Snap Inc. unveils a wave of innovations at its Partner Summit, including AI-powered chat, a new operating system for AR glasses, and a redesigned Snapchat app.
Snap Inc. made a splash at its annual Partner Summit (SPS 2024), announcing a host of new features and products designed to transform how users interact with augmented reality (AR) and the Snapchat platform.
Introducing Spectacles: Standalone AR Glasses
Snap Inc. unveiled its fifth-generation Spectacles, AR glasses that allow users to experience Lenses and interact with the world in a new way. These see-through, standalone glasses are powered by Snap OS, a groundbreaking operating system designed to enhance real-world interactions.
“Spectacles are the result of a decade of research and development to introduce hardware that breaks the bounds of screens and brings people together in the real world,” the company said in a statement.
Key features of Spectacles include:
Lightweight Design: Weighing only 226 grams, less than half the weight of typical VR headsets.
Hand and Voice Control: Intuitive navigation with hand gestures and voice commands.
Snap Spatial Engine: Enables realistic three-dimensional rendering of Lenses in the user’s environment.
Shared Experiences: Designed for collaborative and multiplayer AR experiences.
Developer-Friendly Platform: No developer tax and new tools for building and sharing Lenses.
Partnerships: Collaborations with companies like LEGO Group, Lucasfilm, Niantic, and OpenAI to create innovative AR experiences for Spectacles.
A Simplified Snapchat Experience
Snap Inc. is testing a redesigned Snapchat app that simplifies navigation and prioritises communication and content discovery. The new design features:
Open to Camera: The app launches directly into the camera, encouraging users to capture and share Snaps.
Unified Chat and Stories: Conversations and Stories are combined in a single tab for a more streamlined experience.
Personalised Content Feed: A unified recommendation system combines Stories and Spotlight videos, prioritising content from friends and relevant recommendations.
New AI and Chat Features
Snapchat is introducing AI-powered features to enhance user interactions and creative expression. These include:
AI Lenses: New AI-powered lenses, including one that predicts a user’s future appearance.
AI Memories: AI-generated collages, video mashups, and captions for Memories.
My Selfie: A feature that allows users to create an AI-generated representation of themselves for use in Snaps.
Enhanced My AI: Expanded capabilities for My AI, including interpreting parking signs, translating menus, and identifying plants.
Improved Communication Features: Local time zones in chat, enhanced HD video calls, and Snap Mail for asynchronous communication.
Empowering Creators with New Tools
Simplified Profile Design: Easy toggling between personal and public accounts, with enhanced customisation options for public profiles.
Templates for Snaps: Pre-designed templates for creating visually appealing Snaps from photos and videos.
Replies and Quoting: Improved engagement features for creators to interact with their audience.
Snap Star Collab Studio: Facilitates partnerships between creators and brands, with access to engagement and demographic data.
Pushing the Boundaries of AR
Snapchat Cam Expansion: Bringing Snapchat’s AR experiences to more real-world venues, teams, artists, and broadcast partners.
Lip Syncing Lens: A new Lens that allows users to create lip-syncing videos with a library of music tracks.
NYX Beauty Bestie: An AI-powered Lens that recommends personalised makeup looks.
Lens Studio: Empowering AR Creation:
Snap Inc. is enhancing its Lens Studio AR authoring tool with AI-powered features to make AR creation more accessible and powerful, including:
Easy Lens: A chat-based interface that uses large language models to help users create Lenses quickly and easily.
GenAI Suite: A suite of tools powered by generative AI, including an Animation Library, Body Morph for 3D character creation, and Icon Generation.
