Smartphones News

News: Snapchat Adds Mobile Creative Studio So You Can Design Geofilters in-App

Snapchat announced today that you can now design geofilters in-app, making it easier than ever to customize your snaps. This new feature incorporates a mobile creative studio, so you no longer have to use your computer to create your custom masterpiece.

News: Scientists Solve Smartphone Glare Problem by Imitating the Eyes of Moths

I can't stand trying to use my phone in direct sunlight. It drives me crazy — I just want to get through a game of Sonic, but I can't see where I'm going. No one has it harder than I do. But my troubles might soon be over, as researchers are developing anti-glare films for smartphones, based off of the eyes of moths. Weird.

News: New Messenger Discover Feature Is a Blast from the Past — with a Twist

Today, Facebook Messenger is rolling out Discover, a feature that helps you chat with companies and locate nearby businesses of interest to you. First discussed in April at Facebook's developer conference F8, Discover is finally available for public use.

News: Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses Gains Mac & PC Screen Mirroring via iDisplay

Screen mirroring app iDisplay has arrived for Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses. With the app installed on the M300 and the companion software running on a Mac or Windows computer, users can mirror or extend the computer's desktop to the headset's display, which is connected to the computer via Wi-Fi or USB cable. The app does not yet appear on Vuzix's app store.

News: Tinder Gold Allows Users to See Everyone Who 'Likes' Their Profile

Tinder, marketed as a free 'dating' app, is no stranger to paid features. The company has long allowed users to step up their game by spending money on their 'Tinder Plus' service. Tinder would like more of your money, it seems, as it rolls out a new paid service with a highly-desirable premium feature — the ability to see who has swiped right on your profile, without having to match.

News: CastAR's Financial Woes Lead to Layoffs & Liquidation

What began as a highly successful Kickstarter campaign has all but ended, according to an updated report by Polygon. CastAR, comprised of a few people from Valve's former research and hacking arm, has released a large portion of their team. Only a small core of the group remains, trying to sell the technology they have created.

News: Scandy Gives Tango Owners a Taste of 3D Scanning

Mobile 3D scanning company Scandy has released a new app for devices on Google's Tango mobile AR platform that gives users the advanced 3D scanning capabilities.

Brief Reality: Augmented Reality Companies Earn Accolades for Innovation

A pair of organizations recognized companies working in augmented reality for their innovative technologies over the past week. Meanwhile, another company used augmented reality for a sector that is overdue for a technology makeover, while another company has developed new camera modules that could usher in the next evolution of mobile AR.

News: Pinterest Takes Steps to Hack-Proof Your Account

The peaceful, pastel and doily-filled world of Pinterest is my oasis. My account conveys who I want to be and what I want to accomplish, so the idea of someone hacking it and ruining my favorite escape for me is heartbreaking. Fortunately, Pinterest has updated its security, implementing three new features to hack-proof your account.

Prime Users: Get Up to $80 Off Nokia, Alcatel & Moto Phones

Honestly, this deal is pretty sweet. As of today, Amazon has added five new devices to their "Prime Exclusive Phones" program. The program allows Prime users to buy midrange handsets unlocked at a discount that goes up to $80.

News: T-Mobile LTE-U Gives Galaxy S8 Owners a Speed Boost in Select Cities

Last month, AT&T made headlines with its disastrous launch of its 5G Evolution network (spoiler alert: it wasn't actually 5G). T-Mobile responded to the embarrassing news by saying the company would be working on its own 5G network, and would take its time rolling it out. Well, T-Mobile may have just pulled an AT&T — T-Mobile is launching LTE-U in the US, and things seem pretty similar to the 5G Evolution's introduction.

News: Dating App 'Hinge' Wants to Showcase the Real You with Video Clips

It seems we've come full circle in alternative dating routes. Just like a long time ago when people were able to go to matchmakers and watch videos of potential matches, the dating app 'Hinge' is now allowing you to add videos to your profile.

