Tag: google glass

Consumers in the United Kingdom can purchase the smartglasses for £1,000

Two years after being launched in the United States, UK consumers who own a credit card and who are over the age of 18 can now purchase Google Glass, which carries a price tag of £1,000 (just over US$1,700).

Even though they are on sale for the general public, the glasses are still in beta form.

According to Google, its wearable devices that have been made available for purchase in the United Kingdom are still only prototypes. The company wants the consumers who are the first to buy the product to use the gadgets, report problems and offers suggestions to help improve Google Glass’s future development. Once the beta phase is over, the official product is anticipated to cost about the same as the typical smartphone.

Glass can support prescription lenses and, soon, users will be able to choose from 5 swappable frames and 8 sunglasses from fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg. In addition, owners of this wearable tech will be able to resell the glasses just as users can sell their mobile devices. At present, there are several different older models of Glass up for auction and for sale on the UK eBay site from US sellers. However, prices are close to £950, which is not much cheaper than the newly released prototype.

The Google Glass version released in the UK will have better features than earlier models.

Since it was first introduced, Glass has been revised three times and has undergone several software updates. The UK model will have longer battery life than previous versions and will also be equipped with certain customizations that will enable it to adapt voice recognition software to accommodate varying British accents.

Consumers have the option of purchasing the wearable device online and having it shipped directly to them or they can head to the “Basecamp” center in King’s Cross in London, which Google has opened up for those who wish for a trial and fitting.

In addition, the UK variant of Google Glass can run “Glassware”, specialized Android apps. There will be 5 new apps made available from launch that are specific to the UK. These include apps from Guardian, Shazam, Star Chart, goal.com and Zombies Run.

Recent studies and reports are adding to a growing body of evidence that indicates that people aren’t wild about wearables, yet.

Wearable tech may be one of the fastest growing mobile device categories, but at the moment, the popularity appears to be notably greater among the companies actually developing these gadgets than among consumers who are buying them.

Not only are people not necessarily buying wearables as fast as they’re being produced, but they’re judging those who do.

Some wearable tech has a better reputation than other forms. For example, fitness trackers seem to have been broadly accepted by consumers, as a whole, but at the same time, there are other forms that are bringing about far less love. For example, while spotting a smartwatch on someone’s wrist may generate a great deal of interest and conversation, at the moment, Google Glass and other augmented reality headsets seem to label a wearer as someone much less likeable.

The opinion that consumers have about wearable tech doesn’t seem to have anything to do with its usefulness.

To go back to the Google Glass example, an owner of these wearable devices can take advantage of a very high quality gadget that can be operated by voice command and that brings many of the features that can be found on a smartphone into a hands-free environment. However, despite the fact that it is very handy, people who use the device have been labeled “Glassholes” and are essentially thought of as people who are trying to declare their own self-worth by throwing their money into the latest technology.

A digital research firm called L2 recently released a report that pointed out that while 75 percent of consumers are aware of what wearable tech actually is, only 9 percent have any desire to actually purchase and own one. Even smaller is the 2 percent group that actually owns one of these mobile devices. The report showed that among those who were surveyed, 52 percent felt that the best location for wearables to be worn is on the wrist. Twenty four percent said that some place on the arm was best, and only 5 percent felt that headbands or other head-mounted displays were ideal – even in the form of eyeglasses or contact lenses. Clearly, the design of these products has a long way to go before consumers accept them – and their wearers – more broadly.