In the "Harry Potter" book series, the golden snitch is the most elusive ball in Quidditch to catch, faster than a hummingbird and nigh impossible to see. Those who do manage to catch the golden snitch - including Harry - are met with great applause and victory. Craft and sna ...more
Harry Potter fans got a treat last week when Pottermore, a site created by Harry Potter author, J. K. Rowling, released a test that let users learn what form their Patronus protective charm would take. Does it need to be said? The internet almost exploded. Riding this new wa ...more
There's a world of hidden features on your iPhone just waiting to be explored, and one of them is hiding in plain sight right in front of you. You likely see it multiple times a day after performing a routine action without ever thinking twice about what else it can do, and yo ...more
Location-based gaming pioneer Niantic has offered a preview of its augmented reality cloud platform that could change the immersive content game yet again. Previously disclosed by Niantic CEO John Hanke in an interview, the Niantic Real World Platform for mobile apps enables ...more
The yet-to-be released Augmented Reality Cinema app is sure to make avid movie fans across the world drool. The concept is genius and appears to be quite seamless as well: Simply install the app on your iPhone, take a stroll through your city (supported cities have not yet bee ...more
E Ink technology is nothing short of amazing. It recently contributed to the world's first bend-sensitive flexible smartphone, and now it's capable of something even cooler, not to mention astonishingly simpler—flashing digital displays on cloth. E Ink's electronic paper disp ...more
If there's one thing you'd never think to play music on, it's probably a coffee stirrer, right? But that didn't stop this guy from playing one of my favorite theme songs on one — "Darth Vader's Theme," aka "The Imperial March." One of the things I love most about the Star War ...more
You can create the magical world of Harry Potter yourself, using After Effects software. Watch these videos and learn how to make the "Death Eater" effect from the Harry Potter movies. Using After Effects, you can have the same incredible SFX as these Hollywood blockbusters. P ...more
Even in augmented reality, Wile E. Coyote still can't catch the Road Runner. The latest AR experiment from developer Abhishek Singh brings the classic Looney Tunes duo into the real world. A recent demo video shared on Twitter and YouTube shows the pair running around a park ...more
Send an owl to mum carrying a term update letter handwritten with on a parchment with a quill using this wizard style ink pot and quill. While the quill pot is just for show and you shouldn't actually pour any ink into it, the pot looks very authentic and is a cool prop for th ...more
Remember Harry Potter and the Triwizarding Tournament from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"? If you consider yourself any type of repectable Harry Potter fan, then you know that Harry retrieved a dragon egg from his challenging dragon during the first round of the tournam ...more
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. It seemed cl ...more
How cool would it be to be a wizard and conjure light out of thin air? While this tutorial won't instruct you in the wizarding arts, it will teach you how to make a very cool "Harry Potter" style Lumos wand that lights up on your command. Check out the video to learn step by ...more
With the Google Maps API giving entertainment brands the means to build their own location-based AR games, Niantic is raising the bar for the genre with new updates to Pokémon GO. In a blog post published on Monday, Pokémon GO announced the addition of research tasks to the a ...more
Following in the augmented reality footsteps of Pokémon GO, Universal Studios has decided to give us an AR version of Jurassic World. The new game is called "Jurassic World Alive," and while the trailer for the game doesn't show any actual gameplay, the cinematic approach to ...more
Niantic's Harry Potter: Wizards Unite offers players an augmented reality look into the world of witchcraft and wizardry. The Wizarding World and Harry Potter novel series is full of unique and interesting characters, which is why it makes sense that Wizards Unite offers you t ...more
One of the benefits of Blu-ray and DVD is the ability to share discs with friends and family without any hassle. Want to show off your favorite movie? Just lend them your copy. A digital movie isn't so kind, as it's typically locked to the account that purchased it. But now th ...more
The new Harry Potter movie is in theaters today, but while most of you are eating popcorn and enjoying the first flick of the last part in the series, others will be home getting their Harry Potter fix with the new video game, appropriately called Harry Potter and the Deathly ...more
After three years and change, no one seems to be able to knock Pokémon GO off its augmented reality throne. Zombies, dinosaurs, and ghosts have all met defeat at the hands of the pocket monsters. Heck, not even the world's most popular wizard and Pokémon GO's developer can rep ...more
At long last, the magical world of Harry Potter has received a mobile game worthy of its name. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is the game in question, and is set to touch down worldwide on June 21, 2019. For the longest time, however, the game has been available as a soft launche ...more
Next to Game of Thrones, Harry Potter is one of the most beloved franchises in entertainment today, and now we have another peek at its dive into augmented reality. This week, Warner Bros. released the third trailer for its upcoming AR game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. The n ...more
Franchises left and right are releasing Pokémon Go-style augmented reality games, and Google is making it even easier to churn out the apps. Announced today via a company blog post, the Google Maps API now enables developers to build their own location-based games using Maps ...more
Players who have stuck around with location-based game Jurassic World Alive just got a new treat that makes the augmented reality experience even more fun. Available in an update (version 1.8) of the app via the App Store and Google Play, the game gains a new feature called S ...more
Roughly six months after emerging from stealth, AR cloud company 6D.ai is now ready for public consumption, and it has a big name partner to help it kick off its platform. On Tuesday, the startup gave iOS developers the green light to begin publishing their 6D.ai-assisted app ...more
Are you a fan of the wizarding world of Harry Potter? This Halloween, dress up like a student of Hogwarts with this Harry Potter costume tutorial, complete with makeup ideas that will make you look like you're straight out of the movie series. You can make this costume at home!
