Items tagged with AR
Apparently, phone-based VR experiences were not the right call, for Google at least. Today, the company has announced it is sunsetting Daydream VR software and terminating sales of the headsets. After Android 11, the Daydream app may no longer work on mobile devices. However, third-party software may continue working on the platform. Back in 2016, the Google Daydream View VR headset began to ship. At the time, the possibilities for Google pushing VR were high. Google announced that apps such as “HBO NOW, HBO GO, and Netflix” would be coming to the platform. It was not just for content consumption, though. You could play games such as “LEGO BrickHeadz Builder VR, Underworld...
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Nintendo’s Mario Kart Live Looks Like The Ultimate Killer App For Addictive Augmented Reality Gaming
Nintendo is bringing Mario Kart into your living room, but not in the way you’d expect. With the new Mario Kart Live Home Circuit set, you can design and play on tracks in your home with the power of augmented reality. It is as simple as setting up the race gates and running the track with your kart. You can then enjoy it and play against AI or friends who also have a kart from the set. This is the sort of toy I wish I had when I was young. While racing cars on a grooved track is awesome, being put into the video game from real life is even better. With ease, your room, house, or any open space can become a racetrack in Mario Kart. To set things up, you use the four included gates and arrows...
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For better or worse, COVID-19 has changed our way of life and how we do business – perhaps permanently. For school-age children and the American workforce, that has meant “telecommuting” or working from home instead of alongside peers in the office. Online collaborative platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams have helped to facilitate the physical divide between people, but Qualcomm is pushing for even more advanced collaborative tools through augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences, aka extended reality (XR). Qualcomm is touting its XR Optimized Certification Program, which allows its OEM partners to develop XR viewer glasses that can give...
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Ruben Caballero left Apple in early 2019, where he had served as the head of Apple's 5G wireless program. The reason the executive departed Apple had to do with a change in development plans for 5G modems used in upcoming hardware products. After leaving Apple, Caballero became an advisor to a company called Humane, which was founded by former Apple employees. Reports indicate that Caballero has now been hired by Microsoft as a corporate vice president. His role at Microsoft will reportedly involve mixed reality hardware and AI technology. Information on his duties at Microsoft comes from his LinkedIn profile, and the responsibilities were reportedly confirmed by Microsoft. Hiring Caballero is...
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Many people have been talking about the upcoming iPhone 11’s trypophobia-triggering cameras, but the device’s insides are the real attention grabber. The iPhone 11 will ship with Apple’s new U1 chip. Although the U1 chip’s Ultra Wideband technology will initially be used in a limited capacity, it could potentially power new augmented reality experiences and security features. First, what is Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology? UWB is a radio technology that is used for short-range, high-bandwidth communications. It is particularly useful for precision location and tracking and time-of-arrival-based localization. Apple’s UWB technology will be primarily used for spatial...
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Apple takes its time bringing entering new product categories, and that appears to be the case with its upcoming AR headset. The clearest evidence ever that Apple has an AR headset in testing has surfaced from code hidden inside iOS 13. IOS developer Steve Troughton-Smith has found a readme file tucked inside iOS 13 that explains to Apple employees how to run augmented reality apps on the iPhone when a headset isn't available. The developer says that the code suggests the rendering might be handled on the iPhone itself and will work with an additional gamepad/motion control device. With the readme file telling workers how to test AR apps without having the AR headset, and no mention of AR tech...
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Oculus CTO and legendary game developer, John Carmack recently went on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast where he talked about the state of augmented and virtual reality. Carmack talked a bit about Facebook's recent suggestions that the future of Insight and Guardian motion-tracking technologies is all-day wearable augmented reality glasses. He underscored that future isn't immediately on the horizon. Carmack also talked about other companies in the AR and VR space, such as Magic Leap. He said that Magic Leap has been underdelivering on its early hype. He says that technology hasn't advanced to the point yet where AR glasses can be made small enough for users to wear all day, and that Oculus could...
