After announcing the Glass Collective for funding app developers, Google has revealed specifications of the Glass Explorer edition and has posted its developers guide for using the Glass Mirror API. Moreover, it also announced it will start shipping the first units to those who had pre-booked the Explorer edition for $1,500 after it was unveiled at Google I/O last year.

Google Glass features a high resolution display, which as per Google’s claims will be equivalent to a 25-inch HD screen viewed from eight feet away. It also sports a 5-megapixel camera to capture stills and shoot videos at 720p. There is a 16GB memory in the device out of which 12GB comes usable by the wearer and can be synced with Google cloud storage, which we assume would be a reference to Google Drive.

On the connectivity front, it comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and a micro-USB port. Google claims that the battery of the device will last up to a full day of typical use. However it also states that video and Google Hangouts are more battery consuming and thus will drain the battery more quickly. For audio prompts, Glass features a Bone Conduction Transducer, a technology that has been around for a while but rarely implemented. According to the product page, Glass is designed to fit any face and comes with adjustable nosepads along with two extra nosepads and features a durable frame.

Google has also released a MyGlass companion app on the Play Store that is compatible with any Android smartphone running Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3 or higher. The app enables GPS connectivity and SMS feature to Glass.

Key specifications of Google Glass

Fit

• Adjustable nosepads and durable frame fits any face
• Extra nosepads in two sizes

Display

• High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away.

Camera

• Photos – 5 MP
• Videos – 720p

Audio

• Bone Conduction Transducer

Connectivity

• Wifi – 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth

Storage

• 12 GB of usable memory, synced with Google cloud storage. 16 GB Flash total

Battery

• One full day of typical use. Some features, like Hangouts and video recording, are more battery intensive

Charger

• Included Micro USB cable and charger
• While there are thousands of Micro USB chargers out there, Glass is designed and tested with the included charger in mind. Use it and preserve long and prosperous Glass use

Compatibility

• Any Bluetooth-capable phone
• The MyGlass companion app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher. MyGlass enables GPS and SMS messaging

You can see how it feels to wear the glasses in the video below.