Facebook Launches Smart Glasses Line, Ray-Ban Stories

Ray-Ban Stories

Sunglasses are sort of a universal shorthand for “cool,” but can they be cool and smart? Facebook certainly hopes so.

The social media goliath on Thursday (Sept. 9) announced the launch of Ray-Ban Stories, smart glasses that offer new ways to take photos and videos, take calls and listen to music.

Offered via a partnership between Facebook and EssilorLuxottica and selling for $299, the glasses will be available for purchase online and in select stores in the U.S., Australia, Italy, Canada, Ireland and the U.K.

“Ray-Ban Stories’ dual integrated 5MP cameras let you capture life’s moments as they happen from a unique first-person perspective,” Facebook said in its announcement. “You can easily record the world as you see it, taking photos and up to 30-second videos using the capture button or hands-free with Facebook Assistant voice commands.”

Ray-Ban Stories pairs with Facebook’s new View app, allowing users to share stories and memories with friends and social media followers, on Facebook as well as Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat and others.

“From the start, we designed Ray-Ban Stories with privacy in mind, adding numerous built-in features to provide control and peace of mind to both device owners and bystanders,” the company said.

That’s a crucial consideration these days, as PYMNTS noted in the recent Deep Dive into social media and user trust. A recent study found that social media users want platforms like Twitter and Facebook to require “real” identification from prospective users — including drivers’ licenses, passports or other forms of physical ID.

Read more: Deep Dive: Why Social Media Platforms Must Rethink How They Treat Digital Identity to Maintain Users’ Trust

The first product arising from Facebook’s multi-year partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the smart glasses will be available in 20 variations in classic Ray-Ban styles — Wayfarer, Wayfarer Large, Round and Meteor — and five colors with a range of lenses, including clear, sun, transition and prescription.