Android By Russell Holly Sep. 5, 2014 5:31 pm
It would appear as though Google has officially made its*wearable face computer a member of the family, because you can now order the Explorer Edition of Google Glass and all of its accessories through the Play Store.
Ever since Google Glass was shown off through a series of acrobatics and blimp dives, the Explorer Edition of the tech was considered something of a beta version. This version of the hardware allowed software developers and regular folks to explore the possibilities and report back to Google with their findings. Google kept the Explorer program separate, even private in most cases. The $1,500 barrier to entry was initially coupled with an invite program and a private forum where Glass Explorers could communicate with Google and focus on the projects at hand. Thankfully, things have changed. Anyone be a Glass Explorer now.
As far as we can tell, nothing has changed. This is the latest version of Glass that was announced at Google I/O this year, and all of the same hardware accessories are available at the same prices as the original Glass shopping cart. The only real difference is location, as Glass now occupies prime real estate in Google’s playground. This raises several questions about support, since everything else in the Play Store has the same dedicated support team at Google, but*Glass has had their own support and help teams. If Google plans to merge Glass into the rank and file of the Play Store,*the Glass support structure might change.
Naturally, the other question everyone will have is price. $1,500 is still way too much to ask most people to shell out for a face computer right now, especially with Android Wear sitting there doing most of the things we all wish Glass did just a little bit better. It’s entirely possible that this is just the beginning of the Glass Explorer merger, or this could be the last step before everything merges with Android Wear.
More...
Ever since Google Glass was shown off through a series of acrobatics and blimp dives, the Explorer Edition of the tech was considered something of a beta version. This version of the hardware allowed software developers and regular folks to explore the possibilities and report back to Google with their findings. Google kept the Explorer program separate, even private in most cases. The $1,500 barrier to entry was initially coupled with an invite program and a private forum where Glass Explorers could communicate with Google and focus on the projects at hand. Thankfully, things have changed. Anyone be a Glass Explorer now.
As far as we can tell, nothing has changed. This is the latest version of Glass that was announced at Google I/O this year, and all of the same hardware accessories are available at the same prices as the original Glass shopping cart. The only real difference is location, as Glass now occupies prime real estate in Google’s playground. This raises several questions about support, since everything else in the Play Store has the same dedicated support team at Google, but*Glass has had their own support and help teams. If Google plans to merge Glass into the rank and file of the Play Store,*the Glass support structure might change.
Naturally, the other question everyone will have is price. $1,500 is still way too much to ask most people to shell out for a face computer right now, especially with Android Wear sitting there doing most of the things we all wish Glass did just a little bit better. It’s entirely possible that this is just the beginning of the Glass Explorer merger, or this could be the last step before everything merges with Android Wear.
More...
