Spectacles – Snapchat’s Bizarre Shades for Video Recording
The Los-Angeles based Snapchat, which was recently rebranded as Snap Inc. just launched Spectacles, a pair of camera-equipped smart glasses that can record snippets which can be directly saved in your Snapchat Memories. The Spectacles not only give you an image of the experience you had but an experience of the experience, which can make you feel like you are there again. The main concept is to capture your adventures while on the go.
Spectacles is actually not the first hardware product developed by Snapchat. The company has developed products like deck of cards, ice cube tray, and backpack in the past. With the evolving of Snapchat into Snap Inc, the company’s CEO, Evan Spiegel justifies the company has more to offer than just Snapchat.
What are Snapchat Spectacles?
Just last week, Snapchat announced a pair of connected sunglasses which are called Snapchat Spectacles. It can record video snippets which then automatically gets saved in your Snapchat Memories. Snapchat Memories is a feature on Snapchat that accumulates all your saved snaps and stories. The Spectacles camera has an 115-degree lens that simulates how we see things.
How does it work?
The Spectacles have a built-in camera and a flash that will record 10-second snippets. The button on the top left-hand corner that can be tapped to record a snap. The recording automatically stops after 10 seconds, but in case you want additional recording time, you can tap the button again to add another 10 seconds.
Inventive Features
- Lights: When you are snapping, there is an inward-facing light that turns on, and an outward-facing light will flash to indicate it’s recording, notifying everyone in your field of vision.
- Connectivity: Snapchat Spectacles work with both iOS and Android. For an iOS device, the transfer of snaps will be done by default via the glasses’ Bluetooth connection. While Android users will have to transfer them via Wi-Fi connection. You’ll need the Snapchat app on your device to playback the videos.
- Recording: You can record up to 30 seconds at once. The glasses can be used as a standalone device and store the snaps until you get back to your phone. Later when you watch your snaps on your phone they can be either played in landscape or portrait.
Battery & Charging
The Spectacles can easily go on recording for a day. The outward-facing light also works as a battery indicator. All you need to do is double tap and you will be able to see how much charge you are left with. It come with a special charging case and cable. The case can actually pep up your Spectacles up to four times once fully charged.
Price & Colour Variants
Snapchat Spectacles are priced at $129.99, which is much lower than what Google Glass costs, making Spectacles accessible to a wider audience. The production will be rolled out gradually in small numbers. It comes in one size and offers three different colors: black, teal, and coral.
Conclusion
The concept of Spectacles sounds original and alluring. We can be sure that other big companies are going to follow or team up with Snap Inc. in the near future. We are still not aware of the image quality of recorded snaps, or how many spectacles will be produced, or when and where you can buy them, or whether they are waterproof. But a device like this could actually have a more practical purpose and it would give you more flexibility in what you capture. It could be quite helpful for recording interesting things while traveling.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joined in December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.