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Pokemon Go
Mobile phone screen displaying "Harry Potter spells."
HOW TO
05/09/2024 5:35 pm

19 Harry Potter Spells Your Android Phone Can Cast Using Google Assistant

Apple's Siri is well-versed in the spells of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but it's not like Android users are Muggles. Google Assistant, Android's virtual concierge, can cast a few spells out of the box, and it can learn the spells it doesn't know quicker than a year of studying at Hogwarts. ...more

A person using Google Lens on a smartphone to analyze an image.
HOW TO
10/05/2022 9:31 pm

8 Ways Google Lens Can Help You Be More Productive

I've covered augmented reality apps for about three years now and the most useful mobile app I've encountered over that time is Google Lens. In brief, Google Lens can recognize and interact with text and identify a wide spectrum of objects, turning your smartphone's camera into a visual search engin ...more

A mobile phone displaying a video game featuring a character running along a sandy path through canyons.
HOW TO
05/18/2022 10:19 pm

Remember These Popular App Store Games? They're Still Alive to Play Today

The App Store has been around for almost 14 years now, and during that time, we must have seen over a million games come and go and stay and expand. But only a tiny fraction of those games have become blockbuster sensations because of the mighty App Store's reach on iPhone and iPad, and many of the ...more

Person taking a photo with a smartphone in a public space.
NEWS
06/28/2021 10:18 pm

AR Cloud Startup Ubiquity6 Gobbled Up by Discord

The herd of augmented reality cloud startups that emerged in 2018 have been hunted to near extinction, with Google-backed Ubiquity6 the latest to move from an independent entity to a wholly-owned asset. On Monday, the company revealed that it has been acquired by Discord, the seemingly ubiquitous ch ...more

Smart glasses with a protective case.
NEWS
05/18/2021 12:00 pm

DigiLens Forges Reference Design for Smartglasses with 50 Degree Field of View

In the great smartglasses race, component makers, such as those that supply the crucial waveguide displays that make visualization of virtual content possible, have a vested interest in pushing the industry forward in order to ship units. On Tuesday, waveguide maker DigiLens unveiled Design v1, a re ...more

Person holding a smartphone capturing an image of a decorative object.
NEWS
05/12/2021 1:35 pm

Niantic Opens Private Beta for AR Cloud Platform Now Called Lightship

Niantic first unveiled its AR cloud back in 2018, using it to enhance the immersive capabilities of its gaming portfolio. Now, the company is expanding access to the system, allowing third-party developers to take advantage of next-generation augmented reality features for their mobile apps. Don't M ...more

3D urban landscape view with buildings and intersection layout.
NEWS
04/27/2021 3:35 pm

Snap's Acquisition of 3D Mapping Startup Signals Move to Build AR Cloud

The concept of Metaverse, otherwise referred to as AR cloud, where a digital twin of the real world filled with virtual content anchored persistently for all to see, has been a sci-fi dream of futurists for years and an aim for most tech companies who are serious about AR. It appears Snapchat's pare ...more

Game controller in front of a laptop displaying a programming interface.
HOW TO
04/16/2021 6:58 pm

Learn to Design Games with Unity for Just $39.99

Game design is among the fastest-growing industries in tech. What once was a passing hobby or niche job has become a thriving industry with a huge variety of work. If you are interested in learning game design, either as a hobby or a profession, then The 2021 Complete Learn to Code by Making Games i ...more

Dragon statue at a large event in a stadium.
NEWS
04/13/2021 9:50 pm

Investors Bet $1 Billion on Epic Games to Build the Metaverse

Over the past three years, Epic Games has raised billions of dollars in funding on the success of Fortnite as well as Unreal Engine, one of the top 3D engines available for developing games and AR experiences. But, with its latest massive funding round, it has its eyes set on the Metaverse. Don't Mi ...more

