We remember Google Glass – the smart glasses that seemed to sweep the nation off of its feet, even though they were the most hideous "wearable" technology. Whilst Google Glass didn’t seem to make much headway, let me introduce you to Snapchat Spectacles V2 – and yes, I’m talking about THE Snapchat, with the dog filter where you can seamlessly lick your own screen.
The first generation of these camera glasses came out in late 2016. The differences?
- New spectacles are water resistant (pool parties are a go!) – First-generation are not
- New spectacles offer enhanced HD video capture (1216 x 1216 resolution) – First-generation offers 1088 x 1088 resolution only
- New spectacles offer dual microphones to capture higher quality sound whilst First-generation offers single microphone recording
- Both versions offer HD photo capture (1642 x 1642 resolution)
New Spectacles were made to survive rain, sweat, and splashes. You can even take a photo or video under shallow water!
Instead of fumbling through your bag to get to your phone to take a picture, and then having the moment gone-just push a button on your Snapchat Spectacles and continue with the party!
Plus, the design are oh so sheek. They come in Ruby, Onyx or Sapphire colors to suit most of your daily wardrobe. To get started, all you have to do is pair your Spectacles with your Snapchat account. Then, get to picture-taking!
The sad part in all of this is that the glasses will only sync to your Snapchat account, which can make exporting photos a lengthy process. Snapchat will need to expand on their technologies in order to gain a larger customer base. There is a limitation to only building technology upon an app. Another downfall to the new Spectacles is that they are slightly more expensive than first-generation with a twenty dollar price difference (but, rest assured, free 2-day shipping and 30 day returns are included).
When your phone’s nearby, Spectacles sync wirelessly with Snapchat. Then, you can share your favorite moments with friends, or export to your phone’s photo gallery.
Snapchat is essentially trying to make its own brand, attempting to separate from Instagram and add some creativity in the mix. With this new version of the glasses, users can easily take pictures of what they are doing in that moment. Thus, coming up with great pictures of great moments.
With the fashionable frame, more people will use the Spectacles as their regular, everyday sunglasses, which means more pictures and/or videos produced from them-meaning, more business for Snap.
Capture up to 70 videos on a single charge. Recharge up to four times in the included Charging Case. Spectacles capture photos and videos in our HD circular format, so you can relive memories just the way you saw them.
Snap sold around 150,000 first-generation Spectacles with a $40 million dollar loss. They are hoping that in this go-around, that will be turned around! “Today nearly all of the 3.5 billion Snaps captured every day on Snapchat are taken on a phone − but we believe that will not always be the case,” said Snapchat. “Our Snap Lab team is responsible for ensuring that the Snap Camera remains the most used camera in the world long-term, even as camera devices evolve.”
Spectacles can also be ordered with prescription lenses through Lensabl. They come in one-size-fits-most like standard adult sunglasses. In order to use Spectacles, you should have the latest version of Snapchat with it installed on an iPhone 5 or later running iOS 10 or above. Or if you have an Android phone, make sure it is running Android 4.4 or above. You will also need Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). After your adventures and your synchronization, your photos and videos are saved in Memories on Snapchat. After that, you can export them to your phone and share them with friends and family via social media, email, or print them out for all to see!
Image credit: Pexels
