You can now wear Facebook on your face.
OK, not exactly all of Facebook. But with the announcement Thursday that Facebook is launching its own pair of smart glasses called Ray-Ban Stories, we’re getting closer.
I’ve had a pair of Ray-Ban Stories for a couple days now. Obviously, when you hear “smart glasses” you might think Google Glass. But what Facebook and Ray-Ban have rolled out is more akin to early versions of Spectacles, eyewear introduced in 2016 by Snapchat parent company Snap.
The glasses start at $299 and will be available starting Thursday in Ray-Ban stores and on the eyewear maker’s website. On Sept. 13, the glasses will appear at Luxottica Retail locations including Sunglass Hut and Lens Crafters.
“Ray-Ban Stories is designed to help people live in the moment and stay connected to the people they are with and the people they wish they were with,” said Andrew Bosworth, vice president of Facebook Reality Labs in a statement.
The Facebook glasses will include three Ray-Ban options: Wayfarer, Meteor and Round. You can also choose between different lenses, from sunglasses or clear to prescription lenses.
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Wearing Facebook glasses
There’s no augmented reality here. You’re not going to post status updates or like posts from your face. They’re straight-up sunglasses, but with high-tech features including cameras, microphones and speakers to capture photos, videos, and even listen to music.
Honestly, this is the first pair of smart glasses I’d feel comfortable wearing in public as far as style. Google Glass made you look a little too dorky. Spectacles are a step up in style but still stood out a little too much. In Facebook’s case, it looks like I’m just wearing a pair of Ray-Bans. These glasses appear to have blended in the tech more seamlessly.
I tested out the Wayfarer model of sunglasses, which includes a charging case, cord and smaller pouch to protect and carry the glasses. They have two cameras in each top corner, and the right temple includes a button on the top where you can press to capture video or press and hold to take a photo.
If you don’t want to deal with the button, the glasses utilize Facebook Assistant solely for saying “Hey Facebook, take a picture,” or “Hey Facebook, take a video.”
The glasses also feature built-in speakers and microphones, so users can take calls or listen to music. They connect similarly to wireless earbuds, so you can take a regular call or listen to music on apps like Spotify. A swipe with your finger along the temple adjusts volume higher or lower, while different taps let you control music or answer calls, just like wireless earbuds touch controls.
Ray-Ban Stories pair with an app called Facebook View, which is where photos and videos you capture reside. You’ll follow a series of prompts to connect the glasses to your iPhone or Android phone, then use the app to import media.
This is where the glasses lack some elegance. Once you capture a few photos and videos, you’ll go to the app and see an icon showing you have stuff to import. You click import then establish a wireless connection with the glasses to import them on to your phone. You can also tweak settings so they automatically save to your camera roll, too.
Within the app, you can create montages or add filters, then share them to Facebook or wherever else you prefer.
Facebook glasses: The privacy question
Remember when Google Glass first launched, and a colorful expression emerged for users who used their Glass in socially inappropriate ways?
It’s clear Facebook is trying to avoid this fate. There’s a bright LED on one corner of the frames that lights up any time you take a photo or video, making it clear to others nearby.
But the social media giant had added messages to encourage mindfulness when using the glasses. Before you even use them, Facebook offers a guide for using the glasses responsibly, asking people to think about the best times to capture a photo or video.
The other thing to keep in mind is playing audio through the glasses. If turned up too loudly, people can definitely hear what you listen to, similar to using a smartphone on speaker.
Facebook also attempts to make clear it only collects data to make sure your glasses and app work properly, featuring a disclaimer within the app explaining how data is used.
So do I really need these?
Right now, smart glasses in general feel like a novelty. We’re nowhere near the place where they’d replace a smartphone.
What Ray-Ban Stories does provide is a sense of what this form of wearable tech might look like. This is arguably the closest we’ve gotten to smart glasses that don’t stick out like a sore thumb, like Google Glass.
They’re certainly fun to use and still provide you with a perfectly functional pair of glasses to boot. It ultimately comes down whether you’re cool wearing a piece of Facebook on your face.
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.
