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I want to play with these. I want to buy them. I'm not going to because Facebook made them.

The company doesn't align with anything I do. I don't use their products. I think they're harmful to democracy. I don't want to make a Facebook account to use these. I don't want them storing my photos and videos on their servers. I don't want them having access to my life.

It's strange how much feeling these tech giants bring out in us.

The positive is that the hardware is being developed, and the knowledge spreads.

For instance, the purism and pine phones are using chips that are a byproduct of tech developed for android phones (which constantly send data to google)

Take my patent and go make your own pair please

https://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=...

Couldn't agree more. I feel the same way about the Oculus headsets.
First hands-on: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2...

FB announcement: https://tech.fb.com/ray-ban-and-facebook-introduce-ray-ban-s...

Ray-Ban link: http://www.ray-ban.com/discover-ray-ban-stories

Thanks for that! I was really happy to see that Snapchat didn't give up after the first Spectacles. I think tech has a huge amount of room to grow there, and I'm pretty sure the next iteration of that tech will be AR. Both FB and Snapchat are investing heavily in AR.
Thanks for the links, that is helpful.

I wonder why every tech company uses longboarders in their ads? Is it a trope and done intentionally as a joke? Or more banal -- they are lazy and just copying each other?

Quite an audacious move by Facebook. Tech specs look good, but the biggest challenge is going to be privacy.

I recall years ago when the first Google Glass came out, certain venues like museums put up rules banning their usage. And that was for a halo product whereas this is clearly targeted more at mainstream users.

With rumors of Apple also offering up something similar soon, we'll see how this sort of gadgetry is "normalized" by society.

(Google Glass apparently still exists! Albeit only for enterprise: https://www.google.com/glass/tech-specs/ )

As much as I personally think the efforts of mega tech companies to intrude into every aspect of every user's life and the lives of those around them are repugnant and dystopian, I do think these will eventually make it mainstream. Convenience and novelty always trump security and privacy among the majority, unfortunately.
And 4 years later, what did you see happen when snapchat spectacles came out?
I will have my chuckle when we finally see Apple's iGlasses.

But as far as I know from chitchat going around Shenzhen, they don't have a camera or anything, and they are just making simple video goggles.

> Tech specs look good

Oh, you.

Where are all the open source tech specs projects?

I can't wait for all the "Smart glasses not allowed in this venue" signs
Surprised there’s no mention of what kind of privacy-protecting indicator these will sport, to inform those around you that they are being recorded.
In the interview Mark says you can turn them off physically, and there's also a light that turns on when you're taking a video (he mentions that this is already more that what smart phones do)
The article on The Verge shows off a white LED next to the camera when recording. It's subtle, and I wonder how visible it'll be in bright sunlight
Apparently, taping over the recording indicator is against the ToS

https://twitter.com/katienotopoulos/status/14359972236036464...

“Zoom” calls involving parties living in locations where one must be notified and agree to be recorded…
You'd be surprised to learn that when you're in public you're constantly being recorded.

Surveillance Camera Man was an interesting YT channel that explored the distinction between a citizen recording vs. commercial/government enterprises. https://www.bitchute.com/channel/rRjFUkbdhhQd/

I like the idea of a hands-free camera a little less cumbersome than a GoPro.

But the use cases are pretty niche.

I guess for DIY videos? Like product repairs where it's convenient to have both hands free...

Yeah, I follow a person on IG that does bread baking stories and the rig she uses is quite a clunky setup as she doesn't even want to touch the phone while baking due to her hands being covered in dough.
I'm guessing the videos Mark Zuckerberg posted on his FB page yesterday were taken by these glasses. If so, they take pretty nice quality video.
Interesting! Indeed that looks pretty nice: https://www.facebook.com/zuck/videos/598695067967180/?__cft_...
I would buy these if there was no Facebook dependency. Apparently a Facebook account is required, and the phone app is Facebook branded (and probably fb developed).

The Snap glasses looked very gimmicky, these look like Ray-Bans with two tiny cameras.

So there's nothing overlaid on your field of vision with these, right? It's just a camera built into glasses frames?
That's correct. They're just glasses with a camera, a small LED, microphone, and speaker. It also listens for "hey facebook," can take calls, and can route music.
Great. From one company that shits on privacy and another that shits on an entire industry[0]. what could go wrong?

[0] Luxottica owns Ray-Ban.

> Luxottica owns Ray-Ban

That's putting it all mildly!

https://www.luxottica.com/en/eyewear-brands

https://www.luxottica.com/en/retail-brands ... including EyeMed vision insurance.

Overall the massive consolidation limits your choices for eye insurance and/or vision care providers.

I've been making a conscious effort to take more videos of my kids doing normal everyday stuff. We have plenty of pictures, but I want to remember the silly things they said, the way they said "boo boo" after falling down, how they acted when you gave them a food they don't like. From my perspective, these seem great.
Very self-aware move, piggy backing on a well recognized brand like Ray-Ban and laying low. Props to them.
The problem with all wearables is that clothing generally lasts longer than the tech. I’ve had the same pair of sunglasses for almost a decade. I have jackets and other articles of clothing that are quite a bit older than that. Throw a battery in any of those things and the lifespan of it immediately drops to a fraction of what it would be without.

I guess you could argue this is by design—clothing manufacturers want you to get a new set of their items every few years like you might with an Apple Watch. Still, the value add needs to be high enough to justify a much shorter lifespan. Apple pulled that off, but I doubt others can.

I already feel pretty creeped out when I go up to a door that has a RING doorbell. Behind-the-scenes algorithms are furiously recording my face, and trying to figure out exactly who I am all night long, it's CREEPY.
I'm surprised Ray-Ban were willing to attach their brand to this.
I've been expecting a product like this for some time. I don't trust Facebook enough to buy their example, but if a more open equivalent that isn't tied in to someone's service and is a bit less "smart" came around I would consider it.
We'll need to reconcile the need for a disguising mask for privacy with anti-mask laws here in the US

No Face Halloween Mirror Mask / Anonymous Disguise

https://www.thegreenhead.com/2014/10/no-face-halloween-mirro...

Anti-Mask Laws

https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1169/anti-mask-...

Those "social" companies won't stop until they monetize, exploit, and destroy every meaningful socializing we have.

We can barely enjoy few seconds of someone's attention before they share or consume a "story" and fiddle with their phones, and now their glasses...

The end game of this "progress" is a neural link injected straight into our brains constantly streaming content and ads so that we mindlessly consume and share stories with each other all day long in a zombie like state.

Please stop this madness.

How will this fair against two party consent laws for audio?

I’d be surprised if most places don’t immediately ban this and other “always on” discrete audio/video recording devices

Back when Google released Glass I remember bars banning them to keep the perverts out. I’m sure the same thing will happen with these.
Does anyone have information on whether the platform will be open for development?
I wonder if these will be as popular as the Facebook Fone.
So, the same as SnapChat's creepglasses?
There's a reason Google Glass failed.
Why even bother? Who’s going to buy these?