Social media app Snapchat debuts recording 'Spectacles,' changes company name

Social media app Snapchat is introducing video-recording glasses called Spectacles and is changing its company name to incorporate the new product.

The glasses can record video 10 seconds at a time by tapping a button on the device. The video is then uploaded to the Memories section of the popular image-messaging app via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

The glasses are the first hardware from the Los Angeles-based company. The glasses record so-called “circular video,” meaning it plays full-screen on any device in any orientation. They will be available in the US in the fall on a limited basis and cost USD 130.

In a way, the Spectacles recall Google’s venture into eyewear, Google Glass, which took photos and video. But that device also had a screen that let you surf the web as well and cost USD 1,500.

Google shuttered that venture in early 2015 after it received a tepid response from users.  The company says it’s changing its name to Snap Inc since it now has more than one product. The app will retain the name Snapchat.