In case you've grown tired of voice-altering animal filters and swapping your face with pictures of celebrity mugs, Snapchat has a new trick up its sleeve. Snapchat Spectacles are on their way, and according to Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, they could very well change the way we take and share videos for good. But, uh, just exactly when are Snapchat Spectacles available? Because while I'm not sure video-recording sunglasses will fill an empty void in my life I didn't even know existed, I know that I at least want to see how these work. The future is now, my friends, and it's a bizarrely beautiful place indeed.
In a blog post shared by Snap Inc. earlier this weekend, the company revealed it has "been working for the last few years to develop a totally new type of camera." Introducing Snapchat Spectacles which, boiled down, are essentially fancy sunglasses that contain a teeny tiny wireless camera capable of taking 10-second videos that are then shared to your Snapchat Memories. According to the Wall Street Journal, to make Snapchat Spectacles work, all you have to do is tap on the frames to start recording video capturing a 115-degree field of view. Meanwhile, your hands are free to do, well, pretty much anything you want them to do while you capture your memory. See? I told you they sounded cool.
Tech Crunch reports that the glasses will cost $130 and will come in three different colors: teal, black, and coral. One detail we don't know for sure, though, is Snapchat Spectacles' exact release date. In its blog post, Snap Inc., vaguely noted that "Spectacles will be available soon," and other outlets are saying to expect the new wearable to be ready this fall.
Here's what Spectacles are supposed to look like, by the way:
Personally, I'd probably rather use my smartphone to record my friends' ollies at the park rather than chase after them on a skateboard of my own like they do in the video, but that's only because I have a tendency to fall down while walking. But, I can see how Spectacles might come in handy during different scenarios. As Spiegel told the Wall Street Journal, the glasses basically allow you to relive your memories through your own eyes. Plus? They just kind of look cool. Like, I would wear these even if they didn't come equipped with a minuscule camera.
Fall is already upon us, so it seems like we won't have to wait too long for Snapchat Spectacles to become a reality. Let's hope the technology sticks around for a little bit — I was legit devastated to see the Snapchat bee filter disappear. I don't know what I'll do if this goes the same way.
Images: Spectacles/YouTube
