Today and today only, regular citizens who are not even a little bit powerful or internet famous can become Glass Explorers as Google opens up sales of its face-based tech to the general public.
There are three minor caveats to this: you have to be a US resident, have a US shipping address and be over the age of 18.
For UK shoppers, Wired.co.uk understands there is no reason why a buyer couldn't have a US-based friend buy it for them and ship it over the Atlantic.
So far Google's Explorer programme has been very exclusive, but it looks like the tech will soon start to be increasingly widely available. This may be a one-day sale, but it is accompanied by a
software update, which suggests that Glass is now getting a final spit and polish before it hits the shelves.
Google describes the KitKat update as "subtle, but big", referring to the fact that while the tweaks are significant to the way Glass runs, they are mostly behind the scenes. KitKat offers Glass improved battery life and reliability, as well as easier updates in the future. The fact that Glass now runs KitKat also means that developers can write Glassware -- that's apps for Glass -- using the software development kit for Android.
The update also brings a few differences that you will notice if you're already a Glass wearer. These include photo bundles, which means less scrolling when you're browsing through your pictures.
You can also now send photo replies in Google Hangouts, allowing you to conduct real-time gurning competitions if you so wish. There is also voice command sorting, which means that your most recently and frequently used voice commands will pop up on the touch menu first.
Not everything has survived in the update, however. Video calls have taken a hit as they apparently are not up to scratch at the moment, meaning that less than 10 percent of Glass wearers have been taking advantage of the feature. Google suggests that this is temporary measure "until the experience is better", but also adds that it's seen many developers working on streaming services of their own.
There's no word yet on when Glass will go on sale outside of the US, but no doubt Google will be attempting to get a good idea of demand before it starts to build and ship the modules in bulk. We'd recommend that the company exclude the San Francisco Bay Area from any such trial, lest it skew the results somewhat disproportionately in Glass' favour.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
