One the main gripes against cutting-edge augmented reality headsets like the Magic Leap One and the HoloLens is the price — they're pretty expensive compared to most consumer devices. Well, now some of that pain has been relieved for those looking to pick up a Magic Leap One a ...more
If you find yourself on the run from the Empire, you no longer need a droid to send a holographic distress message, you just need an iPhone X and the HoloBack app. Now available in the App Store, HoloBack uses the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X to create instant 3D imagery ...more
One of the most popular sports shows on television, Inside the NBA on TNT, gave viewers a tech-powered treat on Tuesday night by dropping them into a broadcast version of augmented reality. During the show's "Gone Fishin'" segment, which is dedicated to teams eliminated from ...more
One of the most successful rock bands still making music has just made augmented reality an integral part of its upcoming tour. Irish rock band U2 has announced a new mobile app experience that allows you to preview the group's live performance in your own home in AR. To expe ...more
Given Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's blockbuster movie pedigree and the promotional power that usually accompanies his work, there's a certain predictable symmetry in the news that Rampage, a movie adaptation of the classic arcade game, has now become an augmented reality mobile ...more
On Sunday, the annual Grammy Awards delivered its usual mix of fashion, live performances, and music industry magic, but this time with one important difference: Animojis. During the broadcast, two iPhone X commercials ran that showed off how TrueDepth camera, in combination ...more
Scary movies seem to be a natural fit for augmented reality experiences, with the latest example coming from the Insidious film franchise. To promote the latest installment, Insidious: The Last Key, Sony Pictures has possessed the BeautyPlus (iOS | Android) and MakeupPlus (iO ...more
The augmented reality industry made great strides in 2017, but its apex is not even in sight. In terms of software, augmented reality is approaching meaningful mainstream awareness, thanks mostly to Apple and ARKit. Meanwhile, on the hardware side, AR is very much in its infa ...more
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. Mercedes-Benz is driving down that new path by releasing an augmented reality owner's manual calle ...more
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. So it's fitting that the fashion tastemaker has now updated its iOS app with an AR camera effect ...more
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. Released on Tuesday on the App Store, fuse.it gives users the ability place augmented ...more
Two characters from the popular sci-fi animated comedy Rick and Morty have already made their way into augmented reality courtesy of ARKit experiments. Now, it's possible to become one of them on the iPhone X. Developer Michael Bramiage has created an Animoji-style version of ...more
An AR/VR developer has managed to use the iPhone X to transport players into an emulation of the classic '90s video game Star Fox as the game's antagonist. The demo comes courtesy of developer Rigel Benton, who concocted the revision of the Super Nintendo classic as part of V ...more
As it turns out, Apple did get AR hardware into its retail stores for the 2017 holiday shopping season, but it's not the headset we've been hearing rumors about for years; it's the MekaMon battle-bot. Apple will be the exclusive retailer for the AR robot, which can be purchas ...more
Facebook's camera platform is the augmented reality vehicle of choice to promote the latest musical effort from Taylor Swift. T-Swift's new album, Reputation, dropped today. To get her fans psyched, an AR effect electrifies the user with virtual lightning, while a snippet from ...more
Over the weekend at IFA 2017 in Berlin, Huawei introduced the Kirin 970 processor, the first of its kind to include artificial intelligence baked into the chip. Instead of hosting AI in the cloud, the Kirin 970 has an integrated neural network processing unit (NPU) for proces ...more
Lenovo has been no stranger augmented reality, both in products for consumers and services for developers. At IFA 2017 in Berlin, after taking the wraps off of their AR headset and controllers for the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges AR game, the company introduced the latest smart ...more
Of all the ways I thought I'd be watching my favorite TV shows, on a floating orb was not one of them. Nevertheless, technology has managed to surprise me once again. A new demo has shown a 360° video being played on a floating orb in the middle of someone's room using Apple' ...more
