Is Snapchat planning to build an AR device?
Social media app may be making its foray into hardware with augmented reality after the popularity of Pokemon Go
Speculation that the social media app Snapchat is planning a hardware launch increased with the news that it had become a member of a Bluetooth industry group.
Snapchat, which allows users to send pictures and messages to friends, is listed as an adopter on the website of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).
Becoming a member of the SIG is a required step to build a product requiring Bluetooth technology licences and trademarks.
The Financial Times reported that the only reason a company would join the SIG was in order to develop a device requiring wireless technology to connect to a smartphone or the internet.
Speculation that Snapchat may be planning a piece of hardware has been building for several months. CNET reported in March that Snapchat had hired several wearable technology experts, while in 2014, the company acquired Vergence Labs, a start-up which develops wearables similar to the Google Glass.
As opposed to virtual reality, which immerses a user in a computer generated environment, augmented reality overlays the real world with computer graphics and information. The best example of augmented reality is the Pokemon Go app, which made headlines over the summer.