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Although companies like Microsoft and Google have targeted the augmented reality glasses market with the HoloLens/HoloLens 2 and Google Glass respectively, a company called nReal has announced AR glasses aimed directly at the consumer market. The aforementioned glasses from Microsoft and Google comes with high price tags that make them more suitable for enterprise applications, but nReal's lower price point could be a big advantage. The company says that the nReal Light Consumer Kit will ship in limited quantities later this year for $499, while mass availability isn't scheduled to happen until 2020. The device connects via a USB-C cable directly to compatible "XR optimized" devices and is powered...
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While virtual and augmented (VR and AR) reality hasn't taken off in the consumer space in a big way, its hardware and technologies are still being driven, but mostly with a focus on enterprise use as of late. Microsoft unveiled its HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset at MWC 2019 in February. The software giant was clear that the device wasn't aiming at the consumer market; rather it was more for enterprise customers. Later, word surfaced that Microsoft had won a contract with the U.S. military that would see the Army get a version of the HoloLens 2 for use on the battlefield, something that a small group of vocal Microsoft employees complained about, leaving Microsoft's CEO defending the contract....
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Google is no stranger to the augmented reality (AR) field, having helped introduce many people to the concept with its original Google Glass wearable. Although Google found some success in the enterprise market with Google Glass, it wasn’t exactly a ringing commercial success and those that dared to wear the eyewear in public were labeled “creepy” or “glassholes.” However, a new patent has surfaced which suggests that Google may working on a next-generation AR device that is similar in concept to its predecessor. The patent was actually published yesterday, and describes a “head-worn augmented reality display.” Attached to the frame...
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Hardware and game makers thought years ago that the next big thing for gamers was virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) gaming. That has failed to happen, but adoption in the business sector is coming along much faster. Microsoft unveiled its Hololens 2 at MWC 2019 and aimed it at enterprise users. The software giant signed a big contract with the U.S. military to provide Hololens headsets for training in a deal that is worth $479 million, something some employees were against. Despite a recent patent application from Microsoft that showed an AR app for smartphones, a company executive has now admitted we are years away from consumer adoption of the tech. Microsoft's director of communications,...
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Is Apple working on an augmented reality (AR) device? Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently reported that consumers should expect AR glasses from Apple sometime next year. The device will supposedly be marketed as an iPhone accessory. Apple’s AR glasses will serve primarily as an iPhone display while the actual computing, internet connectivity, and location services will be provided by the iPhone. Although users will need to carry their iPhone around with them to use the AR glasses, the glasses themselves will supposedly be smaller, more lightweight, and more comfortable to wear. It is also likely that the AR glasses will pair with other devices like the Apple Watch. Kuo believes that the...
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Microsoft unveiled the HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset at MWC 2019, and as cool as the hardware is, it is aimed at the commercial market and carries the price tag to go with it. Consumers aren't the market Microsoft's fancy new headset targets, but a new patent filing shows how the software giant plans to bring virtual and mixed reality to the consumer masses via an AR smartphone app. Credit: Microsoft via USPTO A patent application has surfaced that outlines part of what Microsoft plans to do for consumers with mixed reality technology on smartphones. The patent document states that in a virtual reality experience, virtual imagery is displayed in the field-of-view of the user, to provide...
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The 2019 Mobile World Congress kicks off tomorrow in Barcelona, Spain but several companies have already introduced a wide variety of products. Many consumers are eagerly awaiting the announcement of mobile devices like foldable or 5G smartphones. However, after several months of heavy-handed hints, we have finally seen what Microsoft plans to do with their offering in mixed reality technology. The Redmond company just unveiled their HoloLens 2 at its press event today. The HoloLens 2 builds upon the original HoloLens, a mixed reality headset that was released by Microsoft in 2016. According to Julia White, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Azure, the HoloLens assisted...
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At last year's Google I/O conference, there was much talk about augmented reality (AR) enhancements that would be coming to the huge popular Google Maps navigation app. We haven't heard much else since the feature was first talked up, but Google is now letting a select few testers see how AR navigation works in the real world. In this case, The Wall Street Journal was given early access to a test build, which uses a combination of your phone's current location (pinpointed via GPS) and your smartphone's camera to get a "live view" of the environment around you. The upper two-thirds of the display within the app shows you the live feed from your camera; then overlays for street names,...
