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Google Glass Explorer Edition high-tech specs cost £1,000

The Google Glass Explorer Edition high-tech specs did a spot of skydiving today, and are on sale to early adopters for £1,000.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
2 min read

It's not just the skydivers at today's Google showcase that are sky-high -- the price for the Google Glass Explorer Edition high-tech specs are sky-high too.

The lightweight, camera-equipped glasses were shown off by Google today at Google I/O, where the Nexus 7 tablet and Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android, were also unveiled.

Project Glass is still in development and is far from hitting shops for you or I to wear. But an early adopter's 'Explorer Edition' was unveiled today for attendees of Google I/O, for any intrepid developers who want to get their hands on -- or eyes under -- the high-tech goggles. US developers at the event are able to pre-order a pair for delivery early next year.

They'll have to be feeling flush though: the Project Glass Explorer Edition costs $1,500 (£965).

Google showed off Glass by skydiving into the demonstration, the live images beamed from the skydivers' point-of-view to our screens. Click play below to see how Project Glass literally fell from the heavens:

On the side of the glasses is a touchpad for control, with a small display positioned over your eye. The actual details are still pretty light, although Google did reveal they have multiple radios for data communication, and a gyroscope so the glasses can tell your position and orientation.

Google envisages two uses for Glass glasses. Firstly, wearers can capture videos and photos taken in those split seconds when you wish you had a camera but there isn't one to hand.

Secondly, the specs give you an augmented reality view of your surroundings, layering information over whatever's in front of you. That could be traffic updates, directions, or even information on the person you're talking to.

It seems fancy specs are the future: Sony is working on a Project Glass rival, with Microsoft Xbox Kinect Glasses also in the works.

Would you pay £1,000 for some sophisticated spectacles? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.