Innovation
Google Glass gets a prescription
Google is releasing four different frames that work with prescription lenses, opening up the wearable computing tech to a whole new group of people.
Google Glass is releasing four different frames that work with prescription lenses, a move that opens up the wearable computing tech to a whole new group of people.
Granted, that group is still small. Google Glass costs $1,500—and that's before the added cost of $225 for the titanium frames. Below is the "curved" frame. Other titanium frames are called split, thin and bold.
The announcement from Google Glass:
If we had a nickel for every time someone has asked about prescription lenses for Glass… well, we’d have a lot of nickels. So we want you to be the first to know that the Titanium Collection is here, with a handful of new styles for Glass so you can make it your own. Whether you wear prescription glasses or just want a new look, we've got four feather-light titanium frames designed just for you. And if you need prescription lenses and have vision insurance (such as VSP), your policy might even help cover your new frames. Explorers can access the Titanium Collection tomorrow afternoon, along with two new styles of twist-on shades.
Perhaps the bigger part of that announcement—and one that will make Glass more accessible to the mainstream— is that Google has struck a deal with VSP, the nation's biggest optical health insurer, to offer subsidized frames and prescription lenses for Google Glass, reported the New York Times. This partnership not only makes Glass more affordable, it also shows that insurance providers understand that wearable computers have a role in health care.
Thumbnail photo: Google
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com