Worldwide selfie and live event capturing app, Snapchat, announced September 24 that they will be changing their name to Snap Inc. The rebranding move was made after founder and CEO Evan Spiegel disclosed that the company would no longer just be an app and they will start to develop other products. This was followed by even bigger news which detailed Snap’s new smart glass technology, Spectacles.
Now, we know what you’re thinking — Google Glass was an utter failure and these will follow suit. But is it fair to grade a product before it even hits the market? That’s essentially what we’re doing, but in terms of purposefulness.
For starters, Google Glass was a bust because they were aesthetically unattractive, had lackluster functionality and were simply too expensive. Spectacles have one purpose: enhanced point-of-view video sharing.
With the touch of a button, the shades will wirelessly send 10-second videos to your Snapchat, they will charge while in their case, and are a helluva lot cheaper than the former’s experiment, expected to be released at $130. With their already successful easy to create memories app, a pair of camera-equipped glasses makes absolute sense.
From the very beginning of our first look at the glasses above, they remind me of GoPro and it’s ability to record live action from stellar viewpoints. This sense of capturing imagery and memories through your own eyes to share with others is what made GoPro, and possibly, Spectacles such a hit with consumers. Regardless of it’s funk appearance, it’s the ultimate way to show your story rather than tell it.
The shades will be available in fall, just in time for the Holiday season. With a 115-degree-angle lens, which is wider than a typical smartphone, these just might become a hot new trend. Until then, you can check out more on the Spectacles here.
