By Ellen Faye Yabut

PHOTO: EssilorLuxottica

Ray-Ban x Facebook introduces Ray-Ban Stories, its first-generation smart glasses that enable you to capture photos and video, listen to music or podcasts, take phone calls, and share your adventures with family and friends, all while staying connected with the world around you.

PHOTO: EssilorLuxottica

The two companies are devoted to delivering cutting-edge technology and a fashion-forward style that fosters interpersonal communication without the hassle of taking out your phones. 

Ray-Ban Stories pairs with the new Facebook View app, allowing you to seamlessly share your stories and experiences with friends and followers on social media. 

On iOS and Android, the Facebook View app makes it even easier to import, edit, and share content collected by the smart glasses to applications on your phone, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, and more. 

PHOTO: EssilorLuxottica

In front of the glasses are built-in dual integrated 2x5 MP cameras. With just a push of the capture button located on the side of the frame, you can capture life’s moments as they happen from a unique first-person perspective. Moreover, thanks to this innovation, it's simpler to capture the world as you see it. A tap on the capture button starts recording up to 30-second videos, or a tap-and-hold allows you to take a photo. 

If these novel features don’t excite you yet, you can just say “Hey Facebook, take a video!” With Facebook Assistant voice command, you can immerse at the moment and enjoy a hands-free experience. Hence, you can spend more time looking up and keeping your eyes on the world around you, rather than looking down at your phone.

PHOTO: EssilorLuxottica

Additionally, the product features streamlined, open-ear speakers on the side of the frames for taking calls and listening to your favorite music. It also includes a three-microphone audio array and a background noise suppression algorithm that delivers richer voice and sound transmission for calls and videos.

Furthermore, Ray-Ban Stories was created with privacy in mind. With several built-in features, it aims to safeguard the device owners’ and onlookers' rights to control and privacy. One of these features is a hard-wired capture LED that lights up to let people nearby know when you’re taking a photo or video. It also has a power switch to turn off your glasses in a private space. Once the pair of glasses is off, the whole device is completely off, including its mic and camera. 

“This is just the start,” Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook and one of the dedicated initiators of this innovation, announced. He believes that this technological advancement is an important step towards the future when phones are no longer an essential part of our lives. 

Ray-Ban Stories, in collaboration with Facebook and EssilorLuxottica, will be available in five colors and 20 classic Ray-Ban style combinations online and in select retail shops in the United States, as well as Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

With this phenomenal fusion of high-end fashion and innovative technology, its creators hope to continue the story with you.