Want to try out Google’s wearable computer, but don’t have an invitation to join the Google Glass Explorer program? No problem. Google Glass is now available for anyone in the United States to purchase.
You’ll still need to spend $1500, and you’ll still essentially be paying for the privilege of beta testing hardware that Google doesn’t feel is ready for consumers yet. But at least you don’t need an invitation.
Just hop on over to the Google Glass shop, choose your style, select a payment method, and you’re good to go. At the moment, Google is also offering “complimentary” accessories allowing you to get a pair of frames for prescription glasses.
Google Glass is a device that you can wear like a pair of glasses, but it puts a small transparent display just above your right eye. You can view notifications, search results, or other information in that display and the idea is to give you a way to respond to notifications from your phone, make calls, or interact with apps or the internet without looking away from the real world.
Eventually Google plans to commercialize the product and offer Glass to the general public… probably at a much lower price. But while the company is lifting the invitation requirement, the $1500 price of entry means early Google Glass units will still most likely go to developers or seriously enthusiastic early adopters.
This isn’t the first time Google has offered people a chance to buy Glass without an invitation. It’s just that last time the promotion only lasted one day (although some folks got in on the action a bit late).
This time around, Google will offer Glass units as long as they’re in stock. There’s no word on how many devices are available or if Google plans to ramp up production any time soon.
via +Google Glass and Android Central
steampunk looks better than the new google glass… those models look like fricken cyborgs.