According to the Ray-Ban site, the famous eyewear brand should present Thursday, September 9 a product in collaboration with the Facebook group.
It would be a pair of connected glasses, which will allow you to record videos without having to hold up your smartphone.
EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban's parent company, signed a partnership with Facebook in September 2020 to develop “
smart glasses
”. "
This partnership will combine Facebook applications and technologies with Luxottica's leadership and iconic brands and Essilor's expertise in eyeglass lenses to help consumers be better connected with their friends and family,
" explained the eyewear.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and Andrew Bosworth, in charge of the group's projects in virtual and augmented reality, gave an overview of the capabilities of this product.
The two men posted videos of their vacation, filmed in the first person, on social media.
They can be seen playing golf, fencing, kayaking or jet-skiing.
One way to make people understand that these glasses equipped with cameras are not afraid of water.
A previous Snapchat test
This product is reminiscent of Spectacles, connected glasses marketed in 2016 by the social network Snapchat. Sold for 149.99 euros, they allowed to record video clips of 10 seconds. "
While you record with your glasses, your hands are free to stroke your dog, take a baby in your arms or do a pogo in a concert
", explained to the Wall Street Journal Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snapchat. The Spectacles had flopped, especially because of their design.
Facebook avoids this pitfall by joining forces with one of the most renowned eyewear brands in the world.
The technical capabilities of the product are also expected to be far superior to Snapchat Shows.
“
This innovation will bring together the best of both worlds, namely technological innovation and stylish elegance, to create smart glasses that consumers will love to wear,
” the EssilorLuxottica group declared in September 2020.
The glasses presented on Thursday will not be augmented reality glasses.
The Facebook teams are working on such a project which, given the technical challenge, should not be completed for several years.