Snap Inc, which owns Snapchat, introduced a limited number of its video-recording sunglasses dubbed Spectacles in Venice Beach, Los Angles, on Nov. 10, Thursday. The sunglasses, announced in September this year, went on sale through a yellow vending machine, which the company calls Snapbots.
The design as well as execution of the sunglass-plus-camera device is ample proof of the fact that Spectacles are meant to be fanciful and fun. Aimed at the fashion crowd, Spectacles come in a clear tube package designed like the Snapchat ghost, which also contains the recharging case, a cloth to clean the glasses, and a USB cable for the recharging case, The Verge reported.
Available in three colors - coral, black and teal, Spectacles can take short videos, which can be uploaded to the company's popular messaging app Snapchat instantly. As far as the design of the device is concerned, it is made from plastic glasses bearing resemblance to a Ray-Ban sunglass. Spectacles is light and slim with most of its electronic components placed at the top of the glasses, thereby making the frame and arms of the device look and like any regular sunglass.
Spectacles feature two yellow circles at its ends. While one of them houses the camera, the other conceals an LED ring, which lights up during recording. Spectacles run on Android as well as iOS devices. In order to pair the sunglass with a device, a user just need to look at the Snapchat ghost icon in the Spectacles app, press a button on the top left and the process is completed automatically.
It is easy to take videos with the Spectacles. The user needs press the same button and recording is on. The duration of recording can be increased up to 30 seconds by pressing the button again twice more. When the videos are uploaded into a Snapchat Story, they run as a continuous clip. Inside the glasses, the device incorporates a small light that blinks to inform the user about the start and end of any recording.
Spectacles cost $130 in Los Angeles and it may cost up to $500 for people living outside, BBC reported. One can also purchase a lot of five Spectacles at $2,000. While the Snapbots are expected to travel to different parts of the United States soon, Snap Inc. is yet to announce the availability of the device outside the U.S. However, Spectacles are already on eBay for around $800.
Watch the first look of Spectacles below: