We also applied machine learning-enhanced tone rendering to enhance photos and videos, so they feel as authentic as the moment itself. I expected the speakers on both sides of the frame to be soft and hollow, but they were surprisingly loud and full. I can see the audio playback over Bluetooth coming in handy for taking phone calls or maybe listening to podcasts, but I’d prefer to use proper headphones for listening to music. The audio doesn’t sound specifically targeted at the wearer’s ears, making it easy to overhear when you’re standing next to someone wearing the glasses.
But in the city surrounded by people, I confess I might stick to tapping the side of my frames to take photos. But instead of reaching into my pocket for my iPhone, I tapped the side of my Ray-Ban sunglasses until I heard the click of a shutter. Later, I downloaded the photos that my sunglasses had just taken to my phone.
Perhaps one day I might use a pair of Facebook AR glasses to order a digital hat for myself, which other people who are wearing AR glasses might be able to see. Mr. Bosworth rejected claims that Facebook was picking up where others had left off. “This product has not been tried before because we’ve never had a design like this before,” he said, adding that Facebook and Ray-Ban were focused more on the fashion of eyewear than the tech inside the frames. To make it clear to bystanders that you’re taking a video with your camera glasses, there’s a small white LED light in the frame corner that lights up whenever the camera is on. However, the tiny light is far less obvious than Snapchat’s version, which had a larger swirling light ring while filming. The View app requires a Facebook account to log in, but the content doesn’t directly connect to your account.
The audio quality is nowhere near that of earbuds or headphones. If you’re someone who needs audio quality to be top-notch, you’ll be bothered by how poor the Ray-Ban Stories sound. That means wearing the glasses and listening to music on the bus or at the grocery store is out of the question, at least for me. The Ray-Ban glasses come with Facebook-developed technology that allows users to take photos and record videos with voice commands or by pressing a button on the right temple of the glasses. The Ray-Ban Stories in the iconic Wayfarer style — those chunky ’50s-era frames that still look fashionable today — weigh just five grams more than the standard version.
I also had trouble using the touchpad, which often interpreted my attempts to turn the volume up as pausing the music, or turned it down rather than up. Then again, we’re already in a world where our phones take photos all the time. But that doesn’t mean that camera glasses are an acceptable social norm, either. Facebook’s glasses pair via Bluetooth using the new Facebook View app, like a smartwatch. The glasses’ right arm is a touch surface, so I can tap, double-tap and triple-tap to accept or end calls, play and pause, and skip tracks.
I was able to take a number of photos and videos of my kids that are usually tough to catch while we’re roughhousing. Ray-Ban Stories are surprisingly good for listening to music or making phone calls. The audio sounded crisp and dynamic during a nature walk, while not obscuring the sounds of birds and squirrels. I was a bit self-conscious while listening to tunes, though, since I could tell that anyone within a few feet could hear bits of the music.
These sunglasses would later be rebranded as the Ray-Ban Aviator and sold to the general public. Where Snap’s design team has leaned into the Burning Man aesthetic for its Spectacles, Facebook and Ray-Ban went normcore. If you ignore the fact that they have cameras ray ban new wayfarer and wireless connectivity, Ray-Ban Stories are just a pair of Wayfarers. We weighed one of the pairs, which measured 49.3 grams—just shy of the stated 49.6 grams cited in the specs, and around 5 grams more than the original Wayfarers they’re modeled after.
The RX 5362 features square frames and the iconic Ray-Ban® logo. Wayfarers, Clubmasters, New Wayfarers, and other styles are all available as prescription sunglasses. To take advantage of our price match service, first place your frames in the shopping cart. In the comments box, add the web address of the page with the currently advertised lower price. We will then contact you if the order qualifies for price matching. Ray Ban sunglasses offer an exciting collection of polarized lenses to protect against UV rays.
Hind Hobeika, a product manager for augmented-reality devices at Facebook Reality Labs, told me Ray-Ban Stories are “the first smart glasses that people will want to wear.” Timeless and chic, Ray-Ban glasses and sunglasses are the eyewear of choice for those who like to stand out from a crowd. To find Ray-Ban eyewear that brings out the best in you, stop into your local Cohen’s store for an eye exam with an on-site optometrist. They’re also Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled; the glasses use Bluetooth 5 to connect to phones for audio and have 802.11ac Wi-Fi to download photos and video faster. The case has a USB-C port to recharge and holds enough battery to charge the glasses several times .
You can favorite clips and do minor touch-ups before sending footage to any app of your choice. During initial setup, it walks you through the privacy policy that asks to let Facebook collect data about how you use the glasses. A Facebook account is required to use them, but the company isn’t analyzing what you record and save in the View app to personalize ads to you. The cameras in the glasses are nowhere as high quality as the cameras on modern smartphones. Instead, Ray-Ban Stories are meant to be used in moments when your hands are occupied, or you want to capture something fleeting.