You don't need to be a Photoshop wizard to create Harry Potter-style text. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular graphic editing program or a seasoned design professional looking to better acquaint yourself with the new features and functions of this particular iteration of th ...more
With the prestige appeal of its original programming and relatively low subscription price, Apple TV+ is one of the more appealing streaming options out there — and you don't need an Apple device to subscribe and watch movies, TV shows, sports, and other Apple TV+ content. Th ...more
With the first installment of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" out, don't be surprised if you find yourself more than ever wanting to whip out a twelve inch phoenix feather wand and wrist twirl your way to defeating your own personal Voldemort. While this video won't tea ...more
Now even muggles can see how they'd look chasing the Golden Snitch on a Nimbus 2000. That's because Snapchat is gifting Harry Potter fans with a 3D Bitmoji Lens that adorns their digital doppelgängers in the robes of the houses of Hogwarts. To cast this AR spell with your Sn ...more
Make a wand that looks like it just came straight from Olivander's shop - or, at least, directly off the set of the Harry Potter movies! This tutorial shows you how to make your own light up Harry Potter style wand.
No one ever said you had to be a culturally-relevant pun for Halloween, you know—or a scantily-dressed version of the inmates from Orange is the New Black. None of that stress for me, guys. I'm going to be what makes me happy this year: food. And here are some of my favorites ...more
If you've ever read the "Harry Potter" series before than you know that the phoenix symbolizes rebirth and rejuvenation. They've been positive beacons for ages, so why not see the glass half full by making your own mini phoenix? Check out this video to learn how to fold a tra ...more
While this is a great guide to learn how to style a wig for a Halloween costume, this specific wig styling is fantastic for a Professor Snape costume. Follow these directions and style your own wig, then create your Harry Potter costume and go torture young wizards.
Although next week will mark the late David Bowie's 72nd birthday, his fans and admirers are the ones receiving a gift in the form of an augmented reality app that explores the artist's career Available for $7.99 on the App Store and Google Play on January 8, "David Bowie Is" ...more
The partnership between Magic Leap and leading South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom took on an added importance earlier this week as the company unveiled the world's first nationwide 5G network. During an event at SK Telecom's headquarters in South Korea, Jung-ho Park, th ...more
Erudite. Barbiturate. Cacophony. Denouement. Okay, that last word is technically French, but words like these make the average person sweat, and it turns out that the key to learning how to pronounce them once and for all just might be getting them wrong. How We End Up Pronou ...more
Can lightning strike twice? Niantic is betting that it can with its latest augmented reality game based on the best-selling multimedia franchise Harry Potter. If the developer's name is unfamiliar, then perhaps Ingress, the company's first mobile game, which not only earned a ...more
Mad Eye Moody's magical eye from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is a character all its own, moving freely and seeing what to others is hidden, especially when it comes to student mischief. Watch this video to learn how to craft your own eye using a bottle cap, spray pa ...more
A patent from Universal was filed today looking to improve the visual experience at Universal Studios Parks. Universal Studios is famous for attractions based around major pop culture hallmarks like Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, and Despicable Me. It was originally only 'Unive ...more
Augmented reality gaming company Niantic Labs is now instigating conflicts between Pokémon GO players, but it's not as bad as it sounds. On Wednesday, Niantic began rolling out the new Trainer Battles player versus player fight mode, starting first with players level 40 and a ...more
If you're doing the same tasks on your Android phone repeatedly each day — like playing a specific playlist at the gym, viewing work documents, or watching your favorite music video — you can save some time by automating your routine, turning each task into a one-tap gesture o ...more
If you need to know whether you are really a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor, then it's time to get yourself an augmented reality sorting hat. The sorting hat game went live for Harry Potter fans this week within Wizarding World, a new mobile app and website launched by Harry Pott ...more
