Latest news with #Specs
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Business
- Hans India
Smart glasses get a second life: AI powers the future of wearable tech
Silicon Valley is making a fresh bet on smart glasses—once a failed experiment, now a potential game-changer thanks to AI. Google, Meta, Snap, and Amazon are doubling down on this tech, reviving the dream of glasses that do more than look smart—they are smart. Unlike the early Google Glass, the new generation of smart glasses features built-in AI assistants capable of understanding and responding to the world around them. Meta's Ray-Ban glasses can translate speech in real time, identify objects, and even determine if a pepper is spicy. Snap's upcoming "Specs" for 2026 promise context-aware AI. Google's Gemini already offers visual memory capabilities. The drive is fueled by two shifts: smartphones no longer excite users like before, and AI is enabling truly hands-free, heads-up computing. But the real challenge remains—can tech firms make smart glasses fashionable, useful, and worth wearing all day? The next tech revolution may be looking us right in the eye—literally.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Snap Stock Was a Winner on Wednesday
The company formally introduced its latest product. This is Specs, the new iteration of its smart glasses line. 10 stocks we like better than Snap › Social media company Snap (NYSE: SNAP) saw its share price creep higher on Hump Day, thanks mainly to the announcement of a new product. The company will face some stiff competition, however, so the market's bullishness was guarded; the stock only rose by 1.2% on the news. That was good enough to beat the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), though, as that indicator fell by 0.3% on the day. Toward the end of Tuesday's trading session, Snap announced that it is launching a new line of tech-enhanced eyeglasses called Specs. In the announcement, made at this year's annual Augmented World Expo, the company said the rollout would occur next year. It did not get more specific. It did promise several attractive features of the upcoming augmented reality (AR) products, including artificial intelligence (AI) assistance, social connectivity, and a virtual workstation in case users feel like being productive and not playful. In its official press release touting the eyewear, Snap co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel said, "We believe the time is right for a revolution in computing that naturally integrates our digital experiences with the physical world." "We couldn't be more excited about the extraordinary progress in artificial intelligence and augmented reality that is enabling new, human-centered computing experiences," he added. Specs is the continuation of the company's digitally enhanced glasses product line, Spectacles. It introduced the first Spectacles in 2016. There's a big mountain to climb here, though, and that belongs to Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META). Nearly two years ago, Snap's social media rival introduced its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, with the product earning generally positive reviews, especially for its feature set. Snap will have to keep on its toes to carve out meaningful share in this still-limited market. Before you buy stock in Snap, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Snap wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $649,102!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $882,344!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 996% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 174% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Snap Stock Was a Winner on Wednesday was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Snap to launch smart glasses for users in 2026 in challenge to Meta
HighlightsSnap Inc. will launch its first-ever smart glasses for consumers, called Specs, next year, intensifying competition with Meta Platforms, Inc. in the wearable technology market. Snap Inc. has invested over $3 billion in developing augmented reality glasses over the past 11 years, highlighting its commitment to integrating technology into wearable products. Snap Inc. plans to collaborate with Niantic, Inc. to enhance the Lens Studio application, which enables creators to design and publish augmented reality lenses for Snapchat. Snap will launch its first-ever smart glasses for all consumers next year, ratcheting up competition with bigger rival Meta in the wearable technology market . The augmented reality smart glasses, called Specs, will be lightweight, the social media company said on Tuesday. Long known for its messaging app Snapchat and animated filters, Snap has been doubling down on AR, which can overlay digital effects onto photos or videos of real-life surroundings through a camera or lens. Integrating technology into wearable products can open up new lucrative markets and diversify revenue streams for Snap amid an uncertain digital ad market due to changing U.S. trade policies. The company had launched its 5th generation of Spectacles glasses in September, but these were only available to developers. The company has invested more than $3 billion over 11 years developing its augmented reality glasses , Snap co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel said at the Augmented World Expo 2025 on Tuesday. "Before Snapchat had chat, we were building glasses." The popularity of Meta's Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica have prompted companies such Google to explore similar investments. Meta continues to add AI features to its glasses to attract more consumers. Snap said it would partner with augmented reality and geospatial technology platform Niantic Spatial to enhance the Lens Studio, which is an application used by creators to design, animate and publish AR lenses for Snapchat camera, and Specs.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Why Snap Stock Was a Winner on Wednesday
Social media company Snap (NYSE: SNAP) saw its share price creep higher on Hump Day, thanks mainly to the announcement of a new product. The company will face some stiff competition, however, so the market's bullishness was guarded; the stock only rose by 1.2% on the news. That was good enough to beat the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), though, as that indicator fell by 0.3% on the day. Seeing the launch of a new product Toward the end of Tuesday's trading session, Snap announced that it is launching a new line of tech-enhanced eyeglasses called Specs. In the announcement, made at this year's annual Augmented World Expo, the company said the rollout would occur next year. It did not get more specific. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » It did promise several attractive features of the upcoming augmented reality (AR) products, including artificial intelligence (AI) assistance, social connectivity, and a virtual workstation in case users feel like being productive and not playful. In its official press release touting the eyewear, Snap co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel said, "We believe the time is right for a revolution in computing that naturally integrates our digital experiences with the physical world." "We couldn't be more excited about the extraordinary progress in artificial intelligence and augmented reality that is enabling new, human-centered computing experiences," he added. Specs is the continuation of the company's digitally enhanced glasses product line, Spectacles. It introduced the first Spectacles in 2016. A Meta challenge There's a big mountain to climb here, though, and that belongs to Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META). Nearly two years ago, Snap's social media rival introduced its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, with the product earning generally positive reviews, especially for its feature set. Snap will have to keep on its toes to carve out meaningful share in this still-limited market. Should you invest $1,000 in Snap right now? Before you buy stock in Snap, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Snap wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $649,102!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $882,344!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is996% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to174%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025
Engadget
3 days ago
- Engadget
Snapchat adds a new subscription tier for Lenses
Snapchat has added a new layer to its paid offerings. The Lens+ subscription combines the existing Snapchat+ monthly plan with more access to "hundreds of Lenses and AR experiences that let you play, create, and share Snaps with friends in whole new ways." The plan will cost $9 a month. At the start, the subscription will feature Lenses made by the company or by select creators. New augmented reality experiences will be added each week. Creators will be granted the option to build and monetize Lenses for the program in the coming months, although Snapchat hasn't publicly explained how it will select the "select" participants. A representative from the business confirmed to TechCrunch that the launch of Lens+ will not see any Lenses that were previously free placed behind a paywall. The social media platform introduced the Snapchat+ paid option in 2022. According to the blog post announcing this extra option, the program has 15 million subscribers. The Lens program has been taking advantage of developments in AI. Already this year, the company debuted generative AI video Lenses for Premium subscribers and released a standalone app for any user to create their own effects. Snapchat's other AR project is Specs , a set of glasses that it expects to release next year.
