Spectacles (product)

Spectacles
Also known as
  • Snapchat Spectacles
  • Spectacles by Snap Inc.
Developer Snap Inc.
Manufacturer Snap Inc.
Type Smartglasses
Release date November 10, 2016 (2016-11-10)
Camera 115° field of view
Platform Snapchat
Online services Snapchat
Backward
compatibility
Website www.spectacles.com

Spectacles are a pair of smartglasses developed and manufactured by Snap Inc., announced on September 23, 2016 during Snap Inc's rebrand from Snapchat Inc. and released on November 10. They are made for Snap's image messaging and multimedia platform Snapchat and are exclusively distributed through Snap's pop-up vending machine, Snapbot.

History

On December 2014, Snap Inc., then Snapchat Inc., acquired Vergence Labs, the developers of the Epiphany Eyewear smartglasses.[2] On October 2015, a video leaked online showed an early version of the glasses, dubbed the "Spectacles".[3] Furthermore, news outlets reported employee hirings from companies such as from Microsoft, Nokia and Qualcomm[4][5][6] and Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel was seen wearing the prototype in public according to a report by Business Insider in June.[7]

After Snapchat Inc.'s rebrand to Snap Inc. on September 24, 2016, the product was unveiled and announced on the same day.[8] The product was released on November 10, 2016 when the first Snapbot, a proprietary vending machine for the smartglasses, was located near Snap's headquarters in Venice, Los Angeles.[9]

Design

Hardware

The glasses consist of two separate houses within the sides of the frame for the battery and camera. The camera lens has a 115° field of view and records in a circular format that adapts to a smartphone's screen size and orientation.[10] The smartglasses record when the user taps a button on the side of it's frame, up to a maximum of 10 seconds and syncs with it's designated smartphone via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.[11] The camera also houses a ring of LED lights that indicate the battery level, when the camera is recording, etc. The pair of glasses charge in a yellow case that has a built-in battery and connects to its proprietary cable.[12]

Software

The glasses are exclusive to Snap Inc.'s service, Snapchat. They are paired by looking at the user's account Snapcode and pressing the button on the glasses frame, as well as connecting to them via Bluetooth.[13] The videos taken on the glasses are stored internally within the camera and can be viewed and individually uploaded in the "Memories" section of Snapchat.[14]

Snapbot

Snapbot is a proprietary pop-up vending machine developed and manufactured by Snap Inc.[15] It is designed for the exclusive distribution of Spectacles and is randomly placed anywhere in the United States for the duration of a day, with the exception of New York City, operating through a pop-up store. The machine has three buttons for the Spectacles' color options - pink, black, and blue - and had a dispenser in the shape of a semicircle-esque smile.[16] It allows the person to virtually "try on" the glasses using Snapchat's filter technology and the dispenser illuminates when the Spectacles are dispensed.[17]

Locations

Location Status Type Ref
Venice, Los Angeles Moved Vending machine [9]
Big Sur, California Moved [18]
Tulsa, Oklahoma Moved
Santa Monica, California Moved [19]
Pasadena, California Moved [20]
Grand Canyon Moved [21]
New York City Current Pop-up store [22]
Tallahassee, Florida Moved Vending machine [23]
Los Angeles, California Moved [24]

References

  1. ↑ "Compatibility". Spectacles Support. Snap Inc. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  2. ↑ Yarow, Jay; Shontell, Alyson; Cook, James (16 December 2015). "It Looks Like Snapchat Paid $15 Million To Buy A Google Glass-Like Startup". Business Insider. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "Snapchat's Leaked Video Shows Off Their Secret New Glasses". Elite Daily. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Kleinman, Jacob (11 March 2016). "Snapchat glasses? Recent hires suggest it might actually happen". TechnoBuffalo. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Matney, Lucas (11 March 2016). "Snapchat has a secret team possibly building a pair of smart glasses". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 November 2016 – via AOL.
  6. ↑ Kosoff, Maya (10 June 2016). "Is Snapchat Working on a Google Glass-Style Competit". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Carson, Biz (17 June 2016). "Snapchat's CEO wore the company's secret-camera sunglasses in public — and nobody noticed". Business Insider. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Chaykowski, Kathleen (24 September 2016). "Snapchat Leaps Into Hardware, Rebrands As 'Snap Inc.'". Forbes. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  9. 1 2 Gartenburg, Chaim (10 November 2016). "Snapchat's Spectacles are available today from strange yellow vending machines". The Verge. Retrieved 16 November 2016 – via Vox Media.
  10. ↑ Newton, Casey (16 November 2016). "Here's how Snapchat's new Spectacles will work". The Verge. Retrieved 16 November 2016 – via Vox Media.
  11. ↑ Moon, Mariella (23 September 2016). "Snapchat to release $130 camera-equipped Spectacles this fall". Engadget. Retrieved 16 November 2016 – via AOL.
  12. ↑ Stein, Scott (11 November 2016). "We tried Snapchat Spectacles -- here's what it's like". CNET. Retrieved 16 November 2016 – via CBS Interactive.
  13. ↑ Hartmans, Avery (16 November 2016). "Here's how to pair Snapchat Spectacles with your phone". Business Insider. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  14. ↑ Hartmans, Avery (16 November 2016). "REVIEW: Snapchat's Spectacles live up to the hype, but have a ways to go". Business Insider. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Where and How to Buy Snapchat Spectacles?
  16. ↑ "Snapbots". Spectacles Support. Snap Inc. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  17. ↑ Ellingson, Anniee (11 November 2016). "Snapchat Spectacles go on sale in pop-up vending machines". Upstart Business Journal. Retrieved 16 November 2016 – via American City Business Journals.
  18. ↑ Etherington, Darrell (15 November 2016). "Snapchat's Spectacles are now on sale near Tulsa, Oklahoma". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 November 2016 – via AOL.
  19. ↑ Darrell Etherington,"Spectacles land in Santa Monica", Techcrunch, Nov 17, 2016. Retrieved Nov 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ Darrell Etherington,"Vending bot lands at Rose Bowl", techcrunch, Nov 19, 2016. Retrieved Nov 22, 2016.
  21. ↑ Darrell Etherington,"Spectacle Snapbot deployed at Grand Canyon", techcrunch, Nov 20, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  22. ↑ Darrell Etherington,"Spectacles land in NYC pop-up store", thenextweb, Nov 20, 2016. Retrieved Nov 22, 2016.
  23. ↑ Strange, Adario (27 November 2016). "Spectacles newest surprise Snapbot pops up in Florida". Mashable. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  24. ↑ Strange, Adario (27 November 2016). "Snapchat's Spectacles drops a new Snapbot in Los Angeles". Mashable. Retrieved 28 November 2016.

External links

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