Smartphones News
Apple AR: Fruit Ninja Makers Aim for Viral AR Gaming Hit with Siege Breakers
Rovio created one of the first mobile gaming hit franchises with Angry Birds, so perhaps it is surprising that, aside from a promotional mini-game developed with Zappar, the company has yet to adapt the game to augmented reality via ARKit.
News: Apple Bets Another $390 Million on AR's Future, Funds Finisar to Increase iPhone X Component Production
In a move that will increase production capacity for its TrueDepth camera system, Apple has awarded vendor Finisar with $390 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund.
News: HoloLens Update for Remote AR App Offers a Peek at the Future of Remote Collaboration in AR
On Wednesday, Scope AR, makers of Remote AR, the augmented reality video conference calling and remote assistance solution, announced that the app is finally available for HoloLens. Next Reality had a chance to talk with the founder and CEO/CTO of Scope AR, Scott Montgomerie, inside this new version of Remote AR.
News: Weta Brings Its 'Lord of the Rings'-Style Character Effects to the World of Augmented Reality via ARCore
Most of the animated characters and animals we've seen in augmented reality are still fairly basic in terms of visual fidelity. And because many are still impressed by simply seeing 3D figures properly scaled and tracked alongside real-world objects, this approach has worked ... so far.
News: Mozilla Launches WebXR Viewer iOS App to Let Developers Experiment with ARKit
While Apple launched ARKit to enable developers to build augmented into mobile apps, Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser, is taking advantage of the platform to advocate for browser-based AR experiences.
News: Apple's First Augmented Reality Commercial Is Short but Powerful
Earlier this year at WWDC, Apple made a big show of featuring augmented reality as a central part of iOS moving forward. But since then, other than comments from the company's CEO, Tim Cook, we haven't seen much direct promotion of augmented reality from the company. Until now.
News: Airbnb Thinks an Augmented Reality Feature Will Make Your Next Stay Less Awkward
Just as the modern travel experience has improved thanks to the internet, Airbnb wants to make your stay in a stranger's home easier by way of augmented and virtual reality.
News: Facebook Messenger Update Targets Augmented Reality Features in Snapchat
Continuing its unrelenting (and mostly successful) campaign against Snapchat, on Tuesday, Facebook announced the addition of "World Effects" to its Messenger app.
News: Mercedes-Benz Gives the Auto Manual a Virtual Boost with Augmented Reality
The same approach to augmented reality that some companies use to improve workforce productivity could also make it easier for car owners to operate and maintain their vehicles.
News: Super Mario Augmented Reality Game Connects the Past with Gaming's Future
Not all remakes of video game classics turn out well, but a new augmented reality take on Super Mario is likely to draw in fans of the Nintendo hit.
News: Disney Has Figured Out How to Make AR Content React to Real-World Obstacles
Researchers at Disney have demonstrated the ability to render virtual characters in augmented reality that are able interact autonomously with its surrounding physical environment.
News: Google's New Pixel AR Stickers for 'The Last Jedi' Let You Take Star Wars Characters Anywhere
With just a few more days to go before its release in theaters, the Star Wars: The Last Jedi push has gone into overdrive. On Monday, Google released "The Last Jedi AR Stickers," a set of augmented reality stickers that lets users put a number of different Star Wars characters and objects into the real world.
News: Star Wars Unleashes Adorable AR Porgs via Snapchat
To promote Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Disney and Lucasfilm released virtual porgs into the wilds of Snapchat via a Sponsored Lens on Sunday.
Apple AR: Soccer Players Get to Test Their Skills via a Unique ARKit-Powered App
If you've been paying attention, you already know that ARKit can detect horizontal surfaces and estimate ambient light, but did you know that it can also help you improve your soccer game?
News: Now You Can Track the Bitcoin Mania Bubble in Augmented Reality
You love augmented reality (that's why you're here!), but some of you also love cryptocurrencies, most popularly known in one of its forms as Bitcoin. So you might be wondering why you can't you find two of your favorite emerging technologies together in one app. Take heart, early adopter — now you can.
Market Reality: Augmented Reality Continues to Disrupt Mobile via Facebook, Starbucks, Swarovski & Others
Augmented reality was recently named the "Mobile Disruptor of the Year" for 2017 by Mobile Marketer, but the technology is showing no signs of slowing down as we head into 2018. In fact, the technology appears to be gaining momentum.
Apple AR: Deck Your Halls with Boughs of AR via IKEA Place & Other Holiday-Themed Apps
They say if you don't believe, you don't receive. Therefore, I'll choose to believe that this holiday season, Santa's elves have learned how to code in Unity and leverage ARKit to deliver these jolly AR apps for helping children of all ages virtually decorate their homes.
Apple AR: Vogue App Shines an AR Spotlight on iPhone X Owners
When it comes to identifying what's fashionable on the runway, including cutting edge tech that bleeds into the mainstream of style, Vogue magazine stands at the top of the list.
Apple AR: This App Lets You Take Your Twitter Obsession into Augmented Reality
From media insiders to the halls of politics, news travels fast on Twitter, making it one of the most powerful social media channels for disseminating or collecting information. Now, for better or for worse, you can immerse yourself in the data firehose of Twitter in augmented reality.
News: Swarovski & Other Retailers Try Using Augmented Reality to Lure Holiday Shoppers to Stores
Nowadays, with the convenience of online shopping, brick-and-mortar retailers and malls have to work harder to draw shoppers to stores. This year, many of them are turning to augmented reality for assistance.
