Smartphones News
News: Welding Simulator Uses Augmented Reality to Teach Students Safely
With products and solutions offered by the likes of Scope AR, Trimble, DAQRI, VIATechnik, and others, augmented reality is becoming a hot commodity for improving productivity while maintaining safety in the construction and manufacturing industries.
News: Google Search App Takes on Pinterest with Style Guide Feature
We all know Google's Image Search to be our trusty little companion when it comes to browsing through ideas on the web. Now, Google is adding on "style ideas" to its search feature to help you boost your "style IQ" every time Google catches you snooping through new handbags on the market.
News: Andre Iguodala Leaks Magic Leap Details—A Possible 'Siri' Bouncing in Your Hand
NBA star Andre Iguodala, of the Golden State Warriors, got to try out a Magic Leap demo in Florida and started dishing out some pretty revealing details about the upcoming mixed reality headset to CNET's Brian Tong.
News: Qualcomm's Patent Strategy Results in an $814.9 Million Payout to BlackBerry
Although John Chen of BlackBerry still sees Qualcomm as a partner, the chip maker and telecommunications company has just been given a preliminary order to pay BlackBerry $814,868,350 in royalty overpayments.
News: Researchers Find 'MasterPrints' That Can Bypass Your Phone's Fingerprint Scanner
Hackers are good at what they do—some can even use the way you move your phone to guess a 4-digit PIN in five attempts or less. That's why most of us with compatible hones use the fingerprint scanner. It's just much more secure. Or is it?
News: Functional Guidelines for Manufacturers Will Shape the Future of AR Technology
The first augmented reality hardware and software functional requirements guidelines have been released today by UI LABS and the Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (AREA).
News: Magic Leap Has Been Making Big Deals Ahead of Highly Anticipated Launch
Magic Leap is no stranger to hype and speculative advancement—when their name pops up in the news, all focus turns to them. And the company is making news again this week, with the knowledge of an acquisition of a startup founded by former Apple employees, and by hiring animators from an Emmy and Oscar award-winning studio.
News: New Google Chrome Update Lets You Scroll Through Websites Without Fear of Page Jumps
Chrome version 56 is here to help you stop accidentally clicking ads when you're scrolling or tapping a link in a webpage on your phone. That's right, annoying page jumps while a site's still loading will finally come to an end with this new update.
News: Gorillaz Debut Augmented Reality App to Go Along with Their Album Listening Party
The Gorillaz have launched a new app in promotion for their new album Humanz that allows you to "[s]tep inside the hallowed halls of the Gorillaz house" through the power of augmented reality.
News: The Sensors in Your Phone Are Giving Hackers Your Passwords & Other Secret Information
It's safe to say most of us know the dangers of online security. We know there are people trying to steal our most sensitive information, and we try our best to prevent that theft. But new research is showing what we're doing might not be enough, as the sensors in our phones may be telling hackers everything they want to know.
News: Safran Combines Infrared & AR for World-First Airplane Test System
It seems nowadays there's no limit to what type of companies are looking to invest in augmented reality. Given both the positive outlook on the future of AR, and its reported benefits for efficiency in employees, this makes sense. Safran, an international corporation with three main sectors—aerospace, defense, and security—is one such company taking the plunge into incorporating AR in their business.
Brief Reality: AR Goes Green in Hackathon
NextReality will be giving readers a rundown of the augmented and mixed reality news briefs from the preceding week that we didn't cover already. This way, you'll never miss anything of importance in the NextReality landscape, and will always know what's going on with new augmented and mixed reality tech and applications. The first one starts right now, and you can enjoy future ones every Tuesday going forward, so stay tuned.
News: Pixie for iPhones Uses Augmented Reality to Help Find Your Lost Wallet or Keys
Augmented reality could come in very handy for those of us prone to losing things—namely, our wallets. Pixie Technology, a company from Los Altos, California, has developed a way to locate your lost wallet and keys using AR technology and tracking chips, a platform they call the "Location of Things."
