Snap's new Spectacles glasses advance on augmented reality technology

Snap has announced an upgraded version of its Spectacles augmented reality glasses and doubled down on its bet that wearables that enhance real-world perspectives will be the next tech frontier.

Snap, long known for its ephemeral messaging app Snapchat and animated filters, has been an early leader in augmented reality technology, which allows digital effects to be superimposed on photos or videos of real-life environments through a camera or lens, and larger competitors are racing to advance AR technology. meta is expected to unveil its first AR glasses at next week's Connect developer conference. Meta is expected to unveil its first AR glasses at the Connect developer conference next week.

The fifth-generation Spectacles utilize a new operating system called Snap OS. The user interface reacts to the wearer's hands and voice, and the OS better understands the user's surroundings to render AR effects. The glasses have a larger field of view than previous generations and will automatically change color in sunlight. The new operating system will also enable developers to build better AR experiences between two or more Spectacles wearers. For example, two users in the same room could play chess on a virtual board that is rendered in the environment around the players.

Snap also announced a redesign of the Snapchat app, reducing the original five separate sections to three. The company previously simplified how users interact with ads on Snapchat to improve their effectiveness.