Smartphones News
News: Startup Light Field Lab Lands $28 Million in Funding from Samsung, Verizon, & Comcast for Holographic Displays
The venture arms of Samsung and Verizon Ventures, along with Comcast, are among the strategic investors backing startup Light Field Lab and its glasses-free holographic displays in a $28 million Series A funding round
News: Snap Finally Enters AR Smartglasses Territory with Spectacles 3
After teasing what smartglasses powered by Snapchat might look like with two product cycles of camera glasses, Snap has now added augmented reality capabilities to its third take on Spectacles.
News: China's Huawei Reveals Its Vision of the 5G-Powered AR Cloud Called the Cyberverse
The augmented reality cloud will probably be one of the most important pieces of digital real estate in the next few years, and China has no intention of being left out of the virtual land grab.
News: India Telecom Giant Reliance Jio Partners with Startup Tesseract to Bring Augmented Reality Headsets to the Home
We already know that major players like Magic Leap have been planting the seeds of augmented reality for mainstream consumers through wireless partnerships with AT&T, NTT Docomo, SK Telecom.
News: Younique Joins Growing AR Makeup Try-On Market by Launching Web-Based App
Now that some of the best-known beauty brands are leveraging augmented reality to market and sell products, the rest of the market is beginning to catch up — fast. The latest competitor to add AR to its arsenal is direct sales makeup company Younique.
Market Reality: HoloLens 2 Lands at FCC, Samsung Adds Depth Cam to Galaxy Note 10+, & the Magic Leap Apps You Can't Miss
Developers and enterprise customers chomping at the bit to get their hands on HoloLens 2 may not have to wait much longer, as Microsoft passed one of the remaining hurdles needed to release their new tech into the wild.
News: Samsung Elevates Galaxy Note 10+ with Depth Camera for 3D Scanning & Augmented Reality Apps
The mobile augmented reality war for dominance between Apple and its Asia-based rivals is in full effect.
Galaxy Note 10 vs. iPhone XS: Comparing the Newest 'Small' Models from Samsung & Apple
For the first time in a while, the battle between Samsung and Apple is really interesting. Unlike previous years where the choice for smaller hands was limited to the Galaxy S series, this year, there's an option for Galaxy Note users. Both sides of the aisle have their best options in years with minimal sacrifices.
Samsung vs. Apple: Galaxy Note 10+ vs iPhone XS Max
Every fall, we can expect a few things: leaves changing colors, cooler temperatures, and Samsung and Apple releasing new phones that fanboys and fangirls will argue about until the following year. This year, Samsung is mixing it up, releasing two phones in the Galaxy Note series. Let's see how the larger phones compare.
News: 5 Magic Leap Apps You're Probably Missing, Including Star Wars, the Magicverse Matrix, AR Jenga, & More
Whenever the name Magic Leap comes up, the talk inevitably seems to turn to the company's big-name backers and "unicorn-level" amounts of cash poured into the venture. And if it's not that, observers tend to focus on the company's market strategy and overall prospects.
News: Startup Tilt Five Preps Kickstarter Launch for AR Gaming Glasses, Plans to Ship Product by December
Augmented reality gaming startup Tilt Five is ready to reinvent old school Dungeons & Dragons-style games for the modern age with its augmented reality headset and tabletop game system.
News: Facebook Creates 'Virtual Wing' Art Exhibit at the Tate Museum in London, Powered by Spark AR
Ever since Facebook announced Spark AR at the 2017 F8 Developer's Conference, the social media giant has been looking for ways to implement its mobile augmented reality camera platform in the lives of everyday users.
Market Reality: Magic Leap App Makes Waves, Norm Glasses Push Smartglass Future, & Facebook's Mind-Powered Controllers
When it comes to the business of augmented reality, companies that aren't already introducing new products or apps are focused on producing the AR technology of the future. But in the realm of real products and apps, Magic Leap continues to show off what its headset can do, this time via a new app that transports users to the ocean's depths.
News: Microsoft FCC Filing Hints That the Wait for HoloLens 2 Is Almost Over
We know that Microsoft's HoloLens 2 is due to start shipping later this year, but despite the trickle of news about the device, we still don't know when.
News: Slipknot & Guns N' Roses AR Masks on Facebook's AR Camera Let Fans Virtually Wear the Music Experience
While Snapchat augmented reality often embraces pop stars like Drake and Ariana Grande, a couple of bands from the louder side of the music industry have found a home with Facebook.
News: Amazon Sumerian Gains Support for Physically-Based Rendering & Product Templates
Thanks to a new update to Amazon Sumerian, developers will now be able to not only create more realistic 3D content, but also build AR experiences more easily.
News: Snapchat Turns Jack in the Box Augmented Reality Experience into a Build-a-Burger Contest
Fast-food chain Jack in the Box has decided to put an augmented reality twist on the traditional sweepstakes promotion by employing the immersive powers of Snapchat.
News: Microsoft Discontinuing Major OS Updates for HoloLens 1
With HoloLens 2 (hopefully) just around the corner, Microsoft has announced that it will no longer be providing any major operating system updates to the original HoloLens.
News: Facebook's Brain Control Interface Research Could Eventually Produce Thought-Controlled AR Wearables
Who's ready to let future Facebook augmented reality smartglasses read their brain? Well, ready or not, the tech giant is making progress in the area of brain control interfaces (BCI) by funding research.
News: Zynga Debuts Pagini Hypercar in Augmented Reality via CSR 2 Mobile Game
Already among the first game makers to add augmented reality content to an existing game upon the launch of ARKit, Zynga is breaking new ground with mobile AR once again.
