Facebook’s Ray-Ban Stories Back Smart Glasses – TechCrunch

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Facebook’s first pair of smart glasses doesn’t look like a Facebook product.

You will not find the Facebook logo emblazoned on them and not even its name in small print next to the serial code. They are not Facebook Stories or Ray-Ban Facebook Stories or even Ray-Ban Stories in partnership with Facebook. Unlike other Facebook-designed hardware like Quest 2 or Portal, Ray-Ban’s Stories feel more self-aware and sober as if the company knew exactly which use cases they needed to target and stopped trying to do much. more.

The glasses made in collaboration with the eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica are certainly the most basic device that Facebook has sent. They only do a few things, you can take photos and videos, you can answer phone calls and you can listen to music. That’s all. But bringing audio into the mix via close-to-the-ear speakers embedded in the frame arms makes these a far more accomplished device than Snap’s Spectacles that were shipped five years ago.

Ray-Ban’s classic stupid Wayfarers (left) alongside Ray-Ban Stories’ smart Wayfarers (right)

Let’s analyze a little what this device does and how it feels to use it in everyday life.

One thing to note about the $ 299 Ray-Ban stories is that they can be worn quite discreetly. People are likely more likely to notice cameras than their slightly inflated size. This is already a revolutionary advance, pushing the latter to the level of “toy” that Spectacles never really seemed to eclipse. The Ray-Ban partnership was particularly clever, given the thicker-than-average frames on their standard Wayfarer design.

What viewers are most likely to notice is that he touches the frame of his glasses to check them. Pressing the button on the right arm will take a 30 second video, a long press will take a photo. You can also use the voice command, “Hey Facebook, make a video” and do the same for photos – for the record, I’m not sure if that’s a phrase I’d like to hear a stranger next to me in public say. A small LED light comes on when the camera is capturing footage even though it’s a pretty low indicator.

The quality of the photos and videos of the glasses is rather mediocre, but you can ask for a lot of forgiveness given the size of the device. The dual 5MP cameras can take 2592 x 1944 pixel photos and 1184 x 1184 pixel square format videos. The quality appears to be on par with smartphone cameras about a decade ago, so it’s clear there’s plenty of room for improvement. Post-processing on the phone while uploading improves photos and hides some of their difficulties in low light, making photos stand out a little more with saturation.

The dual camera setup is used to add 3D effects to your photos, but the filters aren’t great at the moment and honestly there isn’t much. Hopefully Facebook will invest a little more in software over time, but with pretty low quality photos, I don’t quite see why to start with two cameras.

It’s also worth noting that the use of the glasses requires connecting to a new Facebook app called View, which is basically a simple media viewing app that bypasses limitations in how media from external devices can be uploaded to the phone. Here, you can also make quick edits to your photos and videos before downloading them to your camera roll or sharing them on Facebook or Instagram.

Audio is probably the coolest part of these glasses. The close-to-ear speakers will surprise you with their quality in quiet spaces and leave you unsatisfied once you find yourself in a louder environment. Unfortunately for Facebook, most outdoor spaces are a bit noisier, and sunglasses are mostly used outdoors. The audio will work in a pinch outdoors for listening to songs, but I honestly can’t see them replacing my AirPods anytime soon. The audio is much more suitable for low-fidelity activities like phone calls, but I also had some issues with the three-microphone array detecting too much background noise while walking outdoors.

Battery life is surprisingly solid, but they also have the added bonus of a battery charging case which is by the way the best place to store them. The case is a bit bulky but it also includes a microfiber case to protect the lenses. Facebook says you can get 6 hours of direct audio and “all day” use otherwise.

One of their strangest quirks is their lack of waterproof or even splash proof, something that doesn’t seem like a great quality for a pair of sunglasses. It’s just another thing that indicates that while the thicker frame aesthetics of sunglasses make more sense for a smart eyewear design, this product really thrives more indoors.

This isn’t the first rodeo when it comes to hardware, and you can see the company’s maturation.

I’m not an AR / VR device, but you can also see generations of Oculus products in the Ray-Ban Stories design. On-ear audio born from Oculus Go, a touchpad interface reminiscent of Gear VR, simple audio controls and content launched for the first time on Quest. The hardware is a distillation of features and lessons learned from selling virtual reality to a generally indifferent audience that has seemed to warm up a bit over the years.

In the meantime, you can also see years of Facebook spoiling its messages and burning its brand in the process, becoming the black man of both political parties, courting enemies in the press, and earning an inordinate amount of distrust from the average user. of the Internet, something this probably led them to carry so little of the Facebook brand. The Ray-Ban Stories will certainly have their detractors, but Facebook’s choice to be conservative in their functionality and not to add too many future passive sensors will likely do them a favor. The Facebook View app is essential and Facebook details that photos and videos captured using Stories will not be used to serve ads. That said, while we’ve certainly come a long way since Google Glass debuted in 2013, the front-facing cameras still bother when it comes to privacy in public and this device will no doubt reignite that conversation in an important way.

Luggage aside, my broader conclusion is that Ray-Ban Stories seem like a very important product, one that actually sells the idea of ​​face-worn wearables.

The glasses are cleverly designed and can be worn discreetly. That said, it’s clear that Facebook made a lot of sacrifices to get such an aggressive form factor; the glasses honestly don’t do anything particularly good – the quality of the photos and videos is pretty poor, the in-frame speakers perform poorly outdoors, and calls aren’t the most pleasant experience. For $ 299, that may make the first generation a difficult sell for some, but all that said, I think Facebook has mostly made the right compromises for a product they have repeatedly pointed to as a stepping stone on the road to a future in augmented reality.

Facebook’s smart Ray-Ban Stories along with my pair of Ray-Ban 2140 Wayfarer classics

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