We might think of Snapchat to be a social media platform more than a hardware company, but it looks as though they have taken a leap of faith into the world of hardware with the new Snapchat Spectacles. It is not often that a software company would end up making hardware as well, but this does not mean it is impossible. Microsoft is one of them, and Google has also followed suit with their own smartphones (albeit being manufactured by notable third party vendors), Chromebooks and the ilk.
It is a new groove that Snapchat has fallen into, picking up a new name -- Snap Inc., in the process. As for its Snapchat Spectacles? Each pair will not be there just for fashion’s sake, but has a function to it as well. We are looking at the Snapchat Spectacles working as camera-equipped glasses which are capable of capturing first-person video. Yes, you read that right. The return of the Google Glass is achieved in the form of the Snapchat Spectacles, which lets you record video of the world around you from your point of view.
Snapchat is a messaging service that millennials love to use, and it does have social networking qualities in addition to being a video hub. Hence, it is far from surprising to see that the Snapchat Spectacles is in the pipeline, being a pair of smart glasses. The Snapchat Spectacles will shoot video clips in the first person perspective, or Snaps, as it is called, which can then be transferred straight to the Snapchat app.
This bold move is a statement of intent by Snap Inc., laying down a marker of their market position to include consumer hardware. The Snapchat Spectacles was announced through a fashionista favorite website known as Spectacles.com, not to mention being touted on Snap.com as well. The post mentioned, "We've created one of the smallest wireless video cameras in the world. capable of taking a day's worth of Snaps on a single charge, and we integrated it seamlessly into a fun pair of sunglasses."
As for the actual release date of the Snapchat Spectacles, that remains to be seen as the only clue that we can hold on to would be "soon." However, an article that was published by The Wall Street Journal last week mentioned that Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel cited the Snapchat Spectacles will arrive this Fall -- which is not too long a period of time to wait in any case.
It is one move by a tech company that hopes to create the future through their services and products, all the while breaking new ground as customers are constantly enticed from all directions to part with their money.
The Snapchat Spectacles are said to retail for $130 a pop, and each pair will arrive in coral, teal and black colors to choose from. Each pair has a 10 second video recording time. In order to make a recording, all that you need to do is to tap a button that is mounted on the frame, while a ring of tiny lights informs those around that you are recording -- so that there will be a lesser degree of privacy violations and the likes. A 115-degree-angle lens is used so that what is recorded will be as close as possible to the human eye's natural field of view.
The Snapchat Spectacles will hook up to Snapchat directly over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, where Memories can be transferred directly into the app thanks to the new circular video format. When the Snapchat Spectacles need to be juiced up, simply just recharge them in their case.
