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Google: All Glass spots claimed in Explorer Program after April 15 one-day sale following KitKat update

Google: All Glass spots claimed in Explorer Program after April 15 one-day sale following KitKat update

Alexandra Burlacu

Google has reached maximum capacity for its Glass Explorer club after it opened the program up to the public for one day, April 15.

The company has not provided any numbers for now, but said that it has filled all spots after the one-day sale of Google Glass. Although the eyewear costs $1,500, it seems that all available headsets sold.

"We're out of spots in the Explorer Program for now, but may have more to share soon," Google reckoned on its Get Glass Page, which allowed any interested buyer in the U.S. to buy Google Glass.

The Glass team also posted an update on Tuesday, April 15, confirming that the "cotton white" version of the gadget has indeed sold out during the one-day sale. Otherwise, the company did not detail how the other shades of Google Glass fared. The eyewear was also available in sky, charcoal, shale, and tangerine hues.

Google also failed to disclose how many Glass devices were actually available during the one-day sale, which makes it quite difficult to determine how successful this event was.

As part of this sale, anyone in the U.S. could sign up to be a Glass Explorer by paying $1,500 (plus tax) for the eyewear. Before this one-day sale, Google Glass has only been available through invitation or competitions. Those who managed to get their hands on Google Glass yesterday will receive their device with the shade or frame they chose, as well as a charger, a case, and a mono earbud.

Google Glass has also received its very first update since last December, as KitKat for Glass rolled out earlier this week. The update brought along several improvements and new features, but it has also killed video calls and the "song search" feature.

According to Google's release notes for the update, KitKat killed the "song search" feature because it wasn't very popular, but nothing is final just yet. The video calls feature, meanwhile, got the boot as well for similar reasons.

"Song search is a relatively new feature that saw little usage. We wouldn't be surprised to see it come back in someone's Glassware," noted the company. "In this release, we turned off video calls. Why? We've been experimenting and gathering feedback on video calls and, while we love the idea, the experience did not live up to our high standards. Meanwhile, it wasn't used all that often by Explorers. We're sad to see it go, but are encouraged to see some effort by Glassware developers coming down the line."

Among the most notable improvements KitKat has to offer is that Google Glass owners no longer need to manually set up Wi-Fi. The gadget is now able to connect automatically to any Wi-Fi network if it has already been set up for the Android device Glass is paired with. The update has also added Google Music Instant Mixes, and it also offers more information now regarding the network status of the device doesn't have a connection.

Google Glass is not yet ready for a general public release, but yesterday's one-day sale finally allowed more interested Explorers to get the device without jumping through hoops. Google seems to plan similar deals for the future, but it may disappoint many if it makes it U.S.-exclusive again. 

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