Smartphones News
News: Augmented Reality in 2017 — The Winners, Losers & Best Bets on 2018
Around this time in 2016, the predictions for the next year had reached something of a consensus: 2017 would be the year of augmented reality. But a funny thing happened on the way to the future — nothing much, really. At least not for the first half of the year.
Market Reality: The 10 Biggest AR Investments of 2017
As the calendar year (and, for many companies, the fiscal year) comes to a close, it appears 2017 may stand as the new high-water mark for investment in augmented and virtual reality technology.
News: A Timeline of Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Displays from 2009 to Present
The reveal of Magic Leap One: Creator Edition brought with it some insight into the path the device took from prototype to "final" design.
News: The Best Augmented Reality of 2017
The augmented reality industry made great strides in 2017, but its apex is not even in sight. In terms of software, augmented reality is approaching meaningful mainstream awareness, thanks mostly to Apple and ARKit. Meanwhile, on the hardware side, AR is very much in its infancy, with headsets mostly limited to enterprise customers or developer kits and the majority of smartphones lacking the sensors necessary to achieve much more than parlor tricks.
News: A New Age in Wireless Charging Is Here — & It's Not Just Qi
Today could mark the beginning of a new age in wireless charging. The FCC has certified the WattUp transmitter, a revolutionary technology that could shape the future of smartphone charging. This new tech addresses many of Qi charging's limitations, and if things go right, may lead to a truly wireless future.
News: Snapchat Is Finally Going to Let Users Share Stories Off-App
Snapchat users have clamored for the ability to share their Stories since the app's inception, and we're finally going to be able to with "Stories Everywhere." Similar to how Twitter gave people the ability to embed tweets in 2011, Snap, Inc. aims to make Stories even more accessible for those outside of the platform.
Apple AR: iPhone X Face-Masking App Gives New Meaning to 'Incognito Mode'
Augmented reality developers are rapidly bringing science fiction tropes into the real world, with the latest example leveraging the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X to emulate the cloaking technology made famous by movies like Predator and Marvel's The Avengers.
News: What's the Difference Between HoloLens, Meta 2 & Magic Leap?
Augmented reality is beginning to leak out into the mainstream world. This is thanks, in part, to ARKit and ARCore. These releases turned the current smartphones owned by millions of Apple and Android users into AR-capable machines. And while there are definitely some awesome use cases for mobile AR, the real future in AR is headworn.
News: Concept Video Hints That First Mainstream AR Smartglasses Could Feature Glass from Apple-Backed Corning
When it comes to making smartglasses that look more like regular eyeglasses and less like sci-fi helmets, Corning International might be among the suppliers to make it happen.
News: Watch Lenovo Mirage AR Headsets Turn Star Wars Fans into Jedi on Christmas Morning
The Force was awakened in many a household on Christmas morning this year, as evidenced by numerous recipients of newly unwrapped Star Wars: Jedi Challenges systems sharing their first lightsaber battles in augmented reality on social media.
News: The Amazing Secret Santa Gifts Meta Employees Exchanged in AR Over the Holiday
What do you get a co-worker for Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanzaa when he or she already has a Meta 2 headset?
News: This Choose-Your-Own-Adventure AR Game Makes the Merge Cube a Compelling Stocking Stuffer
Did you forget to get a Christmas gift for that niece or nephew who you see once a year? If you're lucky, the Walmart near you may have a Merge Cube in stock. When paired with the 57° North game for the Merge Cube, the mysterious-looking cube offers the possibility of extended sessions of virtual adventure in the palm of your hand. Available for $2.99 through the App Store or Google Play, 57° North is a choose-your-own-adventure game that takes place in augmented reality.
News: First Online Multiplayer HoloLens Game Lets You Battle with Virtual Cars Against Others Anywhere
On Friday, game developer PreviewLabs released the first online multiplayer game for the Microsoft HoloLens.
