See What It's Like To Get The VIP Treatment When You Pick Up Google Glass

After nearly a year of waiting, this week I finally got my chance to get Google Glass - the search giant's work-in-progress headset that costs a whopping $1,600 if you include taxes.

About three weeks before, Android Central reported that Google was beginning to send out invitations to buy into its Glass Explorer program to its paid All-Access Music subscribers. I had just finished my free trial and decided to stick with the service, so the news was a welcome surprise.

Weeks went by with nothing from Google in my inbox. I figured that my recent upgrade to the paid tier was holding up the invitation. Finally, it came - and I was given a choice: have it immediately shipped to me, or visit the company's office in San Francisco to have a fitting and assisted setup session.

Since I had heard that the service given at the live session is comparable to that in Apple's retail stores, I thought it would be worth it to wait a few extra days for the experience, as appointment slots were filled for most of the week.

As it turns out, it was. I've gone through a lot of phones and tablets in my time, and the in-person assistance Google gave me made for one of the best first experiences I've ever had with a gadget - it was even better than my experience getting the iPad Air from an Apple retail store when that launched.