Google Glass Now Available To Everyone
It looks like Google may be close to finally releasing a consumer version of its heads-up display. Right now, anyone in the U.S. can get a unit of Glass for $1,500 via Google's website, without an invite. Plus, Google is waving the prescription frames fee of $225. It is unclear how long this sale will last.
The version of Glass that's available is still the Explorer edition. However, oddly Google has made no formal announcement about this change in policy, that reverses the previous policy that Explorers had to be invited to spend the cash.
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Shoppers can choose to get Glass in one of five colors -- Charcoal, Tangerine, Cotton (white), Shale (grey) or Sky (blue). You can also select one of four titanium frame designs that you can have fit with or without a prescription or one of three frames. Each Glass comes with a mono earbud, pouch, cable and charger, plus the frame you selected with a protective case.
This comes after a series of initiatives from the Glass team that made the previously exclusive device available to more and more people, including a one-day sale to everyone on Apr. 15 and a free try-before-you-buy initiative.
Google also rolled out an update (XE 16.1) last week to upgrade Glass firmware to Android KitKat and boost battery life. Sadly the update seems to have caused more problems than it solved. The company is still in the process of pushing through an XE 16.1.1 update to fix problems caused by XE 16.1, which bricked several Glasses.
The device's marketing head recently revealed that the initial limited availability was a deliberate move by Google to get passionate Explorers to test out the product and provide feedback. As a result, the device received plenty of criticisms about its polarizing design, poor battery life and steep price tag.
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