Facebook has just released Ray-Ban Stories, sunglasses with tiny cameras that take video and photos. Wayfarers, Clubmasters, New Wayfarers, and other styles are all available as prescription sunglasses. The company’s hardest sell might not be privacy, but the glasses themselves.
That means wearing the glasses and listening to music on the bus or at the grocery store is out of the question, at least for me. ” is a pair of photo- and video-capturing sunglasses, à la Snap Spectacles. They’re called Ray-Ban Stories, with Ray-Ban appearing first and Facebook second in most of the product branding.
They also have small speakers that turn the smart glasses into headphones for listening to music and podcasts via Bluetooth from the smartphone they’re paired with. And they include clubmaster microphones, so you can talk on the phone through them. Most smart glasses have unusually large temples to accommodate all the necessary sensors and chips and batteries.
They don’t look as goofy as the Snap Spectacles, and they’re far more comfortable to wear than Bose and Amazon’s Frames. I could only use the Stories in limited situations though, since I need prescription lenses to actually see well. Unlike carrying a phone or a devoted camera, you won’t have to reach into your pocket and pull it out, by which point the moment is probably gone. And you don’t have to hold a device in front of your face, taking yourself out of the moment so that you don’t really get to experience it the first time around. The frame that started it all, the RB3025 Aviator is Ray-Ban’s first design.
The camera lenses and indicator light on the Ray-Bans are easy to miss. Where Snap’s design team has leaned into the Burning Man aesthetic for its Spectacles, Facebook and Ray-Ban went normcore. If you ignore the fact that they have cameras and wireless connectivity, Ray-Ban Stories are just a pair of Wayfarers. We weighed one of the pairs, which measured 49.3 grams—just shy of the stated 49.6 grams cited in the specs, and around 5 grams more than the original Wayfarers they’re modeled after. Crucially, that extra weight is distributed well, and both of us remarked that it was easy to forget you were wearing tech-laden shades.
You won’t realize they’re special Ray-Bans unless you’re looking specifically for the two cameras on the corner of the device’s frames. The glasses were first reported by CNBC in 2019, but Facebook is hardly the first company to roll out a pair of smart glasses. Social-media rival Snap launched its first Spectacles devices in 2016, and the ill-fated Google ray ban new wayfarer Glass devices launched way back in 2013. Shop our range of iconically Ray-Ban glasses for men and for women today and discover the styles you know and love along with some legendary new arrivals. If Facebook adds facial recognition to these glasses in the future, as the company is reportedly considering, people will have to find new countermeasures.
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. Zuckerberg has said he thinks virtual and augmented reality-powered devices are the next major platform for human communication, after mobile phones, eventually replacing some in-person interactions. I was able to say “Hey Facebook, take a photo” or “Hey Facebook, take a video” and the glasses understood me.
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. To control the Ray-Ban Stories, you can either invoke the Facebook assistant by saying “Hey Facebook” or by tapping the button on the right arm, or swiping on the side touchpad. Personally, I never want to be caught in public talking to Facebook, so I mostly relied on touch controls.
Protect your eyes from the sun’s UV rays with crystalline vision in classy cat-eye frames or throwback Clubmasters. The glasses aren’t a stand-alone product, so music and calls are streamed to the glasses from an iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth. Facebook is requiring the use of an iPhone or Android app called Facebook View, which is used to manage and set up the glasses. When a user takes a photo or video, the media will appear in a section of the app. A user can then choose to download that photo or video to their device for storage and editing. The glasses’ nicest surprise might be the tiny speakers embedded in the rear of each temple.
ShadesDaddy is dedicated to providing sunglasses with the best possible lenses, including prescription lenses. You may also use out-of-network benefits at Lenscrafters.com for most other vision insurance companies, like VSP and Spectera. Established in 1936, Ray-Ban has become known for sunglasses that mix the quality construction and durability of performance eyewear with timeless styling. Ray-Ban emerged as a Hollywood favorite in the ’60s when Audrey Hepburn wore the Wayfarer in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and their classic Aviator has been featured in a number of films. In 2006, Ray-Ban reintroduced their original Wayfarer, recreating it down to the tiniest detail.