News: Classic '90s Game Lemmings Comes to the HoloLens
If there's one thing entertainment companies love, it's rebooting aging franchises. But design firm Globacore Interactive Technologies appears to have taken rebooting to the next level by remaking the classic '90s game Lemmings specifically to work on the HoloLens, Microsoft's mixed reality headset.
News: Soldiers Could Soon Use HoloLens to Plan Missions Using Interactive 3D Maps & Models
Just like in the Spy Kids 3D movie, US soldiers may soon upgrade their mission planning from 2D to 3D. Welcome to the wonderful world of augmented reality, US Army.
News: iPhone 8 Rumored to Ship with iPad Pro-Like Smart Connector for AR & Wireless Charging
The rumors surrounding the next iPhone and Apple's ambitions toward augmented reality have been going on for months, and a fresh development brings back the idea of Apple's Smart Connector bringing the two together. The Verifier, an Israeli news site, claims the next suite of iPhones (iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and 7s Plus) will all sport Smart Connectors for both AR and wireless charging.
Market Reality: Boeing HorizonX Takes Flight with AR Investment
Welcome to the maiden voyage of our new Market Reality column. Each Friday, NextReality will give you a roundup of news briefs from the financial end of the augmented and mixed reality industry. We'll cover funding news, market analysis, and more.
News: Sony's Smurfs Movie to Provide Mixed Reality Experience for Kids on the HoloLens
Sony has upped the ante for the promotion of Smurfs: The Lost Village, which was released on April 7 in the US, with a mixed reality experience via Microsoft's HoloLens.
News: Lyft Secures $500 Million in Funding to Help Compete Against Uber
The ride-sharing company Lyft has managed to secure $500 million in funding, which will certainly help its ongoing competition with Uber. According to recent reports, the cab firm is currently valued somewhere between $6.9 billion and $7.5 billion, but this still pales in comparison to Uber's estimated $70 billion valuation.
News: Microsoft's HoloLens Reaches the Classroom with Lifeliqe's Mixed Reality Apps for Kids
Microsoft's augmented reality headset, the HoloLens, is getting a taste of the classroom with Lifeliqe's new mixed reality apps for kids.
News: John Hanke, CEO of Pokémon GO Maker, Says AR, Not VR, Should Be the Way of the Future
It isn't too hard to see John Hanke's bias towards augmented reality. His company, Niantic, created the astronomically profitable game Pokémon GO, which revolves around AR technology. However, Hanke has a case against virtual reality—he believes it just won't be healthy, in more than one sense of the word.
News: University of Maryland Demonstrates the Future of Medical Procedures with Augmented Reality
Could the technology that powers games like Pokémon GO be used for surgery in the near future? Researchers at the University of Maryland think so.
News: Anchor Brings Quality Call Recording to the Masses with New 'Interview' Feature
As someone who grew up adamantly complaining every time my parents dared to turn on talk radio in the car, I can admit it's a bit weird that I have a love affair with podcasts. I can't help it! Even though podcasts are essentially the modern-day customizable talk radio, I choose to defend my all-out obsession with pointing out how popular they are (I mean, SNL even picked up on the trend).
News: Live-Stream Your AR Looks with ModiFace's New Makeup Platform for Facebook & YouTube
ModiFace, the makers of Sephora's Virtual Artist app which allows users to try on multiple different combinations of makeup through augmented reality, has just bumped up its augmented reality strategy. The company is now including a live-stream option for all those personal makeup trials you've been secretly admiring from the comfort of your own phone.
News: Popular App Shazam Trying to Cash in on the Trendiness of AR with Hiring of New CTO
While it remains unknown how exactly augmented reality will make its way into the mainstream (the Microsoft HoloLens sitting at $3,000 isn't exactly accessible), many brands have been trying to integrate the tech into their mobile apps, mimicking the success of Snapchat and its popular AR filters. One of those brands going all in on augmented reality is Shazam.
News: Showtime Will Now Let You Download TV Shows & Movies for Offline Viewing
Have you ever wanted to catch up on Homeland or Shameless, but are out and about and don't want to use up your data? Those problems are for days of old now, as Showtime has announced their mobile app will allow titles to be downloaded and viewed without an internet connection.
