Google Glass Available Again to General Public With Limited Stocks

Anyone in the United States with $1,500 can now buy Google Inc’s still-in-beta Google Glass, the Internet company said on a blogpost on Tuesday.

Google said it “decided to move to a more open beta,” and said anyone in the United States could buy the Internet-connected Glass eyewear as long as stocks lasted.

(Also see: $1500 Google Glass Costs Less Than $80 to Make: Report)

Google opened sales for the gadget to the U.S. public for $1,500 last month for one day to make it available to more than just the select group of users such as apps developers.

Google, which said it is still working to improve hardware and software of the product, did not say how many glasses it would sell, or whether it will make more of these glasses after they run out of stock.

(Also see: Google Glass review: Uneasy first steps)

The consumer version is expected to go on sale to the general public toward the end of 2014.

A stamp-sized electronic screen mounted on the side of a pair of eyeglass frames, Google Glass can record video, access email, provide turn-by-turn driving directions and retrieve information from the Web by connecting wirelessly to a user’s cell phone.

Google Glass has also raised privacy concerns, prompting some legislators to propose bans on the gadget.

Google said it sold out all of its Glass stock within a day when it had offered the eyewear to the general public in April.

Interestingly, Google did not mention how many Glass units it actually sold. Google had confirmed the news on its Google+ Glass account, saying, “Welcome to our new Explorers! All spots in the Explorer Program have been claimed for now, but if you missed it this time, don’t worry. We’ll be trying new ways to expand the Explorer program in the future. You can sign up below to stay updated. That’s all for now, folks.”

Written with inputs from Reuters