During the opening keynote at the Google I/O developer conference this morning, Google founder Sergey Brin bounded onto the stage for a surprise demo of the company’s experimental Google Glass project. To the delight of the crowd, a group of skydivers equipped with Google Glass headsets jumped out of a blimp and landed on the roof of the conference venue.

After that stunning introduction and an impressive demo, Brin announced that conference attendees would have the unique opportunity to preorder a special Google Glass "Explorer Edition" test unit. The Explorer Edition costs $1500 and is expected to ship next year. After a brief wait in line this afternoon, I was able to register a preorder.

Google Glass is an experiment in the field of wearable computing. The device consists of a heads-up display and camera embedded in the frame of a pair of glasses. It is designed to be worn on the head, allowing the user to take pictures and look up information. The concept was unveiled earlier this year and is still experimental.

It’s important to note that the Explorer Edition (which hasn’t received FCC certification) is not intended for regular consumers. It is a preproduction model that Google is making available to a limited audience of partners and third-party developers.

After I completed my registration, I received a commemorative glass block engraved with the number of the Google Glass unit that I will receive. According to a Google representative, the corresponding number will also be printed on the unit itself. My block, as you can see in the picture above, is engraved with the number 673.

Because the Google Glass Explorer Edition is not an end-user product, we will not be reviewing it as such. I’ll be writing about it from the perspective of a third-party developer, sharing my impressions as I test the unit. Assuming that an SDK is made available, I’m looking forward to shedding some light on what it is like to build applications for Google’s wearable computer.

Google Glass is an ambitious concept that promises to change the way that people communicate and access information. We are eager to see what kind of opportunities such a platform can open up for application developers.