Like to view the world through Snapchat-colored glasses? You'll soon be able to do that for real.
Following a leaked ad Friday hinting at a pair of Snapchat smart glasses that shoot first-person video, CEO Evan Spiegel confirmed the upcoming product, called Spectales, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
The glasses can record up to 10 seconds of video from the wearer's perspective using a 115-degree-angle lens that resembles the human eye's natural field of view. Each tap of a button mounted on the upper edge of the left lens records another clip.
The glasses will come in one size and be available on a limited basis in the fall. They will come in three colors -- black, teal or coral -- and will cost $129.99 (roughly £100, AU$170).
"We're going to take a slow approach to rolling them out," Spiegel told the Wall Street Journal. "It's about us figuring out if it fits into people's lives and seeing how they like it."
The video captures the view from the wearer's eyes.
Video screenshot by Leslie Katz/CNETA leaked commercial, obtained by Business Insider from a YouTube tipster and posted Friday, starts out showing a pair of glasses with a light that seems to indicate the camera is recording. The video goes on to show images of kids playing in a sunny backyard and ends with a couple, presumably grandparents, cheerfully watching the footage on a phone.
Snapchat took the video down after Business Insider reached out to the company, Business Insider reported Friday. The end of the video features the tagline "Spectacles by Snap Inc." Spiegel confirmed in his Wall Street Journal interview that Snapchat will be newly named Snap Inc. as the social-media company expands its purview.
Snapchat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
That Snapchat is making glasses a la Google Glass isn't surprising.
In 2014, Snapchat bought Vergence Labs, a startup that ma kes Google Glass-like eyewear that records video of what the wearer sees. In 2015, Snapchat began building Snapchat Research, a team composed of scientists and software engineers specializing in computer vision and machine learning.
Then in March, my CNET colleague Sean Hollister reported that Snapchat was recruiting hardware experts for a stealthy new project. The social-media firm has never produced physical gear, unless you count merchandise like beach towels and backpacks. It does, however, already count nearly a dozen wearable-technology vets among its ranks.
In addition, Spiegel has been spotted in public wearing prototypes specs.
On any given day, Snapchat reaches 41 percent of all 18- to 34-year-olds in the United States, according to the company. That's a lot of eyes that could be sporting new specs.
This story originally published at 5:45 p.m. PT. Update 8:15 p.m: Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has confirmed Spectacles.
Source: Snapchat Spectacles, glasses with a camera, coming this fall
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