The Santa Monica, California-based company announced the
pocket-sized camera called Pixy, which can fly a few feet above its owner to
take photos and videos before landing in the palm of the hand, in a renewed
push to grow its hardware business. Pixy will cost $230 and will be sold in the
United States and France, Snap said.
The theme for Snap's Partner Summit was "Back to
Reality," reflecting the company's focus over the past few years on
augmented reality (AR), a type of technology that enhances photos, videos or
the experience of the real world with computerized images.
"We believe there's a tremendous amount of opportunity
to build tools ... that are connected to what we see in front of us,"
Bobby Murphy, co-founder and chief technology officer at Snap, said in an
interview.
Snap will begin offering a variety of free services for AR
developers including data storage. Until now, photo filters and lenses have had
to be simple and compact in file size so they could upload on the app quickly.
With more storage, developers will be able to create more complex AR
experiences, Murphy said.
For example, an augmented reality garden would be able to
include 3D models of more flowers and plants, he said.
Snap will also roll out a new feature called "Dress
Up" on Snapchat in which users can browse AR shopping filters that let
them virtually try on clothing and accessories.
Snapchat now has more than 600 million monthly users
globally, up from 500 million last year.