Google Glass gets a hardware update

Google has announced that Glass is getting a hardware update following its extended Explorer testing feedback, but current owners won't get upgraded. Google has decided to double the RAM in Glass from 1 to 2GB, as well as giving it a slightly bigger battery.

Google claims that Glass will now last 15 per cent longer between charges, and that the extra RAM "will allow for more Glassware (apps) to run in parallel and for each Glassware to start more quickly".

The OS on the device will now include a voice-activated viewfinder and the new Google Now cards for remembering your parking spot and tracking packages. There are also a slew of new apps for the device.

Software tweaks will roll out to all users soon, while the hardware updates will be present in headsets sold from this date forward.

But all this suggests that the prospect of Glass becoming a true consumer product is some way off, and unlikely to take centre stage at the I/O keynote. Fow now, it looks like Glass will remain an expensive plaything.