Facebook's first smart glasses don't feel like a product.
They won't have the Facebook logo or its serial code in small print on them. These are not Ray-Bans Facebook Stories, Ray-Bans Facebook Stories, or Ray-Ban Stories created in collaboration with Facebook. The Ray-Ban Stories are more self-aware than other Facebook-designed hardware such as the Quest 2 and Portal. They feel more restrained and in control, like they know exactly what use cases they need to reach and have stopped trying to do more.
The basic glasses that Facebook created in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, an eyewear company, are undoubtedly the best. These glasses can only do a few basic things. You can take photos and videos and make phone calls. You can also listen to music. This is it. These are much more useful than Snaps Spectacles, which were shipped five years ago.
Let's take a look at what the device can do and how it feels in everyday life.
The $299 Ray-Ban Stories are very discreet and can be worn almost inconspicuously. The cameras are likely to be noticed more than their somewhat larger dimensions. This is a significant advance that pushes them beyond the toy level which Spectacles never seemed to surpass. Ray-Ban's partnership was especially smart given their thicker-than-average Wayfarer frames.
The thing that most people will notice is when you tap the frame of your glasses to adjust them. The button on the right will record a 30-second video. A long-press will capture a photo. You can also voice-command Hey Facebook, take video and the same for photos. I'm not sure if this is something I would feel comfortable hearing someone say in public. Although it is very subtle, a small LED light will flash when the camera captures footage.
The glasses' photo and video quality is quite poor, but it's possible to forgive the small size. The twin 5MP cameras can take 2592 x 1944 pixels photos and 1184x1184 square format videos. It seems that the quality is about equal to what smartphones cameras were ten years ago. There's still a lot of room for improvement. The phone can be used to post-process the photos during upload. This helps hide some of the problems with low-lighting and makes the photos pop more with saturation.
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You can use the twin camera setup to add 3D effects on your photos. However, the filters are not great at the moment and there isn't much to choose from. I hope Facebook will invest more in the software in the future, but with low quality photos, I don't see why two cameras are necessary.
It is worth noting that the glasses require you to link them to a new Facebook app called View. This is a simple media viewer app that allows you to bypass restrictions on how media from other devices can be uploaded onto your phone. Here you can make quick edits to photos and videos, before sharing them to Facebook and Instagram.
The most fascinating feature of these glasses is the audio. Near-ear speakers will amaze you in quiet environments and make you unhappy if you are in noisy surroundings. Facebook is not happy with the fact that most outdoor spaces are louder than indoors and sunglasses are used outside. Although the audio can be used outdoors to listen to music, I don't think they will replace my AirPods any time soon. Although the audio is better for low-fidelity activities such as phone calls, I had issues with the three microphone array picking up too many background noises while I was outside.
They are extremely reliable and can last for a long time. However, they come with a charging case that is the best place to keep them. Although the case is quite bulky, they include a microfiber pouch that protects your lenses. Facebook claims that you can get 6 hours straight audio and all-day use otherwise.
Their lack of splash-proofing and water-proofing is one of their oddest quirks. This doesn't seem like a good quality for sunglasses. This is just another indication that, while thicker frames are better for smart glasses designs, this product thrives indoors.
This isn't Facebook's first hardware show and you can clearly see the company's maturation.
Although they are not an AR/VR device, you can still see generations of Oculus products through the Ray-Ban Stories design. Oculus Go is the Oculus's on-ear audio system. It features a touchpad interface that is reminiscent of the Gear VR. The Quest was the first to launch this interface. The hardware is a collection of features and lessons from selling VR to an indifferent public over the years.
You can also see Facebook's years-long mistakes in messaging, destroying its brand, and making itself the boogeyman for both political parties. It has made itself the target of enemies in the media and earned an enormous amount of distrust from internet users. This probably contributed to the lack of Facebook branding. While the Ray-Ban Stories may have their critics, Facebook's decision to keep their functionality simple and not add too many passive sensors in the future will be a benefit to them. Facebook's View app is very basic. Facebook states that videos and photos taken with the Stories will not be used to display ads. Although we have made great strides since the Google Glass launch in 2013, face-mounted cameras still feel unwelcome in public privacy. This device will undoubtedly rekindle that debate.
My main takeaway from the Ray-Ban Stories is that, despite the baggage, it feels like an important product that sells the idea that face-worn wearables can be worn.
These glasses are stylishly designed and can be worn discreetly. Facebook made many sacrifices in order to create such an aggressive form factor. The glasses don't do much for photo quality and video quality, and the in-frame speakers are not very good outdoors. Calls can also be unpleasant. The $299 price tag might make the first generation difficult to sell, but I believe Facebook made most of the right compromises in order to create a product they have repeatedly stated is a stepping stone towards augmented reality.
