Google Glass Launched In UK With £1,000 Price Tag

The much awaited, much hyped Google Glass has finally been launched in UK, marking the first release of the wearable outside of the US. All UK residents over the age of 18 are eligible to purchase the smartglass which will go on sale this week. The Glass has a hefty price tag of £1000 (more than 100,000 INR). Google says that the product is currently only for developers and not for 'mass consumption' - one of the possible reasons for a four-figure price tag. Nevertheless, Google has committed to bring out a consumer version of the Glass with a price tag of an average smartphone, which is about $150 (about 9,000 INR).

A person using Google Glass has an illusion of seeing a 25" HD screen put right in front of his eyes at a distance of about 8 ft. It is also equipped with a 5MP camera to click photos and capture videos at 720p HD resolution. Instead of the regular earphones, the Google glass uses bone conduction transducer. This 'bone conduction transducer' provides a few distinct advantages over regular earphones, such as it does not block outside sounds, maintains sound clarity in very noisy environment and it can be used with hearing protection. For a more detailed view of specs, check out this Google Glass Tech Specs Out.

Google has partnered with a range of companies to prove that the Glass is not just a 'geek-exclusive' product. This includes a partnership with designer Diane von Fürstenberg to make special frames and with Luxottica, the owner of the Ray-Ban brand and it has also placed the Google Glass in on catwalks and between the covers of Vogue. Five apps (called 'Glassware) are also pre-installed in the UK edition of Glass, which include a running 'audio game', a star map and a news app from The Guardian.

Google hopes that the Glass will be much more useful and efficient than a normal smartphone, such as in getting directions, in answering video calls and emails on-the-fly, etc. It has also partnered with people from information-critical professions like engineers and doctors. The feedback on the Glass was positive to mixed, but still, the doctors and the engineers looked to be satisfied with the wearable rather than the general public.

The pathway to the future or downright creepy, we're sure to find more about Google Glass in the upcoming days.

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