Latest Snap leak suggests the Spectacles designer is considering a 360 camera

By Hillary K. Grigonis Published March 3, 2017

snapchat spectacles guide — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Snapchat arguably made camera glasses popular when they rebranded as a hardware company called Snap and launched Spectacles late in 2016 but sources suggest that the company’s experimenting is far from over. According to three anonymous sources that work closely with the company, Snap is exploring the possibility of creating a 360 camera.

The speculation comes a day after the New York Times suggested the company is working on a camera drone. Both leaks come during the week Snap Inc. officially went public on the New York Stock Exchange, trading up at 48.4 percent, according to Reuters.

Recommended Videos

According to the leak, Snap recently brought in 360 camera experts to pitch potential new hardware for the company. Of course, an early pitch does not necessarily mean a 360 Snap camera is a sure thing, but it’s an indicator of what the company is thinking, at least.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

When Snapchat rebranded under Snap Inc. in 2016, the group described themselves as a camera company, not the social media platform Snapchat is known for. Along with the recent leaks suggesting that both 360 and camera drones are on the company’s radar, Snap also met with several startups to discuss possible acquisitions. One of those talks was with the Lily drone, which later closed down despite $34 million in pre-orders.

Both 360 and drone tech are rising in popularity, but many companies are still struggling to churn a profit off the tech. After launching its first 360 camera last year, Nikon recently reported the camera was not selling as well as the company first anticipated.

For drones, Parrot last year laid off nearly 200 employees, adjusting their focus to commercial rather than consumer drones. 3D Robotics moved from a drone hardware company to a software one, after being unable to compete with the prices from Chinese drone manufacturer DJI. Designing a drone is also not an easy task and quite different from developing cameras, as action cam giant GoPro learned after needing to recall its first drone, which is now back on the market.

While neither leak is a sure thing, the information offers a glimpse at what Snap is considering in the future.

Topics

Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

Photography

The four-lens Vecnos Iqui is a 360 camera unlike any other

vecnos iqui 360 camera unlike any other lifestyle 3

The world of immersive imaging looks like it is finally figuring itself out. The Vecnos Iqui is the latest 360-degree camera to focus on reframing spherical content into a traditional fixed-frame window. Where cameras like the Rylo, Insta360 One X, and GoPro Max applied this idea to video, the Iqui does it for 360 still photos, as well.

The Iqui is the first product from Vecnos, a new company spun off from Ricoh. Ricoh was a pioneer in 360 imaging with its Theta cameras, so the Iqui has a strong history in the segment behind its development. But it is completely different from any other 360 camera, Theta or otherwise, and uses an innovative design with four lenses. It sounds counterintuitive, but compared to the usual dual-lens design, this is actually what enables the Iqui's slim, pen-like shape.

News

This modular 360 camera converts into a high-end Leica-backed action cam

insta360 one r announced ces 2020 snowboarding

When a scene is no longer interesting from every angle, Insta360’s latest camera simply transforms into a GoPro-like action camera -- or a 1-inch-sensor Leica, if you prefer. Announced on January 7 during CES 2020, the Insta360 One R is a modular action camera system that allows users to switch lens-sensor modules and accessories.

The One R core houses the processor, LCD screen, and built-in mics and sits inside one half of the battery base. The other half houses the mods. At launch, the One R has the option for a Dual Lens 360 Mod for 360 5.7K footage, a 4K Wide Angle Mode for 60 frames per second, or a high-end, 1-inch-wide Angle Mod with a 1-inch camera sensor for 19-megapixel stills and 5.3K video. The 1-inch sensor mod, a sort of high-end action camera, was designed in collaboration with Leica.

Space

Astronaut’s photo shows Earth as you’ve never seen it before

Earth as seen from the space station.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit already has a long-held reputation for creating stunning space photography, and his latest effort will only bolster it.

Shared on social media on Thursday, the image (top) shows Earth as a blaze of streaking light, an effect created by using long and multiple exposures to capture cities at night across several continents.