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Anyone who was ever tired to buy prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses online knows that it's hard to find something that looks good on your face without having the frames in your hands. A new app from Warby Parker is using augmented reality to solve the dilemma of trying on glasses without actually having the frames there to put on your dome. AR certainly hasn't taken off like Apple or Snap hoped with its Spectacles, but this virtual try-on feature in the updated Warby Parker app is very cool. The app uses AR to overlay glasses in whatever frame style you choose on your face. Warby Parker has offered a successful in-home try on feature where they send up to five frames to your home for you to...
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Intel has announced the latest its long line of RealSense Tracking Cameras, the T265. The chipmaker is touting the T265 as a new class of standalone inside-out tracking devices that can give developers the tools they need to build autonomous devices with high-performance guidance and navigation. Intel's T265 tracking camera uses proprietary visual simultaneous localization, and mapping (V-SLAM) tech that Intel says is key for applications that need a "highly accurate and low-latency tracking solution," and it notes its tech is ideal for robotics, drones, augmented reality, and virtual reality. The T265 is powered by an Intel Movidius Myriad 2 vision processing unit (VPU) that handles all the...
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The holiday season may be behind us now, but we wanted to keep you all in the holiday spirit just a little longer. As you've likely heard, we hooked-up with our friends at Lenovo for another HOT Holiday Giveaway that ended in December, just before we headed out for CES 2019. For this giveaway, we had not one but three awesome prizes up for grabs -- two Lenovo Smart Displays with Google Assistant – one 10” model and one 8” – along with a Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges AR Kit with Kylo Ren Lightsaber; cool tech, great gear, good times. In any event, we've finally scoured through all of the entries and have picked the lucky winners! So,...
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The holidays are almost here, and we want to do our part to get you all worked up and in the holiday spirit. We thought there’s no better way to do that than to give away some HOT new tech gear brought you by Lenovo! Up for grabs in our latest HOT Holiday giveaway are two Lenovo Smart Displays with Google Assistant – one 10” model and one 8” – along with the Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges AR Kit With Kylo Ren Lightsaber! 1st Prize: Lenovo 10” Smart Display 2nd Prize: Lenovo 8” Smart Display 3rd Prize: Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges AR Kit With Kylo Ren Lightsaber To be entered to win one of these awesome prizes, please hit the widget below and...
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Snap Inc. wants its wearable cameras to be a big deal, and it keeps refining the design to make them more appealing to consumers. So far, the existing Snap Spectacles haven't exactly taken off with respect to sales. Two new Spectacles unveiled in September were essentially the same as the brightly colored and strange looking original Spectacles from 2016 in sleeker frames. Snap Inc.'s Original Spectacles Snap Inc. is reportedly set to launch another Spectacles style by the end of 2018 with new tech crammed inside. Reports claim that the new Spectacles are known internally as Newport, and will feature an all-new design that has a premium frame made of aluminum. So far, all versions of Spectacles...
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Palmer Luckey is the founder of the company that created the Oculus Rift VR headset, so he is a bit biased when it comes to VR hardware. On his blog, Luckey penned a new post titled "Magic Leap is a Tragic Heap," and he goes on to say that he carefully chose the title. Luckey writes that the Magic Leap headset is a "tragedy in the classical sense" and then notes that the device is a flashy hype vehicle that no one can use in any meaningful way. Luckey seems to be most angry because the hype surrounding the Magic Leap headset "monopolized" funding in the AR investment community, yet the headset fails to deliver on "almost any" of the promises it made to raise that funding. There are some...
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When it comes to predicting new products from the Apple-sphere, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is right at the top of the game. Kuo was rumored to be leaving the Apple prediction realm back in May and then simply landed at a new firm called TF Securities and kept on with his Apple predictions. The analyst's latest research note has been spied and, Kuo talks about a couple of Apple products that have been long rumored. According to Kuo, Apple will roll out its own-branded AR glasses by 2020, and then launch the long-rumored Apple Car by 2023. The Apple car has been an on again, off again project for Apple. The Apple Car program was mothballed according to reports back in 2016 and transitioned to an...
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