From parents and other family members to friends and peers, personalities are built by environment. Though people are important in the development of our own individual personality, there are other, different influences, including what you choose to read. The books you take th ...more
Now you can watch your old copy of Bridget Jones's Diary anywhere, anytime, on your smartphone. It's a dream come true! (Disclaimer: This dream may oddly specific to me.) Vudu, the digital streaming company owned by Walmart, has taken another step to make its disc-to-digital ...more
Niantic's most successful app, Pokémon GO, has become the first app to integrate the company's Real World Platform, the developer's AR cloud technology that enables multiplayer AR, persistent content, and occlusion with physical objects. "RAD!" you say to yourself. "Now Pikac ...more
Netflix is branching out into the comic book business, and it's summoning augmented reality via Facebook to make the first issue more magical. The debut issue of The Magic Order hit comic book store shelves today with four variant covers. Inside each issue is a QR code specif ...more
This time last year, we got our first taste of what mobile app developers could do in augmented reality with Apple's ARKit. Most people had never heard of Animojis. Google's AR platform was still Tango. Snapchat introduced its World Lens AR experiences. Most mobile AR experien ...more
The company behind augmented reality's first real gaming hit, Pokémon GO, is quietly making moves toward supporting the rapidly growing smartglasses space that may one day move its content away from smartphones and tablets and onto AR lenses positioned on your face. On Friday ...more
This week, developer Niantic began rolling out a new feature called AR Mapping to Pokémon GO that has bigger implications on the realism of augmented reality in mobile gaming and beyond. AR Mapping is a Field Research task type that players unlock by spinning PokéStops that c ...more
If you're a Harry Potter fan who has ever wanted to have your own Hogwarts adventure, you're in luck — Jam City is close to releasing "Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery," a mobile game that allows you to attend the magical school yourself. In fact, it's so close you can pre-regis ...more
The future of smartglasses for consumers seems ever dependent on Apple's entry into the market. Coincidentally, the exit of Apple's long-time design chief Jony Ive has shed some light on that eventual entrance. Meanwhile, as the enterprise sector of AR continues to expand, on ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to draw Harry Potter. Start out by drawing Harry's face, adding in all the details, such as: his hair, eyes, glasses, nose, and mouth. After this, start to draw his upper body wearing his Quidditch robes, and draw his arms. One arm should be reac ...more
GRAMARYE n pl. -S occult learning; magic 64 points (14 points without the bingo) Simply put, GRAMARYE is MAGIC, SORCERY, and in some cases, NECROMANCY. But overall, there is very little distinction between the terms. Magic is best described as an OCCULT art that can manipula ...more
It looks like Pokémon GO players may get a surprise gift from the game's developer, Niantic, this holiday season. After teasing the arrival of Buddy Adventure last month, Niantic revealed on Tuesday that the new interactive mode for its blockbuster game will arrive by 2020. A ...more
Because timing is everything, the latest entry in the location-based augmented reality gaming sweepstakes, Ghostbusters World, has arrived just in time for Halloween. Launched Monday on the App Store and the Google Play Store, Ghostbusters World shares its perfect timing with ...more
Until Star Wars Jedi Challenges arrives in November, a forthcoming ARKit revision of HoloGrid: Monster Battle from Tippett Studios and Happy Giant, might be the closest most Star Wars fans can get to playing the HoloChess game from the movie. While it lacks the official Star ...more
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. Japanese dev ...more
Do you want to make a Harry Potter costume at home? Add to it, by applying the right kinds of makeup to give you a look straight from the Harry Potter movies. Watch this tutorial for tips on what kind of makeup you need to apply and where to apply them. Then, all you'll need i ...more
Every step in the evolution of computing brings an in-kind leap forward in user input technology. The personal computer had the mouse, touchscreens made smartphones mainstream consumer devices, and AR headsets like the HoloLens and the Magic Leap One have leveraged gesture rec ...more
Augmented reality gaming pioneer and Pokémon GO mastermind Niantic is putting the pieces on the gameboard to prepare developers and gamers for the launch of its AR cloud platform. Announced in June 2018, the Niantic Real World Platform would enable multiplayer experiences, pe ...more