Snapchat Spectacles are finally available online in the US

Only sold through vending machines in major metro areas throughout the US, as well as a store in Manhattan, Snapchat Spectacles are finally available for purchase on Spectacles.com or Amazon. This means, no more waiting in hour-long lines, or forking over extraordinary amounts of cash to buy them second-hand. In November, Yahoo says, a pair was going for close to $5,000 on eBay!

The Spectacles, which come with a $130 price tag, were launched back in September. What you essentially get are sunglasses for kids with an integrated video camera. By tapping a button on the top left-hand corner of the glasses, the recording mode is activated and 10 seconds of video is captured. A second tap activates 30 seconds of continuous video recording. Thankfully for the people around you, a ring of tiny lights lets them know you are recording.

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The information is then sent directly to Snapchat via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. What sets Spectacles’ footage apart is that it captures the human perspective with a 115 degree field of view that resembles the human eye’s natural field of view.

The gadget er, social media fashion accessory, has become a hot selling item, no doubt helped by its limited availability. At the moment shipments are only going to US addresses, and there is a delivery delay of roughly two to four weeks. We have no information yet on availability outside the US.

The opening of online orders comes on the heels of the IPO filed by Snap Inc, the company behind the wearable. Valued at $22bn, this is easily one of biggest tech IPOs in years. While the spectacles have not generated significant revenue so far, they have created a lot of publicity for the company. This can only help ahead of Snap Inc’s debut on the New York Stock Exchange in early March.

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