Goggle Glass to Come in Rx and Sunglass Form, and VSP to Offer Coverage for Them

"Google is adding prescription frames and new styles of detachable sunglasses to its computerized, Internet-connected Glass goggles," according to an AP report on Yahoo!News. "The move comes as Google Inc. prepares to make Glass available to the general population this year...On Tuesday, Google plans to make four styles of prescription frames and two new types of shades available to its "explorers" — the people who are trying out Glass. The frames...will cost $225 and the shades, $150." Read more. Another AP story witha variety of images appears at this link.

Meanwhile, Google Glasses will not be an out of pocket expanse. It's covered by insurance, at least VSP. "Google and VSP, the nation’s biggest optical health insurance provider, have struck a deal to offer subsidized frames and prescription lenses for Google Glass, the Internet-connected eyewear," reports the New York Times. "The announcement could take wearable devices, which tech analysts say are the next wave of computing, out of the realm of science fiction and into the mainstream by making them more affordable and giving them a medical stamp of approval. And it opens the door to a new level of cooperation between the health care and consumer electronics industries, which could lead to a world in which people wear or even ingest computers." Read more.

Motorist Gets Ticket for Wearing Google Glasses

Recently "a San Diego cop pulled over a female motorist for speeding, and gave her a traffic ticket for speeding as well as for wearing Google's innovative Glass eyewear while driving," says TopNews.Us. "The woman ticketed for wearing Glass was Cecilia Abadie, who is a member of the Google Glass Explorer program. While handing Abadie the ticket for wearing the Glass device, the cop issued a citation due to 'driving with a monitor visible to the driver.' After receiving the ticket for wearing Glass eyewear while driving, Abadie triggered a debate of sorts about the legality of the use of the device. She said in post on her Google+ account: 'Is #GoogleGlass [illegal] while driving or is this cop wrong?'" Read more.

Man Wearing "Google-Type" Eyewar Reportedly Attacked in Paris

"A Canadian man wearing similar eyewear in a French McDonald’s claims he was physically attacked when someone in the store tried to rip the device off his head," reports Mashable. "Steve Mann, a Toronto resident, blogged on Monday that the incident occurred on July 1 at a McD’s in Paris. After ordering two Ranch Wraps, one burger, and one mango McFlurry, the attacker 'angrily grabbed my eyeglass, and tried to pull it off my head,' Mann wrote. Mann notes that ‘the eyeglass is permanently attached and does not come off my skull without special tools.'” Read more.