If you missed the opportunity to snap up a Google Glass unit when Google briefly opened up sales to the general public last week, we’ve got good news for you. It looks like Google’s controversial HUD is back on sale and available to all those living in the United States. Initially only available to members of Google's Explorer Program, the $1,500 device seems to be almost ready for the big time.
Word started doing the rounds around lunchtime today thanks to this post over on Google Glass Geeks. Though we've yet to hear from anyone who's actually purchased, multiple people have reported success in getting as far as actually handing over payment details (though we haven't found anyone willing to plonk down $1,500 just to see if the order goes through) and we were able to do the same. Interestingly, it took us a few tries to access the store. Initial attempts spat back the familiar "That's All Folks!" message to indicate the Explorer program is full. Given the unreliable nature of the order page, we'd say this might be an accident on Google's part. If you want one, best act fast and hope your order goes through.
Even if today's bout of availability is short-lived or accidental, this (combined with last week's legitimate offering) does demonstrate how close Google must be to a retail version of Glass. Scheduled for its retail debut sometime this year, Google has been pretty quiet about a specific launch time frame. Hopefully the fact that Google was comfortable opening up the Explorer program to the general (American) public means that the launch is sooner rather than later.
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