Google Glass is now on sale to anyone in the US for the price of £1,500, as the next phase of the ‘Explorer Program’ goes to the public.
The augmented reality specs are still listed as the “Explorer Edition,” so this is still considered a beta product.
The company said on a blog post on Tuesday that it had “decided to move to a more open beta” in the device’s development.
Google opened sales of Glass to the US public for one day in April, making it briefly available to people other than just a previous select group of users such as app developers.
Google said it was still working to improve hardware and software. It did not specify how many glasses would be sold or whether it would make any more once sold out.
The consumer version is expected to go on sale to the general public towards the end of 2014.
A stamp-sized electronic screen mounted on the side of a pair of eyeglass frames, Google Glass can record video, access email, provide turn-by-turn driving directions and retrieve information from the web by connecting wirelessly to a user’s phone.
Google Glass has also raised privacy and safety concerns, prompting legislators in some jurisdictions to propose bans or limits on its use including when driving.
To mark the occasion, Google issued a ‘Thank You’ video to its Explorers (shown below):
Read the blog announcement here