News: The Rock Pops Out of EW Cover with Augmented Reality
Usually paper beats rock. With augmented reality, The Rock beats paper. Using the Life VR app for iOS or Android, Entertainment Weekly readers can point their smartphones at the cover of the Dec. 8 edition to view a holiday greeting from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, star of the forthcoming reboot, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
News: BMW Uses ARKit to Let You Customize Your New Car in iOS
Last month, BMW rolled out its playful take on augmented reality with Snapchat, and now the automaker is bringing that same immersive computing whimsy to iOS directly.
News: It's Raining Cats & Mudkips as Dynamic Weather Arrives for Pokémon GO
Now, when the weather outside is frightful, Pokémon GO players can expect it to be just as unpleasant in augmented reality.
News: Father.IO Uses Your Smartphone to Turn the World into a Giant Augmented Reality Laser Tag Arena
For those who thought the action in Pokémon Go was a bit too pedestrian, Father.io wants to recruit you for a multi-player, first-person shooter that unfolds on the streets of your own city.
News: Lumus Licensing Deal with Quanta Could Pave Path to First Generation of Consumer Smartglasses
Transparent display maker Lumus has reached a deal to license its augmented reality optical engine models to Quanta Computers for mass production of displays for consumer smartglasses.
News: Starbucks Brews Up Augmented Reality App to Enhance Roastery Experience
To create a destination for coffee connoisseurs, Starbucks has ordered up a venti cup of augmented reality to make the visit more interactive.
Apple AR: Fuse.it Brings Political Memes into the AR World
Lately, any subject in the realm of politics is a figurative powderkeg primed to explode on the nearest social media channel. Now, one app wants to use your iPhone and AR to strike a match.
News: What Every Major Phone Gained by Removing the Headphone Jack
The headphone jack is becoming outdated technology in smartphones — that's what many manufacturers would have you believe. For the convenience of the audiophiles out there, we recently published our list of all phones that have removed the 3.5 mm jack. But what did each company gain inside their flagship phones by removing this supposedly antiquated port?
News: 'Jurassic World' Movie Sequel Hatches Augmented Reality Book to Accompany Sci-Fi Franchise
The first teaser for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom just hit computer screens on Sunday, but now plans for an augmented reality book for the film have also emerged.
News: Qualcomm Sues Apple Over iPhone X Gestures
Apple is no stranger to lawsuits. They were in a decade-long battle with Samsung that finally came to an end last month, and they've been duking it out in the courtroom with Qualcomm since last year. The more recent case has seen both companies file suits and counter-suits, but now, Qualcomm is claiming that Apple's new iPhone X infringes on patents from a long-deceased mobile operating system.
News: Niantic Preparing Huge Update to Pokémon Go Predecessor Ingress
These days, location-based augmented reality gaming pioneer Niantic is best known as the developer behind Pokémon Go, but the uber-popular mobile game was not its first foray into the AR gaming genre.
News: Facebook's New Messenger Kids Aims to Lock in Young AR Users, Give Parents More Control
Next to millennials, one of the groups most coveted by brand marketers is "Generation Z," the consumers of tomorrow who were born between 1996 and 2010. On Monday, Facebook established a beachhead with that demographic in the realm of augmented reality by launching Facebook Messenger Kids.
News: Concept Smartglasses Offer Glimpse of the Future of Luxury AR Wearables
In the years leading up to the release of the Apple Watch, we were frequently teased with concept designs of what Apple's smartwatch might look like. Of course, many of those outlandish designs were off the mark, but the attention to the idea itself hinted that the public was ready for a mainstream wearable from a high-end hardware maker like Apple. Now smartglasses are getting the same treatment.
Dev Report: Find & Use 3D Objects Faster with Google's Poly API & the Unity Editor
With Google's release of Poly API on Thursday, the search giant has found a way to simplify the workflow for AR creators by enabling the ability to integrate its 3D object search engine Poly directly into an application.
Market Reality: This Is How AR Is Changing Things at Amazon, Apple & Snapchat
During its third-quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that "AR is going to change everything."
News: Vuzix Begins Accepting Pre-Orders for Blade Developer Kits
Just weeks after previewing its smartglasses in a pair of videos, augmented reality hardware maker Vuzix announced on Friday that pre-orders are open for Vuzix Blade developer kits.
News: Snapchat Channels Your Inner Coffee Junkie with Branded Bitmoji from McDonald's
With its new Sponsored Lens debuting on Snapchat on Friday, McDonald's is attempting to give potential customers a virtual pick-me-up.
News: Here's Your First Look at the Star Wars AR Experience Being Shown Off at Nissan Showrooms
Earlier this week, we told you about the new Star Wars augmented reality collaboration with Nissan that will bring the famed science-fiction franchise to auto showrooms, and now we can show you what it looks like.
News: Office Depot Updates Elf Yourself App with the Tiniest Bit of AR
Now that the holiday season has officially kicked off, Office Depot has updated its popular Elf Yourself app with a few new augmented reality options.
News: Always-Updated List of Phones With No Headphone Jack Built-In
The past year brought about a number of trends in the smartphone space. More immersive displays, better processors, and portrait mode for cameras come to mind as big steps forward. One of the most polarizing trends that continued in 2017 is the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack from flagship phones. The number of manufacturers that have completely dispensed with wired audio is staggering, so let's run down the full list!