News: Facebook's AI-Powered Assistant Just Keeps Getting Better with Latest Update

M — Facebook's AI-powered assistant unveiled to the public in April — is now better than ever. The latest update to M now allows it to provide three more suggestions: a function to save content to view later, birthday wishes, and call initiation.

News: No Matter Where You Are, You Can Request an Uber for Someone Else

Admit it — many of us have not gotten in the Uber's we've requested. Sometimes, you just need to get someone else a cab that you're not going to be going with. No biggie ... but your friend doesn't have any connection to Uber or the driver, which can be a little awkward. Uber is addressing this slight issue today, with an update that allows you to officially request Ubers for others.

News: Spotify Brings Popular Playlist to Life with Concert Tour

Your favorite music-streaming app is taking artists from its popular RapCaviar playlist on tour to five major US cities. That's right, put down your smartphones and pick up your credit card because these tickets are going to sell fast.

NR50: Next Reality's 50 People to Watch: Paul Travers

There is an Indian story called the Legend of Paal Paysam, and while it doesn't seem like it at first, it has a lot to say about what motivated Paul Travers in the augmented reality space.

Market Reality: Business Interest High, Adoption Low for Augmented Reality

A new survey shows that the majority of companies have an interest in using augmented reality, though adoption remains low. Meanwhile, two companies with support roles in the augmented reality industry are seeing positive financial results.

Review: Sonic the Hedgehog on Mobile Is a Fun Throwback, with More Than a Few Headaches

Who would have thought back in 1991 that you'd eventually be able to play Sonic the Hedgehog whenever and wherever you wanted? Not a crappy Game Gear version, either. I'm talking the full Sega Genesis version of Sonic, available to you on a bus, a plane, or in a rest-stop bathroom. Now imagine how those people would react if you told them the game would also be free. They would think you were crazy.

News: Facebook Messenger Gets a Huge Update with New Filters & AR Features

Say goodbye to boring video chats over Messenger. Now the app is rolling out new features that can make any chat interesting and fun.

News: Snapchat's Newest AR Lenses Bring Out the Minion in All of Us

Despicable Me 3 is coming to theaters this summer, and it seems that Minions are everywhere. Literally. You can't even escape them on social media because they've taken over Snapchat with the release of three augmented reality lenses. That's right, this new AR feature means that there could be Minions in your flower crown.

News: Want to Watch YouTube with Other People? Try Uptime

If you're like me, then your perfect Friday night has your friends over for some group-YouTube streaming. If you're not like me, you're probably cool. But for the rest of us, YouTube is meant to be a shared experience. I think YouTube has caught on to that trend, since it has developed Uptime, an app that lets you watch YouTube with other people wherever you all are.

News: Thanks to Augmented Reality, You Can Measure Almost Anything with Your iPhone

Thanks to Apple's ARKit, a new app will let iPhone users measure distances through the magic of augmented reality.

News: Your Reading Experience Is About to Change Thanks to Augmented Reality

If you're someone who loves to read, you've probably read a book that made you want to hop into the story and live in the world that wasn't your own. Reading has a way of letting us escape into other worlds and experience things that we normally wouldn't be able to. Augmented reality is similar in that way. Which is why it makes sense that the two would be combined to create an incredible, immersive new way of reading.

News: Nike's Newest App Uses AR to Sell Momofuku Sneakers

Nike's newest app is changing the way we shop. Called SNKRS, it uses augmented reality to sell the limited edition Nike SB Dunk High Pro "Momofuku" sneakers.

News: Want to Make Your Own Live Broadcast? New Facebook App Aims to Help

Facebook, you either love it or you hate it ... or maybe you're indifferent. The point is, Facebook is everywhere, and the debate is still raging over whether or not it's actually, well, good. That debate may not exist for the various personalities of Facebook much longer, however, as Facebook announced a new app geared directly towards improving how they broadcast their content to their audiences.