News: Magic Leap CEO Revealed Future Vision for Product Days Before Launch in Bonkers Sci-Fi Speech
Just days before the release of the first image of the Magic Leap device, the company's CEO, Rony Abovitz, knew that the biggest moment of his life was about to unfold the following week. But instead of hunkering down in the Florida-based confines of the company's skunkworks, he instead decided to deliver a speech to the public about, what else, the future.
Market Reality: Magic Leap One Says Hello, Google Tango Waves Goodbye & Honda Uses AR for CSR
Everything that has a beginning has an end. This week marked the end of the long wait for the reveal of Magic Leap's first product and the beginning of the wait for more substantive details. Likewise, Google Tango will meet its end in March 2018, when ARCore will officially begin its public rollout.
News: Apple's iPhone X Animojis Are Now Invading Your Favorite TV Shows
Just a day after the release of the iPhone X, the music-meets-comedy pastime known as Animoji Karaoke quickly emerged as one of the popular (albeit frivolous) features used to justify spending $1,000 for Apple's newest smartphone.
News: Twitter Hijacks Tim Cook's Pokémon Go Tweet with iPhone Battery Complaints
To commemorate the rollout of the AR+ update for Pokémon Go, Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter to promote and celebrate the moment his company's ARKit platform made possible.
News: The Magic of Magic Leap's Hardware — Here's What We Know
It finally happened! In a world of "go big or go home," Magic Leap has finally done something other than tease us with vague promises and rendered video concepts. Although, other than actually showing us what the developer's kit will look like, it seems little more than a slightly different kind of a tease. To demystify this new product, we here at Next Reality decided to put together what we know about the hardware.
Apple AR: With These Holiday Apps, You Can Build Snowmen, Beat Up Elves, or Spin Driedels in AR
No matter what your holiday preference, you're probably aware that Christmas is now just days away. By now, you've already decked your halls with boughs of holly (either physically or virtually), thanks to our last holiday app roundup.
Apple AR: ARKit Update for Pokémon Go Makes Monsters Bigger & Smarter
If you ever thought the Snorlax in Pokémon Go should be taller, and you have an iPhone compatible with ARKit, get ready to look up.
News: Price, Pre-Order & Ship Date for Magic Leap One Creator Edition
With the big reveal of the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition in December 2017, and now the update on Feb. 13, 2018, we no longer have to speculate as to what the augmented reality headset will look like or when (in general) it will be available.
News: 5 Major Problems Magic Leap One Faces on Day One
The mysterious technology product teased via an eccentric TED Talk nearly five years ago has finally been revealed, and it's called the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition. After all of the non-disclosure agreements, furtive comments from CEOs and insiders given early access to the device, and a seemingly never-ending string of hints dropped by the company's CEO, Rony Abovitz, on Twitter, we finally have a real look at the product.
News: From Immersive Comics to Interactive Music, Here's What You Can Expect to Do with Magic Leap One
The year is 2018. You just received your own Magic Leap One: Creator Edition. What now? Rewinding back to today, we know of one specific app that will be available for Magic Leap's device, along with two others that could be tagged as highly likely. Paired with Magic Leap's own experiments and demonstrations, we can get a sense of what the playground for this new toy will offer.
News: Magic Leap One Likely Has Larger Field of View Than HoloLens, but Not by Much
While the public now knows much more about the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition today than it did yesterday, there's still a quite a bit that's unknown. One of the most significant questions — with any mixed reality product — is the field of view. How much of what we see through these glasses will contain the computer's virtual creations?
News: After Years of Being Teased, Here's How the World Is Reacting to the Magic Leap One Reveal
The knee-jerk reactions to Magic Leap's long-awaited augmented reality device, the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition, range from pent-up joy to side-eyed skepticism. That's what happens when you launch the hype train several years before even delivering even a tiny peek at the product.
News: After Years of Mystery & Nearly $2 Billion Invested, Magic Leap Finally Reveals 'Creator Edition' Headset
It finally happened. Magic Leap has given the world its first glimpse at its debut device, the Magic Leap One Creator Edition.
