With Google taking such a long time to officially launch Glass as a full-fledged consumer product, there’s a chance that some consumers itching to stick a fully functioning computer on their head will either start looking elsewhere or, in extreme cases, try to build their own. Most likely is that they’ll simply lose interest in the whole thing and spend their money on another piece of emerging tech instead.
With the help of its ever-expanding army of Explorer testers, Google’s been tweaking the tech for some considerable time, developing not only the software, but the hardware, too. But a couple of years after it first took the wraps off Glass, there’s still no concrete information from the Mountain View company on when it might take the device out of beta and start offering a completed version – with a reasonable price tag – to consumers.
Now in the Play Store
Over the weekend, however, it appears to have taken yet another step in the direction of a full release, adding it (without any fanfare whatsoever) to the Play Store.
That’s correct, folks, the Explorer edition of Glass now has its own listing in Google’s online store, though disappointingly the price tag remains at $1500, or £1000 for UK shoppers. Should you choose to open your wallet, Google promises to throw in a set of frames or shades for your trouble.
Related: What it’s like to tour one of Google’s hidden, strange Glass stores
“Glass is smart eyewear that lets you live lighter, and stay in the here and now,” Play’s blurb reads. In addition, it’s keen to point out that its device “isn’t technology for technology’s sake” because “whether you’re driven by a passion for cooking, your kids, golf, or fashion, Glass helps you get more out of what you love.”
The listing also indicates that should you purchase Glass, you’ll become part of the Explorer program, helping to shape the product via feedback before the device gets that long-awaited general release.
Google has been gradually making it easier for interested consumers to get hold of Glass, expanding the reach of its Explorer program in the US back in May, and launching it in the UK in June.
