Google Glass lands in the Play Store next to phones and smartwatches

   

Itching to strap on a $1,500 face computer so you can follow directions floating in front of your head? Well, Google just made it a little easier to claim a head-mounted display of your own -- it quietly added Google Glass to the Play Store the other day, and the search giant seems intent on making it sound, well, cool. To hear the Mountain View spinmasters put it, Glass Explorers aren't just the people who need to try tech before the teeming millions. No no, they're "bold and inspiring," folks who "make move and marvel through Glass." This isn't the first time that Google has tried to broaden Glass' reach -- they opened up the Explorer program to all comers in the US back in May, but it insisted at the time that it was still very much a "beta" product. Between then and now we've seen a slightly tweaked version of Glass launch and a few software updates go live -- none of those changes seem terribly earth-shaking, but it sure is interesting to see Google stop treating Glass like a special little flower that isn't ready for public consumption.

Google Glass' new features let you switch chat methods on a whim

   

Some of Google's rapid-fire Glass updates have been more useful than others, but its latest is something you're likely to appreciate -- especially if you're a socialite. The wearable's20.1 upgrade gives you a much better contact system (shown below) that gives you quicker access to your friends. You can reach 20 of your favorited and recent contacts through voice, and your phone's entire address book is easily accessible. It's also much easier to switch communication methods. If you want to jump from email to Hangouts to deal with a heated conversation, you only have to swipe to make it happen.

There are a few more tricks up Glass' sleeve. It can now show you nearby events, like concerts; you'll also see a currency converter in Google Now when you're traveling, and a wider range of voice commands should keep you from reaching for the touchpad for simple tasks like changing the volume or sending a photo. Android users should get all the new features as soon as they update Glass, while iOS users will have to wait roughly a week to get the needed MyGlass app.

Control Google Glass with your mind... and a second headset

   

Up until now, you can only navigate Google Glass by touching or talking to it, but London-based firm This Place just made it possible to control the device using something else: your brainwaves. The company just released an open source application called MindRDR that gives you something akin to very, very limited telekinetic abilities -- so long as you have both Google Glass and Neurosky's EEG biosensor headset. See, MindRDR serves as the bridge that connects the two, translating the brain activity from the EEG biosensor into executable commands for the high-tech eyewear. At the moment, the software can only take pictures and upload them to either Facebook or Twitter, but This Place released the app for free on GitHub in hopes that other developers will use it for more advanced projects.

MindRDR shows up as a thin white line on Glass's screen, which moves upwards the more the user concentrates. Once that line reaches the very top, it snaps a picture of whatever you want -- you simply need to repeat the process to upload the image to a social network. In the future, though, its creators believe that the app could be a huge help to people who can't move on their own. These include quadriplegics, those with multiple sclerosis, and especially those suffering from locked-in syndrome.