Artificial intelligence and augmented reality go together like spaghetti and meatballs, and Lenovo has some ideas on how to spice up the recipe. As part of their annual Tech World conference in Shanghai, China, Lenovo presented several concept applications and devices powered ...more
Hyundai Motor Company says it will launch its driverless tech ahead of schedule, but the Korean carmaker will remain behind mainstream rivals, including General Motors (GM), Nissan, and Honda. Speaking to the Korean IT news outlet the Electronic Times, Hyundai said it was lau ...more
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.) If the Pokémon GO app detects th ...more
Since its release into the arms of waiting developers, Apple's new ARKit is already making waves in the augmented reality scene. Only a week out and there are already a hefty number of videos appearing on the web showing off various demos with iPhones and iPads. Generally, wi ...more
If you want to quickly understand EtherWars, imagine a game like StarCraft where you build out your base on your living room floor instead of on a computer screen. Before we had computer games to help us imagine what space wars might feel like, we played with toy ships and use ...more
Unlike in the physical world, on the internet you're actually able to shut people up and block spoilers of newly-released movies, your favorite TV shows, or a sports event you've yet to watch on your DVR. If you haven't seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens yet, or just want to m ...more
If you're a Trekkie, you might be surprised to find that Spock's popular Vulcan salute can actually be used as an emoji on your iPhone. With the public release of iOS 8.3, you'll now have updated unicode for more diverse emojis. Strangely, Apple added support for the Spock em ...more
While Snapchat augmented reality often embraces pop stars like Drake and Ariana Grande, a couple of bands from the louder side of the music industry have found a home with Facebook. First, Slipknot has published an AR experience via Facebook's Spark AR platform to promote the ...more
One of the funniest scenes from the teaser trailer for the Wreck-It Ralph sequel is the basis for the new pre-show augmented reality experience via the Noovie ARCade app. Arriving in theaters on Nov. 21, Ralph Breaks the Internet finds the titular character expanding his digi ...more
Between acquisitions, hirings, patent applications, and insider reports, all signs point to Apple building a smartglasses product that could ship as soon as 2020, but the company has not officially confirmed such plans. Apple currently has 21 open positions that mention augme ...more
One word to sum up this batch of Snapchat lenses: complex. Lens creators like ApocTheLegend and Jinnie the Wew have been at it long enough to start making some really cool stuff, stretching the limit of what's possible using Lens Studio. I'm really looking forward to what they ...more
To quote MKBHD, cheap phones are getting good. Each year we are seeing manufacturers start to offer more for much less. This not only translates to cheaper flagship phones, but better budget phones. The latest example of this is the Alcatel 3V, which is redefining what you can ...more
With the change to a glass back, many of us are concerned about the durability of OnePlus 6. While glass does offer some benefits such as lighter weight, without proper reinforcement, it can easily shatter in one drop. Now we have our our first look at its durability thanks to ...more
The price tag for the Microsoft HoloLens might be out of range for the average consumer's budget, but for enterprises, like BAE Systems, adopting the AR headset is yielding a return on the investment. And for those with even slimmer wallets, Best Buy just made the Lenovo Mirag ...more
When the Super Bowl airs, every other TV network puts on reruns because no one wants to face that juggernaut for ratings. The launch of a new iPhone is the Super Bowl of the tech world, with the launch of the iPhone X being the biggest one yet. So it's either unfortunate timi ...more
When Disney teased an augmented reality game called Star Wars: Jedi Challenges running on a headset from Lenovo, fans had more questions than Disney had answers. When? How much? Can I be a real Jedi? With official word today from Lenovo and Disney by way of IFA 2017 in Berlin ...more
Some bacteria can already do it—generate electric current, that is—and those microbes are called "electrogenic." Now, thanks to the work of a research group from the University of California, Santa Barbara, we know how to easily turn non-electrogenic bacteria into electricity ...more
Move over rainbow food trends, there's a new, darker kid in town: jet black ice cream. And no, it doesn't have squid ink in it. This frozen dessert may look mysterious and slightly intimidating, but trust us— it's insanely delicious. The blackish hue is created from activated ...more