Building Next Reality: How the ARKit's Impressive Software Detects Surfaces Using Just the iPhone's Color Camera

I currently am and have always been what one might call a PC/Android guy. Many that know me well would likely even go so far as to say I am anti-Apple. About an hour after seeing the ARKit demo during the day-one keynote at WWDC, I became the owner of a brand new Mac.

News: You Can No Longer Automatically Backup Photos to Google Photos While Charging

Well, get ready to have your battery depleted if you use Google Photos. The backup app has just removed the "Backup While Charging" feature in their app.

News: Being a YouTuber On-the-Go Just Got Easier

The beauty gurus, gamers, and daily vloggers of the world are getting a great gift from YouTube very soon. No, it's not exclusive swag or diamond awards. Instead, it's an update to the YouTube mobile app that will support all video formats and let you send in-app messages.

News: Forget CNN or FOX, WhatsApp Is Now a Popular News Source

According to a new study from the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford, people are getting their news from ... unexpected sources. Put away your CNN app and stop checking the New York Times because a familiar app is now keeping you up to date on current events: WhatsApp.

News: Revamped Video Tab Testing Shows Facebook Really Wants to Compete with YouTube

More video content is making its way to Facebook as the social network relentlessly tries to get its video platform up to par with YouTube. Now, they seem to be making more of an effort to improve their video tab, as new features have started to appear on some Android phones.

News: Tech-Savvy Walsh Community Previewed Through Augmented Reality with Pre-ARKit iOS

Walsh, a new community under construction on 7,200 acres of former ranch land near Fort Worth, Texas, will one day contain 15,000 homes.

News: This Guy Playing IRL Super Mario in Central Park Is One of the Coolest & Most Fun Demos of What MR Can Do

There's a general belief that augmented and mixed reality is going tied to enterprise solutions for the foreseeable future, and most developers in the field are focused on business use-cases. Without a dramatic breakthrough in the next couple of years that will likely be the case, making that decision the sensible one.

News: Mark Zuckerburg Announces Facebook's Commitment to Uniting the World

At Facebook's first Communities Summit, admins from top Facebook groups assembled to discuss tools to better manage and optimize their members. Here, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that these changes fuel the company's shifting focus from connecting the world to uniting it.

News: Hang Out with Some of Your Favorite Characters Using the 8i Holo App

Can't wait till Apple's ARKit is released? Me neither. Luckily, a fun new app launched today that is close to what the ARKit promises to deliver in a few months.

News: Want to Try on Lipstick Without Leaving Your Home? Meitu Has a Way

Finding the perfect lip color can be a difficult task, to say the least. Thankfully, we're living in a world with augmented reality, where it's possible to try on lipstick from different brands at home.

News: Facebook Testing 'Profile Picture Guard' to Protect You from Scammers

Facebook is testing a new feature in India. One that could help you protect your profile photos from being used on sites without your permission.

News: Pinterest Is Comparing Their Lens Update to Cher's 'Clueless' Closet

We are totally buggin' about Pinterest's update to their Lens. I know, I had to.

News: Niantic Branding Pokémon GO Cheaters with Scarlet Letter

Pokémon GO updates will have new deterrents for cheaters, and these seem to use shame more than just prevention. The changes were mentioned by a Pokémon GO support account on Reddit. (There are other updates coming soon to Pokémon GO as well.)

News: Snapchat's New Feature Shows You Where in the World Your Friends Are

Snapchat's newest feature will allow you to see where your friends are posting from around the world. Called Snap Map, this easy-to-use update gives users the ability to view your friends' stories and locations on a map.

No Excuses Now: Uber Introduces a Tipping Feature in Their App

Uber drivers do a lot for us. They sit through traffic, make conversation, put on our favorite tunes, drive us however far we need to go, and they work long hours. Some even have to deal with people who may have had too much to drink, which we all know can be obnoxious. So yeah, we'd say that it's about time for Uber to include a tipping feature in their app.