Google has launched its augmented reality product Glass into the UK, retailing at £1,000.
The UK is to become the second country after the US to receive the Android-powered device; however the prototype will initially be aimed at developers, rather than consumers.
Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display, enabling wearers to communicate with the Internet via voice commands.
At the UK launch, the marketing director of Google Glass, Ed Sanders, said: “One of the reasons we’re here in the UK is the country’s spirit of innovation.
“The consumers, developers and inventors in the UK have a very rich heritage of embracing new technology.”
Sanders added that Glass is not a finished product and Google will be working closely with developers and consumers in the UK at a local level to “find out what will take the product forward.”
However, according to a report in the BBC, there have been talks between Google and the Department for Transport ahead of the launch after the DfT raised concerns about the technology being a distraction to drivers.
“Drivers much give their full attention to the road, which is why it has been illegal since the 1980s to view a screen whilst driving, unless that screen is displaying driving information,” a government spokesperson told the BBC.
“There are no plans to change this and we have met with Google to discuss the implications of the current law for Google Glass.
“Google is anxious its products do not pose a road safety risk and is currently considering options to allow the technology to be used in accordance with the law.”
