Google Glass invites make owners instantly less nerdy among friends

Update: The Google Glass "invite a friend" email that everyone seems to want ended up going out to only a small subset of Explorers and has ceased rolling out.

"We are always experimenting with new ways to expand our Explorer program," a Google spokesperson told TechRadar.

So if you're not seeing an invite from a Glass-wearing friend by now, there's a good chance you won't be seeing through the specs in the first round.

Google said it will continue to expand its Glass program in new ways up until the 2014 consumer launch of Google Glass, so keep your non-computer-enhanced eyes peeled.

Original article...

Sure, Google Glass looks a little nerdy, but owners of the wearable computer just got a whole lot cooler in the eyes of their envious friends thanks to the single invite they possess.

"We love sharing Glass with our friends, because adventures through Glass are more fun with others," reads the email being sent to some Google Glass owners.

"Here's your chance to invite one friend into the Glass Explorer Program."

The invite is already being coveted by early adopters without Glass. Multiple Google+ communities dedicated to these futuristic specs are littered with comments from people begging for an invite.

That means Glass owners won't just have people on the street petitioning them to try out their cutting-edge gadget in person. Early adopter problems, right?

Glass invite requirements

While the Explorer Edition glasses are intended for developers and early testers, Google doesn't seem to be putting that restriction on these particular invites.

Instead, the invitee has to be a U.S. resident, 18 years of age, and be able to pick up Glass in San Francisco, New York, or Los Angeles.

Recipients of a friend's Google Glass invite will still likely have to pay the $1,500 (about £968, AU$1,662) that it costs to own a pair of the Explorer Edition glasses.

That money goes to Google, of course, and not your Glass-owning friend no matter how smart and trustworthy they look wearing Google Glass.

Matt Swider