Snap SPECS can work and play—AI intelligence platform 'anticipates' your needs

What you need to know

• Snap revealed its upcoming SPECS smart glasses in full this midweek, stating they are available for pre-order for $2,196 in the U.S. ahead of a late fall launch.
• SPECS browser lets users stream content from HBO Max and YouTube, as well as music from Spotify and educational content.
• The glasses offer in-display real-time translation with subtitles and directions while walking in big cities, with Tripadvisor for finding food and landmarks.
• The Snap SPECS are preparing to launch in the U.S., U.K., and France.

Snap's new smart glasses, SPECS, are finally here. For the time being, pre-orders are open, but Snap is getting candid about everything in its human-centric computing glasses.

Snap announced an "all-new experience" coming to the growing world of smart glasses with SPECS. These glasses are reportedly "built around how you interact with the world, and the AI-native operating system is designed to help you get things done through natural interactions using your hands and voice." To get us going, Snap says SPECS are designed for work and play-and we're starting with play.

The SPECS browser lets users stream content from YouTube, HBO Max, and more on a virtual 115-inch display, placed roughly 10 ft away. Thanks to an HBO Max partnership, Snap says it's bringing the world of Harry Potter to SPECS in time for the HBO Original Series Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, premiering on Christmas. Elsewhere, work with the NBA and WNBA will bring "interactive basketball experiences" to SPECS users.

Watching sports or shows and movies isn't all the SPECS is good for. Snap says you can also listen to your favorite tunes with Spotify. Additionally, learning is made easier with an "interactive recreation" of the Apollo 11 moon mission.

For your day-to-day, Snap says SPECS offers several AR experiences. With "Translation," you'll find real-time, in-display subtitles (supports 60 languages). "Navigation" provides similar assistance, and Tripadvisor helps users find places to eat, landmarks, and more. The Shopify Catalog is another feature that brings 3D products right into your vision, placeable in the space around you.

"Connected Lens" is a feature that lets two SPECS users "share digital experiences in the same physical space." What's more, since Snap is the parent company of Snapchat, you'll find an experience that fits the smart glasses space. Privacy is another aspect that Snap states it takes seriously. It says its glasses do not record the world around you, nor do they constantly capture and save audio.

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There's even more to unpack about the Snap SPECS. For now, you can pre-order the glasses for $2,195 with a $200 refundable deposit at SPECS.com. Shipping is expected to begin later this fall in the U.S., the U.K., and France.

However, if you're feeling hesitant, you can look forward to a trip to Los Angeles on October 1 and visit SPECS First Look at Westfield Century City. Hands-on demos and a meet-and-greet with the SPECS team will await you there. Snap adds that the SPECS glasses have been equipped with a new Charging Case with Cellular. Sold separately, this provides "four additional charges and offers cellular connectivity through participating wireless carriers."

To get this done in the U.S., Snap partnered with Verizon for a Connected Case bundle at $2,395. It adds, "Verizon will offer eligible customers financing options, including a 36 month payment plan. Connected Wearable data plans are available from $10/month for Verizon customers and from $20/month for non-Verizon customers."

AI that anticipates

(Image credit: Snap)

AI is a feature that ties the Snap SPECS together. According to the post, SPECS Intelligence is an "anticipatory" AI platform that "builds an understanding of your goals, priorities, relationships, and routines from the apps and tools you choose." The point of SPECS Intelligence is not only to help you reach your goals, but to know and be proactive about your assistance.

Snap states that this AI platform was built to "anticipate when help would be useful and surface relevant information and actions at the right moment." This would replace the need for users to constantly have to prompt the AI to do something or fetch something. This platform is useful with your connected data and the physical world. Snap states SPECS Intelligence can bring "relevant information" directly into view while outside.

SPECS Intelligence will work with iPhone, Mac, and, of course, the glasses. Beginning today (Sept. 16), users can download the iOS SPECS app and try SPECS Intelligence. There is also a waitlist that you can join for the AI platform within the app "for invitation-only early access to the fuller SPECS Intelligence experience on Mac."