News: Apple's [AR]T Walk Brings Contemporary AR Art Installations to the Streets of Major Cities
In recent years, augmented reality has increasingly helped to take art off museum walls and bring it (virtually) into people's homes and communities, offering new perspectives on classic pieces and modern creations alike.
News: Startup Human Capable's 'Norm Glasses' AR Smartglasses Are Like Google Glass in a Regular Pair of Shades
What if, back in 2013, Google Glass had launched not as a Star Trek Borg-like eyepiece, but as a pair of seemingly normal shades, with the augmented reality lens and camera hidden within the frame?
Hands-On: Hands-On with Magic Leap's Undersea, an AR Experience That Transports You to Another World
The latest immersive production from Magic Leap Studios finally got its debut on Monday at Siggraph, during which the company also released the app to the general public, so we took it for a spin.
News: Google Challenges Apple's iPhone X Series with Face Unlock & Air Gestures on Pixel 4
It's been almost two years since Apple added the TrueDepth depth-sensing camera of the iPhone X for Face ID and Animojis, but now Google is ready to upgrade the front-facing camera on its Pixel series.
News: US Navy Using Magic Leap AR Technology to Improve Warfare Training
In recent years, the US military has been utilizing augmented reality as a training tool, giving officers and soldiers an opportunity to train and hone their decision-making, tactical efforts, and weapons accuracy via virtual scenarios.
News: Adobe Previews Stationary Augmented Reality Display Called Project Glasswing
It appears that the Project Aero 3D content development tool isn't the only augmented reality project that Adobe has in the works.
Market Reality: Magic Leap One Tested as Office Companion, Nreal Releases SDK, & Apple Files for AR Navigation Patent
Now that we've had our hands on the Magic Leap One for almost a year and early adopter developers have had the opportunity to publish apps for the AR headset, it's time to see how it stands up against the rigors of a day at the office. We did just that, and we wrote about it!
News: AR Puzzle Game PuzzlAR Makes Jump from Smartphone to Magic Leap One
Augmented reality jigsaw puzzle game PuzzlAR: World Tour, formerly only available on mobile devices, has been given a major upgrade via a new version for the Magic Leap One.
Coming Soon: Choose Your Own AR Backdrops for Instagram Stories
Remember Photo Booth on Mac and iOS? It still exists, but there was a of time where everyone was using it. And why not? It was so cool to take photos with any background imaginable. Underwater? Check. On the moon? Of course. Now, Instagram wants to bring back the fun by introducing AR backgrounds for stories.
News: Magic Leap's New Overture App & Background Music Service Hope to Bring Music into Your AR Workspace
The mystery surrounding Overture, an app that showed up in the Magic Leap World app store along with the latest Lumin software release, has been cleared up.
News: Apple's Latest Patent Proposes Augmented Reality Navigation for Cars via Mobile Device
With Google taking on the sidewalks with augmented reality walking navigation for Google Maps, Apple has its sights set on the road.
News: I Spent a Full Day Working in the Magic Leap One & Discovered the AR Office of the Future
Why do you need augmented reality? Because enterprise, they say. And while that's certainly true for several disciplines, there's still that mainstream use case hanging out there waiting for users to discover beyond the realm of enterprise and gaming.
News: Occipital Updates Structure Sensor with Active IR Stereo Depth Sensing in Mark II Version
Years ago, in 2013, Occipital introduced its original Structure Sensor for iOS, a mobile 3D scanning device for measuring three-dimensional objects. Soon after, in an unrelated deal, Apple acquired PrimeSense, the company that made one of the components for Occipital's scanning device.
News: Magic Leap Expands Multiplayer Support & Adds Hand Mesh Tracking in Latest Lumin OS Update
While Magic Leap has remained mostly silent regarding its plans for its Magic Leap One successor, the software team continues to makes strides with improvements to the device's Lumin OS and SDK.
News: Magic Leap Reveals Peek at New 'Undersea' Augmented Reality Experience
The Association for Computing Machinery's annual Siggraph conference, taking place next week in Los Angeles, will bring researchers from around the to show off their latest innovations in imaging and display technology.
ASUS ROG Phone II: The Gaming Phone for Everyone
Since the Razer Phone's announcement in 2017, we've seen a new subgroup of phones emerge. Gaming phones are now a thing, leading to companies like ASUS creating phones that are thoroughly optimized for the mobile gaming experience. And with their second iteration, they perfected it.
News: Nreal Pushes On in Face of Magic Leap Lawsuit with SDK Launch for Nreal Light Smartglasses
In the midst of fending off legal challenges from Magic Leap and Epic Games, startup Nreal isn't retreating. Instead, the company is digging in its heels and pushing forward with its launch plan for its Nreal Light smartglasses.
Best Music Streaming Services: Spotify vs. Apple vs. Pandora vs. Tidal vs. Deezer vs. Amazon
Trying to figure out which music streaming service to subscribe to can be a difficult task when the playing field is so crowded. Each has its benefits, as well as downsides, so finding the right one for your needs and wants can take a lot of overwhelming research. But we've done all the research for you to help you find the best music subscription your money can buy.
Market Reality: Microsoft Debuts HoloLens 2 AR Clones, Samsung Posts Smartglasses Patent, & Intel Depth Cams Get Cheaper
The longer it takes Apple, Snapchat, Facebook, and other tech giants to build their own version of augmented reality headsets and smartglasses, the longer runway of practical experience Microsoft gains with the HoloLens and its sequel. The latest example: AR cloning.
News: Microsoft HoloLens 2 Video Transports Us to Tokyo & into Mind of Developer Dreaming of Augmented Reality Companions
When you're trying to pioneer a brand new category of technology, sometimes it's not enough to just have great tech. You also need to be able to tell a great story. You need to be able to capture the imagination.