Google Glass may still be months away but in the meantime, you can get your name in the hat for another pair of high-tech spectacles from Recon Instruments. The company on Wednesday made their $499 Recon Jet sunglasses available for pre-order but you'll need to act quick as this is a limited-time price.
Recon's Pilot Edition sunglasses are marketed for the active among us - specifically, runners, cyclists and triathletes. This early model is said to lack a few of the features that will ultimately ship with the final product but it's the price Recon had to pay in order to get the units out the door as quickly as possible.
It's not a deal breaker, however, as additional functionality can be added via a software update when they are ready.
The augmented reality visor - like Google Glass - runs Android but that's pretty much where the similarities end. With the Jet, wearers will be able to monitor health and related statistical information like speed, distance traveled, pace, time, heart rate, vertical ascent and cadence, just to name a few metrics.
Recon Instruments CEO Dan Eisenhardt pointed out that the response to the product has exceeded their expectations. With the first edition and the soon-to-be-released SKD, they look forward to seeing what sort of apps that developers can create for Recon Jet.
The headset is expected to ship in the US, Europe, Australia and Japan between December 2014 and early 2014. It's worth pointing out that once the Recon Jet hits retail, it will sell for $100 more at $599.