Snap (the company behind Snapchat) has announced Snap OS 2.0, its follow-up to the original operating system, which launched with the fifth-gen Spectacles AR glasses last year for developers through a subscription-based program.
Snap OS 2.0, according to Snap, brings changes like an improved UI and a better browser. Starting with the Spectacles Browser, it has been overhauled with a design the company calls "minimalist" and something that feels "right at home" in Snap OS.
It includes a lot of the things you"d expect from a browser, like better page loading speed and more efficient power usage. The UI has a new home screen with widgets and bookmarks for your favorite sites. A big addition is support for WebXR, which is an open standard that allows developers to create augmented reality experiences that run directly from a website, so you do not need to download a separate program.
Next up, Spotlight Lens, the feature for watching content from Snapchat"s short-form video platform, has been reimagined. Lenses, if you"re not familiar, are like "apps" for the glasses.
The improved Lens now lets you overlay your favorite videos on the real world without needing your phone. You can watch a creator"s video while doing something else entirely, or you can pin it in one place so it does not follow you around.
This brings us to "Travel Mode", a new feature that stabilizes augmented reality content while you are in a moving vehicle, like a plane or car. It makes sure your digital objects stay anchored where they should be.
There"s now a new app called "Gallery Lens" that lets you view videos you have recorded with Spectacles. You can scroll through your captures in what Snap describes as a "curving carousel", zoom in on them, and share them directly to Snapchat.
Snap promises that new Lenses are on the way, like the popular virtual reality dancing game Synth Riders, which is getting a version for Snap OS. The game has you "catch notes, ride the rails, and dodge obstacles by moving to the music".
You can learn more via the official announcement.