Woot is currently offering sunglasses from Oakley, Ray-Ban, and Costa with up to 65% off original rates. Shipping is free across the board for Prime members, with delivery running you $6 otherwise. Our top pick from this sale is the Ray-Ban Polarized Club Sunglasses that are currently marked down to $71 and originally sold for $130.
EssilorLuxottica shares this vision for wearables that will transform the way we connect and interact with other people and the world around us. The launch of the first-generation Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses is an exciting glimpse at what’s possible when we begin to shift to devices that enhance day-to-day life, rather than distract from it. These Ray-Bans are decidedly not a Facebook-branded product, like its Oculus VR headset or Portal video calling device lineup. Facebook is supplying the tech and software that powers the glasses, while Ray-Ban oversees the design and sale of them. Both companies declined to discuss the financial details of the arrangement. The companion View app is bare-bones, serving as a camera roll for the glasses with basic editing capabilities.
Ray-Ban continues to offer a variety of traditional, contemporary and performance sunglasses and eyeglasses styles for men, women and kids. After testing out the Ray-Ban Stories for a few days, I found them far more compelling than any smart glasses clubmaster today. They don’t look as goofy as the Snap Spectacles, and they’re far more comfortable to wear than Bose and Amazon’s Frames. I could only use the Stories in limited situations though, since I need prescription lenses to actually see well.
The smart glasses come with a portable charging case that repower the glasses up to three times. The charging case itself can be charged with the included USB-C cable. As an authorized retailer of Ray-Ban eyewear, FramesDirect sells only guaranteed authentic Ray-Ban frames. Add your prescription and choose your preferred lens features for a classic style that’s built for you. Choose colorful, polarized lenses with a gradient tint—prescription sunglasses have never looked so good. Protect your eyes from the sun’s UV rays with crystalline vision in classy cat-eye frames or throwback Clubmasters.
The glasses, which come in several different designs and lens colors, are impressive because they seem so nearly normal, even more so than the Amazon and Bose versions. The Ray-Ban Stories look innocuous at first, but they’re still not everyday normal — the arms are thick, and the charging case they come in is particularly shaped just for these glasses. And while my Ray-Ban glasses have sunglass lenses, they can be outfitted with polarized and prescription lenses. But right now, my review units didn’t come prescription-equipped, so I used contacts when I wore them around. Ray-Ban Stories, the smart glasses being debuted by Facebook and Ray-Ban today, are most notable for just how much they look like a standard pair of the brand’s sunglasses.
The video and photos are stored locally on your phone, not sent into Facebook’s servers or the cloud. Basically, if you don’t choose to post those photos to Facebook, Facebook can’t see them or have anything to do with them, which is probably what you want. Well, if you buy Facebook glasses, I don’t really know what you want. Ray-Ban Stories can take photos and videos with a touch of a button and send them to your phone. On sunny days I do wear sunglasses when I play tennis so it was an added bonus that I could take videos while hitting groundstrokes and volleys.
Chromance lenses are made out of polycarbonate and enhance color and details so your world looks more vivid and high-def. They are also polarized and have anti-reflective coating to reduce glare. 3-point fit touches your head on your nose and behind both earsOakley’s signature straight temple arms work because the temple tips hug your head rather than holding on behind your ears. You’ll also find several wraparound shield frames in addition to ray ban caravan low-profile half-rim sports sunglasses, whereas the majority of Ray-Bans are full-rim frames. Oakley makes frames with the same basic components, but they also create their own proprietary materials like the lightweight, indestructible O Matter™ frame and Unobtainium™ temple and nosepad grips. For Hollywood royalty or a rock n’ roll vibe that will dazzle poolside or make a fashion statement for a night on the town, Ray-Ban is where it’s at.
Despite the focus on privacy, most people might not even understand the light means the glasses are recording. The Ray-Ban Stories have a bright LED that lights up when you’re taking photos and video, but I could see many people taking issue with the subtle camera placement. We’re all used to people capturing everything with their smartphones these days, but doing so still requires clubmaster more effort than tapping your glasses or issuing a voice command to an all-seeing social network. Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses and Facebook View are ads-free experiences, so you won’t see ads when using the glasses or app. And we don’t use the content of your photos and videos for personalized ads. If you share content to any other app, that app’s terms will apply.
The phrase “secret spy camera glasses” is making your heart race. Knowing that Facebook is discussing building facial recognition into these things curdles the stomach. Get email exclusives, special offers and more delivered right to your inbox.