Snapchat turns snap.inc, launches camera enabled goggles

Snap said Spectacles captures video in a new circular format that can be viewed full screen whether holding a phone upright or on its side.

Following the footsteps of search engine giant Google, the Social media app, Snapchat, now known as Snap Inc, has released its own video-recording glasses called "Spectacles". The best part is that you can upload the footage directly to the Snapchat app via WiFi or bluetooth. Recording is as simple as tapping a button near the hinge and, since Spectacles will be wirelessly linked to your smartphone, the Snaps are then automatically added to your Memories.

"Imagine one of your favorite memories", the announcement on the company's website reads. "It's one thing to see images of an experience you had, but it's another thing to have an experience of the experience". That's why we built Spectacles. "Now that we are developing other products, like Spectacles, we need a name that goes beyond just one product", he wrote in a blog post.

Snapchat announced it is changing its name to Snap, Inc., Friday, to reflect business plans beyond its core app, and immediately announced its first hardware product: Spectacles. In the case of Spectacles, the company developed a new camera to allow for more immersive video - certainly an expansion beyond smartphone apps. The specs will feature an integrated video camera with a 115-degree lens created to match human visual perspective.

A limited number of Spectacles are expected to be available later this year and will cost $129.99 per pair.

Spectacles, expected to be in limited supply when they hit the market, would put pressure on GoPro, whose mini-cameras are created to let people capture video of endeavours from personal perspectives. "We're going to take a slow approach to rolling them out", Spiegel told The Wall Street Journal.

The Spectacles, which come in three different colours (red, blue, and black), are expected to go on sale in limited quantities in the US later this year, priced at $130 (£100).

And even if you're not a Snapchat aficionado, you have to admit that these things look pretty cool.

Source: Snapchat turns snap.inc, launches camera enabled goggles