Even though the Ray-Ban Stories may seem to have limited availability right now, Facebook and Luxottica have a multi-year partnership that will result in even more products. It’s likely that true AR glasses, which can display information on your lenses, aren’t far off. And you can be sure of that, since Snapchat has already shown off its own AR Spectacles.
In doing camera-equipped smart glasses, Facebook has also found one of the last things to copy from Snapchat. Both Bosworth and Basilico didn’t mention Spectacles by name in our conversations, but it was clear that they think Ray-Ban Stories are going to be more universally appealing than Spectacles. Luxottica deciding to partner with Facebook could also be an offensive move to get ahead of the coming smart glasses boom. Snap began giving its first iteration of Spectacles with AR displays to a handful of developers and partners earlier this year.
Their highly technical lens and frame innovations start to add up, with a base price range between $180-$220. We’ll compare the two brands side by side based on style, frame, and lens offerings so you can decide which is right for you. Finally, we’ll also look at pricing to determine which brand provides better value. As well as the iconic Ray-Bans, Vision Express has several other designer brands for prescription glasses, including exclusive brands to Vision Express. The first known prototype was called the ‘Anti-Glare’ which had plastic frames and green lenses. When the sunglasses were redesigned with a metal frame, they were released as Ray Ban Aviators and have become an established icon in history.
The glasses include two speakers at the bottom of each temple, but they’re not great. The two 5-megapixel cameras don’t take the best pictures or videos. Modern smartphones come with multiple lenses that offer zoom or wide-angle capabilities for fitting ray ban caravan more into a picture, and most have a sharper 12-megapixel resolution. But the glasses were good for quickly capturing moments on the go. Augmented reality features, which let you overlay digital content on top of the real world, are notably absent.
This style can easily be dressed up or down and is a great style for everyday wear. The frame is durable and the shape is flattering on almost anyone. It comes with a nice leather case, with a felt ray ban new wayfarer lining to help prevent scratches. Be sure to head below the jump to find the rest of our top picks. What’s more, for all the smarts that are packed into the glasses, they’re all tucked away.
Facebook has long been under scrutiny for how it treats people’s personal data. Using the glasses to surreptitiously film people is bound to cause concerns, not to mention what Facebook might do with the videos that people collect. Facebook’s latest foray into “Wait, haven’t I seen this before? ” 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.
For example, to take a picture or video, users have to either use a voice command or push a button on the side of the glasses. A white LED light on the front indicates that a picture or recording is in progress. You may be able to apply your vision insurance to the purchase of prescription Ray-Ban sunglasses or glasses, and that could mean you pay a lower price out-of-pocket. But the glasses lack AR features and are more like a point-and-shoot camera with speakers and lenses attached instead of real smart glasses. The pictures aren’t as good as what you’d get from a smartphone while the speakers don’t match what you’d expect from a set of AirPods.
With polarized lenses and UV protection for your eyes, these sunglasses are built to keep up with you as you move through your day. Some people may avoid sunglasses due to their higher cost; particularly the non prescription and polarized Ray Ban sunglasses. But improvement in vision over non light attenuating glasses is quite noticeable and very worthwhile. There’s less “haze” from internal polarized lens light reflections with this improving technology. So we learned how to clean Ray Ban sunglasses effectively, rather than abandon them altogether. Ray-Ban prescription sunglasses start at around $250 with single-vision lenses and no add-ons.