Niantic-branded eyewear frame detail
NEWS
04/02/2021 4:19 pm

Niantic Teases Smartglasses Running Its Popular AR Apps

Mobile augmented reality gaming pioneer Niantic is chomping at the bit to get games like Pokémon GO out of smartphones and onto smartglasses, and it appears to be taking matters into its own hands. After previewing a proof of concept of Pokémon GO running on HoloLens 2 earlier this month, Niantic fo ...more

A family playing with a cartoon character in a park, using toy-like gadgets that emit colorful beams.
NEWS
03/31/2021 3:09 pm

Niantic Previews the Future of AR Gaming with Codename: Urban Legends Demo

As if teasing its own smartglasses weren't enough, augmented reality gaming developer Niantic gave gamers a glimpse of how 5G speeds can revolutionize how they play mobile games in the near future. This week, the company revealed Codename: Urban Legends, a demo game built with the Niantic Real World ...more

Person using augmented reality technology to interact with digital data in a professional environment.
NEWS
03/25/2021 11:38 pm

Inside Microsoft Mesh, What Is It & How Does It Work? We Have the Answers

When Microsoft unveiled Mesh a couple of weeks ago, the move revealed a major part of Microsoft's next steps toward dominating the augmented reality space, particularly with regard to enterprise customers. But aside from the general details contained in the announcement, what really got some insider ...more

Colorful cartoon characters in a vibrant natural setting.
NEWS
03/23/2021 2:14 pm

Niantic Adapting Pikmin as Mobile AR Game in New Alliance with Nintendo

Two of the three entities behind Pokemon GO, the reigning champion in mobile augmented reality gaming, are joining forces again to see if lightning can strike more than once. This week, AR developer Niantic and gaming giant Nintendo announced a partnership that will see a series of mobile games buil ...more

A hand holding a smartphone displaying a 3D maze game on a pizza box.
NEWS
03/15/2021 7:42 pm

Pizza Hut Delivery Now Comes with Slice of '80s Gaming via Pac-Man in AR

What is old is new again. In this case, a classic arcade game gets the augmented reality treatment. In a new promotion playing off its ad campaign featuring actor Craig Robinson (The Office, Hot Tub Time Machine), Pizza Hut has turned its pizza boxes into a virtual Pac-Man game via web-based AR tech ...more

Digital art depicting a human face with abstract data visualizations and vibrant colors.
NEWS
02/17/2021 8:20 pm

The Future of Augmented Reality & Blockchain Technology

If there is a major blind spot in the AR space in 2019, it's the impact that blockchain technology will eventually have on the software distributed in AR clouds. For the uninitiated, the quickest way to describe blockchain technology is as a method of assigning unique attributes to digital assets us ...more

Person holding a smartphone while playing a racing video game.
HOW TO
02/11/2021 10:07 pm

How to Play Any Nintendo DS Game on Your Samsung Galaxy S3

If you actually had to look up what "DS" stands for in Nintendo DS, that probably means you weren't a huge fan of the portable game system. To be honest, I never was. It's fairly bulky and has two tiny displays. Despite my hatred for the DS, Nintendo still delivered in the game department. Mario Kar ...more

Game interface showing a Pokémon catching prompt on a mobile device with a scenic background.
HOW TO
02/11/2021 4:42 pm

How to Cheat at Pokémon GO Without Getting Banned

Gotta catch 'em all, right? That's easier said than done, considering that Pokémon GO has region-specific characters that you may never get a chance to see. Sure, you can spoof your GPS location to make the augmented reality game think you're at a different spot on the map, but Niantic Labs seems to ...more

Smartphone displaying a colorful home screen with various app widgets.
HOW TO
02/01/2021 4:32 pm

Over 200 Widgets for Your iPhone's Home Screen

Chief among iOS 14's excellent new features is the overhauled home screen. Now, you can add customizable widgets that live alongside your traditional apps, and both first-party and third-party apps can take advantage of it. Talk about an upgrade. They even work in the Today View and lock screen, so ...more

Animated character seated at a desk with a mug, looking surprised while preparing a snack in a cozy workshop setting.
NEWS
01/19/2021 9:55 pm

