May I just say 'When donkeys fly'?
Google Glass headsets now available to all for purchaseGreat news for wannabe cyborgs: Google Glass is being made available to anyone with $1,500 burning a hole in their pocket.
Google (GOOGL) previously only offered its pricey computer specs to tech conference attendees and essay contest winners and in one-off marketing stunts. On Wednesday, Google announced that it was opening its beta test program to everyone in the U.S.
"We're still in the Explorer Program while we continue to improve our hardware and software, but starting today anyone in the U.S. can buy the Glass Explorer Edition, as long as we have it on hand," Google said in a blog post.
 Allyson Cannon, recruitment manager for the National Press Club, uses her finger to scroll through pictures as she tries a Google Glass headset at... View Enlarged Image
The price of the Glass Glass headset hasn't changed since the search giant first started offering it to tech enthusiasts last year.
IHS Technology estimates that Google Glass costs about $152 to produce, based on parts and labor. Google told CBS that the estimate was "wildly off" and that "Glass costs significantly more to produce." Device tear-downs like the one conducted by IHS do not take into account long-term research and development costs or software.
Google Glass allows users to access information wirelessly from the Internet and take hands-free photos and videos using voice commands. It has specialized apps for navigation, fitness, search, playing music, sending messages and making phone calls. The device features a small heads-up display over one eye, a camera and a touchpad on the frame for navigating through screens.
A consumer version of Google Glass is expected to hit the market toward the end of 2014.
But Google isn't the only company developing so-called smartglasses. Samsung reportedly has a copycat product called Gear Glass, which could come out in early September, Business Korea reported Tuesday. Other companies investigating computer glasses include Apple(AAPL), Epson, LG, Microsoft(MSFT) and Sony (SNE). |
