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.
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.
The glasses will become a perpetual viewfinder, emphasizing each wearer’s perspective over the experience of being in any group. As a result, people wearing them may be more drawn to capturing scenes from their unique point of view than actually participating. Also, since more than one person at a time might be wearing the glasses in any given group, this effect could be magnified, and social cohesion could be further fragmented. The smart sunglasses come in three classic Ray-Ban styles, with a number of color and lens combinations. The glasses will start at $299, with polarized and transition lens options coming in at a higher price point. The perfect match of Ray-Ban’s legendary style and Essilor’s expertise in sight.
Similarly, the company says that anything you capture is encrypted on the glasses. It has even put out a one-sheet outlining its privacy policies for Ray-Ban Stories, and it built what it calls a “privacy microsite” for people visiting Ray-Ban’s website. Last week Facebook released its new $299 “Ray-Ban Stories” glasses. Wearers can use them to record and share images and short videos, listen to music, and take calls.
Photographs of General Douglas MacArthur sporting Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses introduced the style to the masses, and the brand has only become more popular since then. Ray-Ban sunglasses feature prominently in blockbuster movies and hit songs; a certain Top Gun wore Aviators to great effect while a California rock band name-dropped Wayfarers in their song lamenting the end of summer. The first generation of Ray-Ban smart glasses that keeps you connected. clubmaster 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. Facebook says the glasses take about an hour to fully charge and that the battery will last for roughly six hours with intermittent use.
Facebook and Ray-Ban told CNBC their goal was to build glasses that allow users to capture what they see while staying present in the moment. You’re faced with a conundrum when you use your phone to take pictures. You either witness something awesome and live in the moment, or you pull out your phone and try to focus on photographing or recording the event. It’s smart when you consider how much mistrust people have in Facebook these days and if you recall just how negatively people reacted to the Google Glass devices, which also had a camera.
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.