News: Bitcoin Cash Is Now Available on Coinbase
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) has officially arrived on Coinbase, which means you can now easily buy, sell, send, and receive the digital currency without having to manually set up a wallet or trade on an exchange like Poloniex. This addition has boosted the price of BCH, which is currently trading at around $3,400 a coin.
News: Vuzix & CyberTimez Give Gift of Sight to High School Student via AR Smartglasses
Augmented reality hardware maker Vuzix came to the rescue of a vision-impaired student in Pennsylvania today by delivering a pair of Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses to enhance her eyesight.
News: Mobile Apps Come Full Circle — AR Fart Machines Have Arrived
It's long past time to face the facts: farts are funny. The first fart joke dates back nearly 4,000 years to the ancient Sumerian people. References to flatulence were also found in ancient Greece within the works of Aristophanes. (More like Aristo-fannies, am I right?) A standard in practical jokes, the whoopie cushion debuted way back during the time of the Roman Empire.
News: First Footage of Magic Leap's Music App with Sigur Rós Revealed
On Monday morning, secretive augmented reality startup Magic Leap revealed a collaboration with Icelandic music group Sigur Rós. But the story detailing the app didn't reveal anything more than a still image of the interactive Tónandi app, leaving most of us to use to our imaginations in terms of visualizing how it worked.
News: Magic Leap Previews New Way to Experience Music with Sigur Rós App
Last week, Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz teased his Twitter followers with some "fun and cool stuff" to share in the coming days. On Monday, he made good on that promise, sort of.
News: Honda Thaws Our Cold Hearts with Augmented Reality Get Well Cards for Hospitalized Children
Augmented reality has given companies worldwide great powers for innovating business practices and engaging customers, but on Monday, Honda demonstrated that with great power, also comes great social responsibility.
Dev Report: Tango Is Dead, ARCore Preview 2 Is Here with No Change to the Device List
In a highly exciting but ultimately disappointing turn of events, Google released the ARCore Preview 2 today. While the new preview does bring with it new versions of the application programming interface (API) for the C language, pause and resume functionality, as well as increased accuracy, one thing it seems to be missing is a bigger compatibility list.
Market Reality: Apple Funds Its AR Device Production Future, the Snapchat vs. Facebook War Heats Up & Airbnb Goes AR
With an eye toward future iPhone X-focused augmented reality functions, Apple's new investment in one of its components vendors will increase production capacity for the technology behind its TrueDepth camera, but could also apply to its future AR ambitions.
News: London Shoppers Can Now Design Their Own Nikes in Augmented Reality
Nike has launched an augmented reality design tool at its Niketown store in London that lets shoppers customize sneakers and see their designs on a real product.
News: Apple's Phil Schiller Hints at Future Smartglasses by Framing Augmented Reality as Sci-Fi
Whenever you attend or remotely watch a major Apple event, you're likely to see Phil Schiller, the company's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, unveiling a brand new product on stage. Outside of an official event, Schiller is the second most likely person (after Apple's CEO Tim Cook) you'll find delivering a rare tidbit of new Apple info or perspective to the public.
Apple AR: Make Song Lyrics Flow Right Out of Your Speakers with This iPhone Augmented Reality App
So you want to do Kendrick Lamar's "HUMBLE." in Animoji Karaoke, but you need the lyrics. Well, now you can see those rhymes spit out in augmented reality.
Hands-on: I Went to Battle in Augmented Reality with Father.IO & Lived to Tell About It
Last week, augmented reality startup Proxy42 released Father.IO, a multiplayer game that turns any indoor or outdoor space into a laser tag arena.
News: The Razer Is Now the Best Gaming Phone You Can Buy
When it comes to mobile gaming, you have a lot of fantastic options. Most flagship devices on the market, such as the Galaxy Note 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or OnePlus 5T, are perfectly capable of giving you an excellent, immersive experience. If you're looking for the ultimate way to experience Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp or something with more action like Into the Dead 2, the Razer Phone is the winner.
News: Snapchat Claps Back at Facebook by Letting Users Create Custom AR Lenses with Lens Studio
On Thursday, Snapchat opened up its walled garden of World Lenses to the masses of creators with the launch of Lens Studio.