Google mightn't yet have expanded the beta Explorer program of its Glass project across the world just yet, but in an announcement outlining its intention to do broaden Glass's horizons in the future, the search giant also confirmed its roll-out to folks in the United Kingdom. With the Explorer Edition now officially on sale in the UK at a cost of £1,000, though, cinemas are stepping out to to ban moviegoers from wearing them while watching the latest box-office smash, for fear that they may record and subsequently pirate films.
The Google Glass Explorer program has been running for the best part of a year now, and although the designs are still in the process of being tweaked, the progress that has been made since the start of Project Glass is really quite something. Despite this week's I/O conference has largely avoided the topic of the head-mounted device, the Big G did take the opportunity to showcase several prototype models in something of an evolutionary exhibition. Given that we're in attendance at I/O this week, we couldn't resist taking a few snaps, and below, you can see first-hand just how much progress has been made on Glass' design over the past few years.
We may be on the eve of Google I/O, but that doesn't mean that the company is going to hold news back for its big opening keynote. Hot on the heels of the news that Glass is now available for order in the UK, Google has also announced that new units will ship with extra RAM and a larger battery, two changes that have apparently come about as part of the public beta the company has been running for quite a while now.
Having spent the best part of a year developing its head-mounted technology in the United States, Google has just rolled out the Explorer Edition of Glass to interested parties in the United Kingdom. At a price of £1000, it works out at roughly the same cost as the U.S. version, and although Google alluded to a wider roll-out across more countries in its announcement post on G+, the UK is the currently the only group of countries officially outlined as beneficiaries of Glass.
Google Glass is currently being trialed in a multitude of different fields. From Virgin Airline check-ins at Heathrow Airport to the Dubai Police and New York Police in the ongoing fight against crime, the empowering nature of having a head mounted camera and ready-made apps is really starting to show, and now, surgeons appear to be getting in on the act as well.
Google Glass has become a source of interest in the recent weeks, with the company first opening up the expensive and highly advanced eyewear for sale for just a day, and then making it available for everyone in the US. It seems clear that Google is out to ensuring some rather heavy marketing for the Google Glass lineup, and their latest stint with tennis sensation Roger Federer and Stefan Edberg is sure to help that cause. Apparently, the two tennis giants stopped by the Google campus to try on the new eyewear, and take on each other in a friendly match that offered a unique perspective into the game.
Google Glass has been out in the wild for well over a year now, and although it remains in beta, the search giant recently ditched its invitation policy to allow any wannabe Explorer with a spare $1,500 to join up. The more widespread a product becomes, the likelier it is that its various strengths and flaws will become more obvious and exposed, and apparently, long-term use of the unusually-positioned display can lead to muscle fatigue and general eye pain.
Even with Google Glass suffering something of a PR crisis over the last few months, there's little doubt that the technology is still some of the coolest around. While we have to admit to not being sure where the idea of wearable technology will take us in the coming years, Google should be given credit for being at the forefront of what is possible today.
There has been an ongoing debate since the announcement of Google Glass as to whether the head-mounted gizmo will appeal to the everyday consumer, and one of the major factors that has stopped many folks from testing out so far has been the pricing. At $1,500, the Explorer Edition of Glass doesn't come cheap, but according to a new estimates, the hardware that comprises the face computer costs a total of just $80.
The team behind Project Glass has been steadfast in offering constant updates to the software of the beta'd face computer, and via the official Google+ page, has announced a series of updates headed the way of Glass Explorers this week.
