Facebook and Ray-Ban have come together to release a pair of understated smart glasses called Ray-Ban Stories.

The glasses are capable of recording videos and taking pictures with a 5-megapixel camera, by either pressing a button on the side or by saying “Hey Facebook! Take a picture.”

Video and photos can be stored through a Facebook View app, which can be accessed by pairing the glasses' Bluetooth to an iPhone or Android phone. This will require a Facebook account.

The glasses will also have small speakers as headphones and microphones that can play music or be used to talk on the phone. This will work through Bluetooth, as well.

A YouTuber known as UrAvgConsumer interviewed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who discussed why the company made a move into the space. It had been tried in 2014 with Google Glass Explore to poor results.

“We were on this journey to create augmented reality glasses,” Zuckerberg said.

"That technology is still being developed but while we're working on that we wanted to create the smartest glasses that we could.

“You're able to easily capture experiences from your perspective without taking yourself out of the moment.”

But will the glasses become a privacy problem? The question may dog Facebook, a social media behemoth that has faced a litany of privacy problems in recent years.

Joanna Stern, a technology columnist at the Wall Street Journal, did a test run with the glasses. She concluded that they indeed could be considered “spy glasses” and questioned if users would compromise others' privacy.

When Stern asked Facebook and Ray-Ban's parent Luxottica about privacy, they told her that privacy is built into the product and assured her "that these are intended for capturing spontaneous, fun moments. Kids! Roller coasters! Concerts! Sports! The glasses are great for those things, but—as I found in my week of testing—oh goodness, there’s a gap between what tech is intended for and how it can be used."

A privacy setting for the glasses allows a user to record for a maximum of 30 seconds. Facebook also suggests that a user explain to others that they are recording when a light shows up on the corner of the frames.

The glasses, which became available Thursday, retail for $299 and come in different styles like sunglasses, and prescription glasses are available in different colors.

RELATED STORIES