Ever felt the need to capture the moment as you see it with your own eyes? With Snapchat’s newest invention, this is possible. A brief guideline to how this future-like invention works. You put the Spectacle on, which looks like a trendy pair of sunglasses. When you touch the glasses’ rim one time, it records in a 115-degree wide view from your eye’s point of view for 10 seconds. When you tap the rim three times, it can record up on 30 seconds. It can be a big invention that can change the way we capture our social media, but is has some pitfalls as well.
As a pitfall, you can question if it is really necessary to have a second camera. Right now the status quo is to make photos and videos with your mobile phone. The biggest challenge for Snapchat is to prove that the first person view with 115-degree wide view provides better quality, even if you hold your phone in front of your eyes can have the same outcome.
Another issue, and potentially the most dangerous one, is the privacy. Imagine everyone having a pair of spectacles on their face, with one touch in under a second they can record anything they want. Right now people are used to people holding their camera so people know they are being filmed and can adjust their behavior. Snapchat is trying to fight this issue with a big warning light when the Spectacle is filming but it is only a matter of time before this will be by-passed.
But is also brings some positive things with it. Imagine you are at a concert of your favorite band. You want to enjoy it to the fullest, but you also want to capture the moment for later on. Right now you have to put your phone and stare at your screen for the best videos. With Spectacles, you can enjoy seeing your idol in real life and capture it at the same moment whereas you can edit and share it (after the concert).
Furthermore we can see scene’s we have never seen before. They can give an inside view of how the world is seen trough the eyes of the celebrities. What it’s like to be surrounded by bodyguards and how the performers themselves see the crowd when they give a concert. But you can also think of daily stuff you can record without having to use one hand to hold your phone, think of holding your baby with both hands as a parent.
The reputation and ambition of Snapchat may improve the changes of Spectacular to succeed. But the question will remain if Snapchat can overcome the pitfalls. What do you think, will it overcome the privacy issues and the status quo of using your phone or will it end op in the trashcan like Google’s glasses?
references:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/snapchat-releases-first-hardware-product-spectacles-1474682719?mod=e2tw
Snapchat’s Spectacles a Vision Test for CEO Evan Spiegel
https://www.cnet.com/news/snapchat-spectacles-glasses-camera-snap-inc-evan-spiegel/
