There’s been a marked surge of interest lately in Google’s Project Glass, and with the Mountain View company having offered something of a progress report to interested parties earlier this week, further details have today emerged concerning the release, compatibility, and cost. According to reports, the wearable, augmented reality spectacles will be compatible not only with Android, but also iOS, and with the consumer-ready version said to be arriving before the end of the year, prices are being touted at just below the $1,500 mark.
There was never any doubting that Google Glass would play nicely with the search giant’s very own Android platform, but many iPhone users were concerned that they may be left out in the cold. TheVerge has has gotten up close and personal with the workings of the project today, however, and thankfully confirmed that this probably won’t be the case. Glass can connect to Wi-Fi directly, or can tether from either an Android or iPhone, and although there’s no cellular radio within Glass, it does include a GPS chip.
The same article also states that Project Glass’s chief Steve Lee has said the product should be available for consumers to purchase before the end of 2013. It’s certainly nice to know that once Glass does hit the consumer market, those wielding iPhones will be able to enjoy the augmented reality as much as their Android counterparts. Well, at least in theory.
As far as price goes, that’s another matter altogether. The software your smartphone runs may not be much of a limitation, but your budget may prevent you from jumping on the bandwagon. Apparently, prices will be a shade under the $1,500 mark, and although it’s not much of a shock (Google was asking for $1,500 for the early, developer-tailored versions), it doesn’t make them any more affordable.
Then again, the Chromebook Pixel, which has no real market and appears to have been made for the sake of it, starts at $1,300, which makes Glass look decidedly cheap in comparison. But snide digs at the strangely out-of-place Google notebook aside, you’d better get saving now if you want to be among the first to land yourselves a pair of Google Glass glasses later this year.
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