7
Well after Snapchat, it’s Meta’s turn to enter the world of connected glasses. With its Ray-Ban Stories, the American firm offers an interesting pair of glasses in shape, but with uses that are still a little too limited.
The first pair of connected glasses from Meta is finally available in France. Developed jointly with EssilorLuxottica, it is associated with one of the group’s most famous brands, Ray-Ban. More than six months after its launch in the United States, the product is finally crossing the Atlantic. We had the opportunity to test a Meteor model for a while, just to show you what life is like through our eyes (and the cameras on the temples).
An (almost) classic pair of glasses
Impossible not to talk about the design of these glasses, since it is above all an aesthetic object before being a connected object. It is clear that Meta has worked well on its product since these Stories almost look like a classic pair of Ray-Bans. In the case of our Meteors, the differences are very subtle compared to the normal version. The temples are 5mm longer, the width of the bridge only varies by a single millimeter and the height of the lens takes up less than 2mm. In terms of weight, the pair of Ray-Ban Stories is not much heavier than a traditional frame. Thus, we weighed our pair of Meteor, which displays a weight of 50.1 g when our daily pair of glasses weighs 22.4 g. A doubled weight which however does not really feel once on our nose.
Obviously, the presence of the two sensors on the right and left tenons betray the ability of these glasses to film or take a picture of what is in front of us. But the two modules are all in all relatively small and will be able to be discreet from afar, especially with a dark-colored frame, like the brown model that we received in the test. Let’s add that the Ray-Ban Stories can be paired with prescription lenses, sunglasses or not.
Even the charging case strongly resembles the case usually supplied with a pair of glasses. A large, leather-covered, pill-shaped box for storing/charging Stories. the interior is lined with felt with a metal hinge: the premium effect is there. The only real differences between this case and a more classic one are the presence of a charging LED and a USB-C port. At the mount, a white LED tells others when you’re taking a photo or video.
The white led indicator indicates the capture of a video or a photo.
Let’s talk about autonomy, since compared to a classic pair, the Stories will have to be recharged from time to time. Autonomy can melt quite quickly if you ask them a little too much or if you do not think to cut the connection by folding the branches. By taking all the necessary precautions, the pair may last a day or two before having to be placed back in its box. When the battery is depleted, it takes the case about three hours to fully charge the glasses.
The case includes two connectors that allow charging.
An application, essential companion
To put its pair of Stories into operation, it will be necessary to go through the Facebook View application. Needless to say, you will be required to have a Facebook account to be able to take advantage of the connected features of the glasses. First, the application allows you to import photos and videos captured with Stories. The glasses must pair with your smartphone using the pair’s own wi-fi network. You can select the content you want to import into the app. Then everything is kept there, as well as in the photo library of your smartphone.
Within Facebook View, it is possible to edit photos or video clips on the fly, but also to make video montages. By choosing up to 10, the application will be responsible for making a short montage by putting your choices after. You are then free to choose the effect of the transition you want. Another creation is available and is called “Flashback”. This allows you to animate one of your photos, but not like a gif. It’s more of a camera effect within the shot, a bit like making a traveling front or rear. It’s fun for five minutes, but it’s unlikely to appeal to the greatest number.
Finally, the application is essential to manage the various parameters of Ray-Ban Stories. It is through it that you will have to go to check the battery status, trigger software updates or unpair the glasses. The activation of the voice assistant is also done directly on the application. For the French release of the glasses, the latter has updated to offer an assistant speaking the language of Molière, two voices can be chosen. This assistant is triggered by pressing the only button present on the right branch or by saying “Hey Facebook”. A sound confirming its activation can be configured.
Interesting features
Meta’s glasses can capture photos or videos thanks to the two 5-megapixel modules included in the frame. The combination of the two makes it possible to obtain shots equivalent to an ultra wide-angle module on a smartphone. But once your photos are imported into the application (we will come back to this), you will have the impression that only the right sensor can capture the images. The photos captured are not of high quality, except to benefit from excellent brightness. For video, the pair of glasses allows you to capture short moments of up to 30 seconds. In the near future, this period will be extended to 60 seconds, which should allow slightly more advanced uses (TikTok, Insta Stories or even YouTube Shorts in the line of sight).
In the branches are housed speakers that project the sound directly into your ears. At low volume, those around you are not likely to hear what you are listening to. On the other hand, exceed the median threshold and that can quickly change. For music listening, this can be quite practical in a rather quiet environment like at home or in the office. But once outside, the two speakers don’t rival a good pair of headphones. In fact, this addition will be very practical for making and receiving calls, the audio quality being quite decent, as is that offered by the three microphones. The right branch also has a touch surface to control the sound volume as well as your music tracks. A slide allows you to manage the volume while a press pauses. A double tap will skip to the next track and a triple tap to the previous track. A well thought-out execution that allows you to get rid of your smartphone or the use of the dedicated voice assistant.
One of the two loudspeakers present under the branches.
Precisely, this assistant (“Hey Facebook”) offers a small panel of possibilities. Play/pause music, capture a photo or video, volume up/down and… that’s about it. Impossible to pick up or hang up a call at the sound of his voice, to launch an application, or even to dictate a message. To try to find out more about the various possibilities, we even tried a: “Hey Facebook, what can you do?”. A question answered by the wizard: “I’m sorry, it’s beyond my capabilities at the moment”. It’s a bit of a shame and it really limits the interest of this voice assistant. However, it must be recognized that it is very reactive and can be triggered without having to raise your voice too much, as long as you are in a calm environment.
An update on confidentiality and privacy
Obviously, Meta embarking on the world of connected glasses can raise big questions about privacy as well as respect for data. Within the application, it is possible to manage the different information that you want to transmit to the company or even to the application itself. You can also choose whether or not to share eyewear and app usage information to improve the experience. On the voice assistant side, the application can keep track of the requests made, again with the aim of improving the experience, she says.
Note that none of the data shared with Meta concerns your photos and videos. These contents remain in your phone or within the app and are in no way intended to be recovered by the company. Unless you decide to share all this on one of Meta’s social networks…