PARIS: Snap, parent company of the mobile application Snapchat, said Friday that its Spectacles sunglasses, which have built-in cameras, have gone on sale in Europe.
“From June 2, and for the first time, the Spectacles sunglasses will go on sale outside of the United States,” Snap said in an e-mailed statement.
The sunglasses, which can record short videos of between 10 and 30 seconds and share them via Snapchat, will be sold via “Snapbots,” yellow vending machines being installed at chosen sites in France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain this summer.
The shades, retailing at 149.99 euros ($168) in Europe, can also be purchased online.
There are small LED lamps on the sunglasses that light up when the camera is on to signal to people nearby that they are being filmed.
The Spectacles already went on sale in the United States in November, with an estimated 90,000 sold by the end of March, according to US media reports.
Snap said that the number of daily active users of its Snapchat messaging service grew to 166 million at the end of the quarter, including 55 million in Europe.
Snapchat’s ‘Spectacles’ go on sale in Europe
Snapchat’s ‘Spectacles’ go on sale in Europe
Apple to update EU browser options, make more apps deletable
- iPhone maker came under pressure from regulators to make changes after the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act took effect on March 7
- Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options
STOCKHOLM: Apple will change how users choose browser options in the European Union, add a dedicated section for changing default apps, and make more apps deletable, the company said on Thursday.
The iPhone maker came under pressure from regulators to make changes after the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act took effect on March 7, forcing big tech companies to offer mobile users the ability to select from a list of available web browsers on a “choice screen.”
The new rules require mobile software makers to show the choice screen where users can select a browser, search engine and virtual assistant as they set up their phones, which earlier came with preferred options from Apple and Google.
In an update later this year, Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options.
A randomly ordered list of 12 browsers per EU country will be shown to the user with short descriptions, and the chosen one will be automatically downloaded, Apple said. The choice screen will also be available on iPads through an update later this year.
Apple released a previous update in response to the new rules in March, but browser companies criticized the design of its choice screen, and the Commission opened an investigation on March 25 saying it suspected that the measures fell short of effective compliance.
The company said it has been in dialogue with the European Commission and believes the new changes will address regulators’ concerns.
It also plans to introduce a dedicated area for default apps where a user will be able to set defaults for messaging, phone calls, spam filters, password managers and keyboards.
Users will also be able to delete certain Apple-made apps such as App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos and Safari. Only Settings and Phone apps would not be deletable.
