I purchased the Snapchat Spectacles during the spring
earlier this year.
As a Canadian, I had to go through quite the
procedure just to get the Spectacles here.
However, we are here 8 months later,
and the Snapchat Spectacles just launched in Canada
at the end of October.
This video is about my thoughts on the Snapchat Spectacles
8 months later.
So, to those unaware,
the Snapchat Spectacles [are] a pair of sunglasses
that has a camera built into them.
This enables the recording of first-person
point-of-view videos that will last for 10 seconds each.
They are HD with a resolution of 800x800 pixels
and they're meant to be shared on Snapchat.
The videos themselves are recorded in a really unique way.
They're shot in a circular format,
so, that way when you view your video on Snapchat,
it can utilize your phone's accelerometer
to make sure that the video is always right-side-up.
Going into last year's holiday season,
the Snapchat Spectacles were really hyped up.
If you had been following internet tech news,
you would have known what Snapchat Spectacles were.
However, the state of the Snapchat Spectacles today
isn't as glorious as it was one year ago.
See, sources such as The Verge and MobileSyrup report
Snap's actually having an over inventory of Spectacles.
A huge over inventory, in fact.
"Hundreds of thousands of unsold Spectacle glasses."
At this point, the Spectacles have pretty much been forgotten to most people,
much like the Google Glass.
And for those who own a pair, like myself,
they've become more of a novelty item now.
It's cool to have one because your stories will be unlike anyone else's
unless your friends have Spectacles too.
"Oh yeah, we definitely took the wrong turn."
Buying a pair of Spectacles is the only way to get that really cool format
for your Snapchatstories.
However, despite the popularity of the Snapchat app,
I still think that this is a really niche item.
To its credit, its videos actually look really nice.
The camera doesn't require any stabilization because it's
going to be on your face, and your head is stabilized by your neck.
And the resolution of 800x800,
while it's not full HD, it is still high definition
and it looks tolerable.
Although, I really wish they would've bumped that up a little bit.
It's somewhere between the mark of 720p and 1080p.
As for the audio, it is unexpectedly good.
Now, if you're going to be moving around at high speeds,
then you're obviously going to get a lot of wind noise.
However, your voice is still going to remain very clear.
"So, I'm recording using my Spectacles now on the motorcycle."
By the way,
never wear your Spectacles while you're riding a motorcycle.
As we approach 2018, we ask ourselves,
"who are the Spectacles really for?"
Is it for the avid Snapchatter?
That kinda depends.
Obviously, you would have to be a regular user of Snapchat
to actually find any use out of this.
It is definitely not for those who just go on to send "Streaks".
In fact, I would say that I would not even recommend the
Snapchat Spectacles to many avid Snapchatters.
Only for those who travel a lot and go on "adventures."
Who find themselves in situations where it would be hard to
hold your phone to catch a story.
In that case, having a camera on your face would allow your friends to
join you on your adventures.
That kind of makes sense.
Except for that fact that you can get a GoPro
and just upload your videos to YouTube.
Now, admittedly a good GoPro costs a lot more
and Snapchat stories are just a lot more convenient.
It might also be a good product
for organizations that promote their brand on their Snapchat stories.
Shooting in such a format would definitely
differentiate their stories from others.
It kinda has a "wow" factor to it.
But that is just about all that I could think about.
The only other person that I know that has a pair of Spectacles
doesn't even really use them anymore.
So, have you forgotten about the Snapchat Spectacles?
Did you even know about them in the first place?
Let me know in the comments below.
That is it for this video,
thank you for watching and I'll see you in the next one!
This whole place is like, flooding.
In the previous VLOG, I unboxed the new microphone
and it wasn't working very well.
In fact, it wasn't working on some devices that only have 1 speaker.
I've figured out the problem!