News: Industrial AR Developer Upskill Secures Funding to Improve Workforce Efficiency
Upskill, an enterprise software developer for industrial augmented reality applications, recently received an influx of funding and a major vote of confidence from two of their top customers.
News: Holographic Fitting Rooms Are Here with HoloLens & Pictofit
If you've been longing since the '90s for the total Clueless experience of virtually trying on clothes, you missed out by not attending London Fashion Week earlier this year.
News: Project Zero Finds iPhone & Android Open to Bugs in Broadcom's Wi-Fi Chips
No one is safe anymore, it seems. Google's Project Zero has just uncovered how easy it is for attackers to target your phone's Wi-Fi chip, which is essentially a mini processor for Wi-Fi that detects and processes networks.
News: Neurable Planning to Bring Brainwave Controls to AR Headsets Later This Year
Within the coming months, software startup Neurable plans to introduce the next paradigm in virtual and augmented reality: the brain–computer interface (BCI).
News: Meitu's BeautyPlus Selfie-Perfecting App Just Got Some Fun AR Filters
The popular beauty app company Meitu is incorporating augmented reality (AR) video and image filters and effects in its selfie-editing app BeautyPlus for iOS and Android.
News: ODG's New R-7HL Are the First Rugged Smartglasses Made Specifically for the Industrial Workforce
Osterhout Design Group just announced the upcoming release of the newest addition to their smartglasses lineup, the R-7HL, short for R-7 Hazardous Location. ODG worked directly with customers who work in extreme environments to come up with a durable solution that fits their needs; These smartglasses can not only survive but function well in many areas that would otherwise be considered too harsh for augmented reality tech.
News: Downloads for Encrypted Messaging App Signal Have Almost Doubled Since Trump Took Office
Signal, the encrypted messaging app, has seen 1.4 million downloads in just the first quarter of 2017—roughly twice the downloads it received in the same period last year. Rani Molla at Recode attributes this to Donald Trump's inauguration, as the private messaging service saw a 40% increase in US downloads between Election Day and the end of the first quarter of 2017.
News: Google & Top Android Partners Sign Groundbreaking Patent Peace Deal
Google and eight top Android partners have just signed the Android Networked Cross-License, nicknamed PAX. On the surface, this looks to be a peace treaty of sorts that could end several patent wars.
News: Unity 5.6 Just Released with New Features for Game Developers
Unity 5.6 was just released on March 31, and it will be the last entry in the Unity 5 cycle. With all of the new features, it looks like Unity 5 is going out with a bang.
News: Experience Holograms in Your Pocket with 4DViews' New AR & VR Mobile App
4DViews, the volumetric capture company that films actors and performers in augmented and virtual reality for things like movies, TV series, and applications, has just released the app 4DViews: Raise Virtual to Reality, to demonstrate its technology for smartphones.
News: Jeep's New AR Experience Lets You Interact with a Car That Isn't Actually There
Jeep has now jumped on the AR-retail trend with their introduction of the Jeep Compass Visualizer. Customers can now view and customize a Jeep Compass to their liking, all without a real Jeep even present.
News: B2B Software Company Kaon Bets Big on Google's Tango Phones & AR
At the moment, it would be safe to say that demand for devices running Tango, Google's augmented reality smartphone platform, is relatively low among consumers. Kaon Interactive, a B2B software company who has built more than 5,000 interactive applications for use at trade shows, remote sales demonstrations, and other customer engagements, is betting that there is a market for the devices in sales and marketing.
News: VRLA Expo Prepares to Host Mixed Reality Easter Egg Hunt
The Easter Bunny is about to get his first experience with mixed reality. Virtual Reality Los Angeles (VRLA) will host its third annual expo in April, and this year's attendees will get to experience a fun Easter egg hunt sponsored by AfterNow and VRLA, in partnership with mixed reality king, the Microsoft HoloLens.
News: The Galaxy S8 Is the First Phone with the Longer-Range & Higher-Speed Bluetooth 5.0
Headphone drama has been all the rage in the past year, with Apple killing off the headphone jack and trying to force AirPods upon its users (Apple, stop trying to make tiny, expensive, easy-to-lose earbuds happen. It's not going to work).