The idea of Facebook hardware is a prickly one, especially considering the privacy concerns. That said, Facebook is behind the ever-popular Oculus Quest 2, which is one of the best VR headsets you can buy. Now the company is taking its eyewear to a smaller form factor with its new Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, and they might be worth a look.
The glasses look almost like regular Ray-Bans except for the addition of two small cameras on either side of the lenses. They're used to capture video and take surprisingly decent photos, which can be viewed on a separate Facebook View app. Equipped with open-ear speakers and available in many shapes and styles, they're a decent offering from the company with grand visions for wearables. That said, we want to know if you'd be interested in buying the Ray-Ban Stories.
Facebook is far from the first company to launch smart glasses, especially this year. Products like the Razer Anzu and Amazon Echo Frames (2nd Gen) offer similar features such as Bluetooth connectivity and open-ear speakers in stylish designs. Amazon takes things a step further with built-in Alexa, which Facebook counters with its own Facebook Assistant.
These other glasses don't have cameras, making Facebook's offering a bit closer to that of Snap's Spectacles. That said, the Ray-Ban Stories don't offer AR features which arguably puts them a bit behind Snap, but there's no doubt that the company wants to bring those capabilities to future wearables.
And, of course, there's the privacy aspect that has to be considered. Facebook isn't exactly known for being reputable in this aspect, which is likely why the company opted to make a separate app to house videos and photos so that they're not directly tied to the Facebook or Instagram apps, at least until you decide to post them there. Now, it's just up to you whether to use the glasses for good or for evil.
Facebook for your face
Facebook's new collaboration with Ray-Ban makes for a stylish yet interesting pair of smart glasses equipped with cameras for quickly capturing moments and open-ear speakers for music and calls.
