Following a successful trial run last month, Google has decided to make the Explorer Edition of their Google Glass wearable computer available to anyone who wants to purchase it -- provided, of course, that they live in the U.S and have an extra $1,500 to spare.
Potential buyers can choose from five colors, a complimentary accessory (either custom frames or tinted lenses, which usually cost $225 and $150 respectively), and a protective case.
Google announced the news today via their official Google Glass blog, which offered a few kind words for early adopters and beta developers.
Last week we told you we"d be trying out new ways to find Explorers. Well, we weren’t kidding. We learned a lot when we opened our site a few weeks ago, so we’ve decided to move to a more open beta. We’re still in the Explorer Program while we continue to improve our hardware and software, but starting today anyone in the US can buy the Glass Explorer Edition, as long as we have it on hand.
Google also posted a video giving thanks to the initial set of Explorers who participated during the closed beta period, crediting them for the ongoing success of Google Glass and paving the way for Glass" future.
Note that while Google has opened the doors for anyone who wants to grab the Google Glass device, they are only offering the Explorer Edition, which means that it"s still in beta and may offer less features than the forthcoming consumer version. Additionally, the price may be significantly more than the eventual consumer version -- we reported last week that Google Glass costs Google just $80 to make -- so if you can"t spare the $1,500 needed to score the Explorer Edition, it may be better to wait until Google releases the consumer version later in 2014.
Source: Google+ | Image via Google