Facebook’s hardware executives traveled to tour Luxottica’s sprawling research center in northern Italy. Most of the features of the glasses (codenamed “Stella”) were decided during a weeklong workshop with top executives from both companies. Facebook says the glasses take about an hour to fully charge and that the battery will last for roughly six hours with intermittent use.
Because the video is directly from one’s perspective, it puts the viewer of the video right into the thick of the action. The video from the horseback ride was clear and watching it sort transports you to the moment. You see my horse’s neck and ears and feel the effort he puts into each stride. I wish however that the video could be longer than 30 seconds especially when I am going over jumps on a course that takes two minutes or so to complete.
The companion View app shows a live readout of the battery when the glasses are paired. My battery drained by about 20 percent during heavy use for an hour. The first generation of Ray-Ban smart glasses that keeps you connected. Born out of necessity in 1937, Ray-ban has been at the leading edge of developing high quality sunglasses to protect pilots from the sun’s harsh rays. Since then, Ray-Ban has been the eyewear of choice for visionaries and cultural creators everywhere to express their fearless and most authentic selves. Ray-Ban Stories Discover the first generation of Ray-Ban smart glasses, available at Sunglass Hut.
The arms on the Ray-Ban Stories glasses are slightly wider than a normal pair, but they don’t look geeky. (They also don’t have a waveguide, or a microprojector for display optics, since they’re not powering AR overlays). Packed into the arms are a power button, a capture button, a three-microphone array, two tiny speakers, and a touch panel.
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 clubmaster 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.
There is also a small light indicator on the inside part of the frame. The glasses are being launched in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Italy and Australia, and include a charging case similar to the one that houses AirPods. The glasses on their own get about six hours of battery life with moderate use, and they’re not waterproof, according to Facebook. The $299 model has standard frames, while the companies will also offer a $329 polarized model and a $379 version with transition lenses. Also, while the models we were given to test were sunglasses with tinted lenses, Facebook is offering 20 different configurations with three Ray-Ban frame shapes , including clear-lensed versions. Facebook lent me a pair of Ray-Ban Stories with sunglass lenses so I could decide for myself.
The camera lenses and indicator light on the Ray-Bans are easy to miss. Even while pushing a computer that sits on your face and looks quite similar to regular glasses, Facebook and Ray-Ban are emphasizing the importance of making other people aware that you may be recording them . In a lot of ways, the normal look of these glasses ray ban caravan feels like their greatest achievement. I had friends and family who were surprised that these were smart glasses, even when they were standing next to me up close. Facebook and Ray-Ban parent company EssilorLuxottica didn’t offer a specific sales forecast, but Bosworth said the glasses aren’t intended to be a niche product.
Battery life for the glasses and the case appear in the View app on the phone. The case half-charges the glasses in 30 minutes, or takes 70 minutes for a full charge. The glasses have onboard storage that’s enough for second videos or 500 photos, according to Facebook. I never filled it up in one of my outings, but I also kept my phone nearby. The glasses connect back to the phone app, Facebook View, to dump off photos and clear up the glasses storage.