Snapchat Spectacles Reach Europe

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Snap-- aka the rebranded Snapchat-- announces the Spectacles, its video-recording sunglasses, are now available in Europe, 7 months after an initial US launch.

SpectaclesFor the unfamiliar, the Spectacles are a pair of colourful round sunglasses with a built-in videocamera. They pair with smartphones and the Snapchat app via Bluetooth or wifi, and shoot what the company calls "Snaps," snippets of video up to 10 seconds in length.

The Specs store up to three 10-second long Snaps, and video recording starts and stops by pressing a button on the left arm of the sunglasses. An outwards-facing light lets people know the Specs are recording, and once transferred to smartphone Snaps appear in the Memories section of the Snapchat app for sharing with the rest of the world.

A February 2017 Snapchat IPO reveals the Spectactles weren't exactly best sellers, as the company admits "the launch of Spectacles [...] has not generated significant revenue for us." It also states "we expect to experience production and operating costs related to Spectacles that will exceed the related revenue in the near future." However, as seen with the launch, the company is still investing in the device.

The curious can get a pair of Spectacles from "Snapbot" vending machines found in London, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin and Venice. Interestingly, the vending machines feature a built-in augmented reality display allowing customers to try the sunglasses on virtually before purchase.

Go Spectacles