The glasses don’t talk to me when I say, “Hey, Facebook.” They just make little approving beeps or confused beeps to indicate understanding. There’s a light inside the glasses, too, for battery status and as a recording indicator. That light goes on when it’s recording, right near one of the camera lenses in the corners. Ray-Ban Stories are available in three frame styles, and you can choose between different colors and lenses, too. Upgrade and repair your Ray-Ban sunglasses with replacement lenses from Revant, designed to match the quality of your original Ray-Ban lenses at a fraction of the cost of new sunglasses. Facebook and Ray-Ban are also playing up the Stories’ audio features.
Perhaps one day I might use a pair of Facebook AR glasses to order a digital hat for myself, which other people who are wearing AR glasses might be able to see. Mr. Bosworth rejected claims that Facebook was picking up where others had left off. “This product has not been tried before because we’ve never had a design like this before,” he said, adding that Facebook and Ray-Ban were focused more on the fashion of eyewear than the tech inside the frames. To make it clear to bystanders that you’re taking a video with your camera glasses, there’s a small white LED light in the frame corner that lights up whenever the camera is on. However, the tiny light is far less obvious than Snapchat’s version, which had a larger swirling light ring while filming. The View app requires a Facebook account to log in, but the content doesn’t directly connect to your account.
I was able to take a number of photos and videos of my kids that are usually tough to catch while we’re roughhousing. Ray-Ban Stories are surprisingly good for listening to music or making phone calls. The audio sounded crisp and clubmaster dynamic during a nature walk, while not obscuring the sounds of birds and squirrels. I was a bit self-conscious while listening to tunes, though, since I could tell that anyone within a few feet could hear bits of the music.
The Ray-Ban Stories are fully compatible with prescription lenses. The glasses will start at $299, with polarized and transition lens options coming in at a higher clubmaster price point. A white LED lights up on the top right of the glasses when users take a photo or video to indicate the glasses are shooting a photo or video.
That’s why we baked privacy directly into the product design and functionality of the full experience, from the start. The most compelling part of Ray-Ban Stories is the form factor. I’ve tried a bunch of smart glasses over the years, and these are by far the most comfortable. You’ll also be able to get them with prescription lenses (although my ability to test the glasses was limited since the pair Facebook sent me to try didn’t have my prescription and I don’t wear contacts). That’s because tucked into the stems of the glasses are also discreet speakers, which mean that you can listen to music without anyone even realising. They’ll play music into your ears – but also allow you to take calls, all without needing to pluck your phone out of your pocket or stop what you’re doing.