taking a video. It lights up as what most phones do,” Zuckerberg added.

It can store up to 30 videos and 500 photos, which you can also share on social media using the Facebook View companion app that you can download both on iOS and Android.

In addition, users can take phone calls hands-free using the built-in “discreet open-ear speakers at the side of the frame” and its three-microphone audio array. Facebook also said in a press release that Ray-Ban Stories’ beamforming technology and a background noise suppression algorithm provide users with a calling experience similar to dedicated headphones.

As for the design, Essilor Luxottica’s chief wearable officer Rocco Basilico said that Ray-Ban Stories are only heavier by five grams than other Ray-Ban sunglasses. “So we didn’t compromise on style and comfort,” he remarked. It comes in three of the brand’s signature models—Wayfarer, Round, and Meteor—and with over 20 variations to choose from.

Filipinos who would like to get their hands on these neat wearables might have to wait a little longer (and probably save up) to catch them in local stores. Ray-Ban Stories are now available starting at US$299 (approximately P14,900) on Ray-Ban’s website and select Ray-Ban stores in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Italy, Australia only. More locations and countries will be announced soon.

The post Watch Mark Zuckerberg unveil Ray-Ban Stories, Facebook’s first pair of smart glasses appeared first on Speed Magazine.

Source: Speed Magazine PH