For listening to music, the Ray-Ban Stories have open-ear speakers, and there’s a three microphone array for calls. The Ray-Ban Stories are equipped with a set of 5-megapixel cameras built into each side of the frame, which can record photos and 30-second videos using a button or hands-free with the Facebook Assistant. ray ban new wayfarer The glasses have a physical switch on the inside to turn off the capture features, while they will also flash an LED light on the front so people know they are being recorded or in a photo. Ray-Ban Stories essentially mix the functionality of earbuds like Apple’s AirPods with sunglasses that can capture photos.
But the voice controls worked just fine during the few occasions when nobody could hear my shame. They’ll start at $299 and be available in a variety of popular Ray-Ban styles. And, perhaps most importantly, they look and feel like regular glasses. Designed with active lifestyles in mind, Chromance combines polarized UV protection with color enhancement to add game changing benefits to your prescription.
There’s a difference between technology that is merely “creepy” versus something that causes actual harm, and conflating the two is an easy mistake . But the potential for real-world harm with these glasses seems obvious and clear. Photographing people without their knowledge is usually merely creepy, but a vengeful ex or jealous partner using this technology to threaten, blackmail, or embarrass someone is harmful. And that second scenario seems likely to play out in real life. The first thing you’ll notice about Facebook’s new camera glasses is that they are not called Facebook Glasses — they are called Ray-Ban Stories.
These sunglasses would later be rebranded as the Ray-Ban Aviator and sold to the general public. 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.
We also applied machine learning-enhanced tone rendering to enhance photos and videos, so they feel as authentic as the moment itself. I expected the speakers on both sides of the frame to be soft and hollow, but they were surprisingly loud and full. I can see the audio playback over Bluetooth coming in handy for taking phone calls or maybe listening to podcasts, but I’d prefer to use proper headphones for listening to music. The audio doesn’t sound specifically targeted at the wearer’s ears, making it easy to overhear when you’re standing next to someone wearing the glasses.
It doesn’t record logs of anything else I say (at least I don’t think so). Unfolding the glasses and putting them on, I hear a little chime sound. If I say, “Hey Facebook,” a little gentle ray ban new wayfarer chirp sounds near my ears letting me know it’s listening. Also, there’s an LED light that appears in the upper corner of my peripheral vision of my right eye that I can just barely see.
The standard Jackie Ohh model is especially popular with women. Some designs that appeal to both men and women include the Round and Hexagonal collections, with each collection name corresponding to its respective lense shape. While the Aviator and Wayfarer get most of the attention, Ray-Ban offers plenty of other designs.