Google Glass to Launch This Year for Under $1,500

By Devin Coldewey , NBC News

Credit: Google

Google Glass to Launch This Year for Under $1,500

February 23, 2013 Updated Feb 23, 2013 at 1:04 PM PDT

Everyone's favorite future toy, Google Glass, may soon be more than a gadget-blogger's fantasy. Tech website The Verge has gotten official confirmation from Google that they plan to launch the head-worn device before the end of the year, and for under $1,500.

If you feel the price is bit much to ask for a pair of dorky-looking cyber-glasses, you're not alone. But there are two things you can count on: that the first generation of a new kind of device will always be both expensive and a little clunky, and that people will buy it anyway.

$1,500 is what Google charged developers who wanted early access to the device, and a recently-launched contest with Glass as a reward still requires the winner to pay that sum (and pick it up in person, no less). But they told The Verge that a "fully-polished" version of the device would be out by the end of the year and would cost less — though they didn't say by how much.