Google Glass: Everything You Need to Know

Few products have been talked about recently as much as Google Glass. Google unveiled Project Glass in April 2012, saying it started as a project in the company's not-so-secret Google X research lab. Two years later—and especially since it's going on sale today without an invite for one day only—it's a good time to round up and summarize what we've learned so far. It costs $1,500; normally, you need an invite. Here's what you need to know right now about Google Glass:

It's the first virtual reality-style pair of glasses that look (almost) like normal glasses. Google Glass is extremely lightweight; it weighs less than a standard pair of sunglasses. There's definitely something geeky about them, thanks to the little module on one side, although thankfully it's no Virtual Boy. You can get them in five different colors, and for an extra cost, with more attractive frames ($225) or shades ($150), as well as a prescription-friendly version.

It projects a smartphone-like experience into your field of vision. You can see texts, email, queue up your music, follow map directions, check the weather, and more, all right in front of you. You can also respond to messages or call up features with voice-activated commands, and the augmented-reality interface can highlight things you see in real life and tell you more about them. It snaps 5-megapixel photos and records 720p video. In addition, you can share live video of what you are seeing with someone else, and even livestream events in high definition with the right app and extra hardware.

Google Glass itself is roughly a smartphone, in terms of hardware. There's a camera and a button on top for taking photos, a touch pad on the side, a plethora of gyroscopes and accelerometers, a compass, multiple radios, a micro USB charger port, several microphones, and a tiny bone-conducting speaker. There's no cellular radio. Inside, there's a TI OMAP 4430 processor, 1GB RAM, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and 16GB of internal storage, with about 12.5GB free for the user. The OS doesn't look like Android, but it is, and Google plans to push out Android 4.4 KitKat to it later this week. It lasts about a day on a single charge.

It's still not easy to get. Initially, Google began accepting pre-orders, but you had to be a 2012 Google I/O conference attendee, live in the U.S., and put up the entire $1,500 Google was asking for up front. Today's the first time it's available directly to the public without having to jump through hoops and get an invite, although that changes again tomorrow. But during the past two years, Google has made it available on occasion, if indirectly. For example, last year, Google opened Glass availability to select people who posted a brief message to Twitter or Google+ with the #ifihadglass hashtag, as chosen by the company. This led LeVar Burton, of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame, to quip on Twitter that if he had Google Glass, "it would be a downgrade."

Many people are freaked out by the privacy and safety implications—and rightly so. One Seattle bar quickly banned Glass as a PR stunt. But the fact remains that people don't always want the world to know exactly where they are and who they're with at all times. And the fact that Google Glass can snap photos and record video automatically opens up all sorts of social and privacy concerns, as it's less obvious than someone holding up a phone or camcorder. Many states have already passed laws banning it while driving or bicycling. Finally, it just tends to draw a lot of attention; people know what it is and will walk up to you and ask you questions when you're wearing it. Two years in, that hasn't died down; it's still not common enough.

Google Glass apps could be where the real innovation happens. Day-to-day built-in usage is fun and relatively transparent. For example, when you take a photo or record video, you can share it via a new option on the timeline, but you don't have to stop what you're doing and share it immediately from a dialog box. Text and email comes in via pop-ups, and you can dictate responses with your voice. Tap on a news story using the control pad, and the full version will appear. But Glass as an app platform is still a lot of potential and not a lot of actual utility—third-party apps are limited to delivering short bursts of information in specific situations, which can be timely and useful. But there's nothing that screams killer app yet.

We're excited for a real consumer version. Google hasn't said anything about the future of Google Glass beyond the current version; you can look on the company's Project Glass Google+ page for updates. But keep checking PCMag, where we will have continuing coverage of Google Glass, including our full review of the current Explorer Edition Version 2.0 as well as our 16 Cool Things You Can Do With Google Glass slideshow.