New Wallace & Gromit Game Amps Up Job Simulations with AR Interactivity

While most established media brands are satisfied with copying Pokémon GO to jump into augmented reality gaming, at least one property is taking a slightly different approach. Launched this week, Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up is a mobile game fitting into the life simulation genre that appoints p ...more

Silhouettes of three individuals against a dark background.
NEWS
12/15/2020 3:31 pm

NR30: Next Reality's 30 People to Watch in Augmented Reality for 2020

The year 2020 was a pivotal span of time during which the word "virtual" took on a brand new meaning. Instead of referring to VR or augmented reality, the term was hijacked to describe meeting across long distances through a variety of software tools, most often through video. But while the dominanc ...more

A hand holding a smartphone displaying a colorful cartoon character in a virtual room setting.
NEWS
11/20/2020 9:48 pm

Nintendo Crafts AR Content for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

The Animal Crossing series has been a big hit for Nintendo, so in a bid to enhance the experience even more for users, the game is getting the augmented reality treatment. The latest update for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp adds two new features for iOS and Android smartphone users. Don't Miss: What ...more

A person holding a smartphone displaying a location-based mobile game.
HOW TO
10/23/2020 8:29 pm

The Best Way to Avoid the New AR Mapping Tasks in Pokémon GO

Niantic recently added a new Field Research task type called AR Mapping that challenges players to capture video footage of PokéStop landmarks and upload them. In return, players receive rewards in the form of in-game items. What probably sounded like a small ask for players has been met with a mild ...more

Mobile phone displaying a user interface with various application icons.
HOW TO
09/09/2020 2:24 pm

How to Root Android 11 Using Magisk — The Foolproof Guide

Thanks to Magisk, you don't have to lose root when updating to Android 11. The popular systemless rooting tool already achieved superuser access on Google's latest OS, even before the official release. It's currently in its experimental stages so the process is trickier than usual, but it does work. ...more

A medical professional wearing a mask with digital code projected on their face.
HOW TO
07/17/2020 10:35 pm

Track ADS-B Equipped Aircraft on Your Smartphone

Flight disruptions can cost billions of dollars, but most modern commercial flights rely on air traffic control systems that harbor serious vulnerabilities. The Federal Aviation Administration uses an infrastructure called NextGen, which relies on Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast, or ADS ...more

Failed network compatibility notification on a screen.
HOW TO
07/02/2020 6:41 pm

If Magisk Shows You Pass SafetyNet, but You Still Have Issues, Check This

Google recently started testing a new SafetyNet check that might spell trouble for rooted Android devices. It cross-checks your SafetyNet status with Google remote servers, making it impossible to fool by normal means. If Magisk shows you pass SafetyNet and you're still having issues, you might be a ...more

A cat walking through a room with colorful fish projected on the walls.
HOW TO
06/26/2020 7:52 pm

6 Ways to Try Google's Next-Gen AR Experience on Android Right Now

While Apple and Samsung have started integrating depth sensors into the iPad Pro and Galaxy smartphones, more advanced AR experiences are arriving for standard smartphone cameras on Android devices. Earlier this month, Niantic began rolling out updates for Pokémon GO that add more realistic AR encou ...more

Magisk Manager app interface on a smartphone, displaying update status.
HOW TO
06/22/2020 12:23 pm

Root Your Pixel 4 with Magisk — The Easy Way

The Pixel 4 is one of the most talked-about phones of 2019, so you know there will be lots of third-party developer support. Mods are already popping up, so you'll want to get Magisk installed as soon as possible to get root access. The current method used to gain root is the quickest way yet, thank ...more

Pokémon GO application displayed on a smartphone screen.
HOW TO
06/22/2020 10:31 am

Avoid Sneaky Root Detection Apps like a Pro

Ever since the introduction of Google's SafetyNet feature, it's been an ongoing battle with apps trying to detect root access. For a while, there was a lot of back and forth between Magisk and certain apps. Pokémon GO was a high profile example of an app aggressively checking for anything related to ...more