Images of BlackBerry's two upcoming Android phones have surfaced. Reportedly named "Hamburg" and "Rome," keeping with the company's tradition of using cities as code names for its devices, the images come from BlackBerry Central founder Dylan Habkirk (via Times News UK/GSMAren ...more
It would be an understatement to say that Supercell hit it big with Clash of Clans. The game has topped both Google Play and the iOS App Store for years and shows no signs of ever slowing down. I spend hours every day trying to perfect my base and get as many stars in Clan Wa ...more
Regardless of the size and metal-type you purchased, storage and space are limited on the Apple Watch, so stuffing it full of apps like you'd do on your iPhone may not be in your best interest. If you went app crazy when you first set up your Apple Watch, don't worry—it's easy ...more
With the first wave of Apple Watches being received today, you're probably busy setting yours up and playing with all its features. Regardless of whether you purchased the Apple Watch Sport or the Apple Watch, you're probably fine with not having spent the extra 10,000-17,000 ...more
In the realm of social media, all roads lead to one destination: cracking the code of continuous partial attention dopamine hits. We learned this back in the days of Vine, before Twitter foolishly killed it. And I pointed my lens at the emerging trend back in 2016 when I highl ...more
Friends and family receiving new Portal devices for Christmas will have some extra stocking stuffers in the form of new AR features. On Tuesday, Facebook unleashed a cornucopia of new features and functionality for the video calling device, including new AR content for the St ...more
The Avengers aren't the only shiny new toys available to Pixel handset owners, as the animated stars of the upcoming Pokémon Detective Pikachu movie have arrived in the Google Playground app. Just weeks after bringing the headlining characters of the box office-owning Avenger ...more
With $100 million in grant funding already available to developers via its MegaGrants program, Epic Games is sweetening the pot with some gear for Magic Leap developers. At last week's Unreal Engine Build: Detroit '19 event, Epic Games announced that it would supply Magic Lea ...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
The Game of Thrones premiere is fast approaching, and along with it, Magic Leap has begun to unveil some of the fan-centric swag associated with its immersive experience based on the hit TV series. On Monday, a contributor to the unofficial Game of Thrones fan site Watchers o ...more
When the titular hero of your superhero movie activates his powers with a catchphrase, it would be pretty neat if your augmented reality promotion for that film could react to the user's voice. Luckily for Warner Bros., Snapchat happens to have relatively new voice recognitio ...more
As Magic Leap continues to spread its influence in the US with the help of wireless carrier AT&T, the augmented reality startup is also working its way into East Asia. This week, Magic Leap announced a partnership with SK Telecom that will make the South Korean telecom giant ...more
News junkies who own the Magic Leap One received some good news on Thursday, as CNN has published an app for the headset to display the network's news coverage in augmented reality. Available immediately, the CNN app carries live news, on-demand programming, and digital exclu ...more
Simulated training can help soldiers and sailors learn how to use their weapons safely, but simulations can sometimes lack the stressful environment of a real firefight. That's why the US Navy has developed a more realistic augmented reality simulator that runs on the Microso ...more
Apple's in-house music identification app Shazam has been quiet on the augmented reality front since officially joining Cupertino's finest last year, but a new promotion gives AR enthusiasts an occasion to raise a toast. Last week, Shackleton Whisky launched an augmented real ...more
Owners of Google Pixel devices now have a plethora of imaginary friends to play with thanks to the Playground augmented reality app. The app, a rebrand of the AR Stickers app, launched as an exclusive app for the Google Pixel 3 and 3XL handsets in October. On Wednesday, Googl ...more
In a world where augmented reality is becoming the hero of the movie marketing, Universal Studios has decided to use the technology to reinvent the traditional movie trailer, a time-tested tactic of film promotion, in support of the forthcoming Robert Zemeckis film, Welcome to ...more
While these days it is better known for the cross-platform gaming sensation Fortnite, Epic Games also makes Unreal Engine, one of the top development environments for 3D content and, in turn, augmented reality and virtual reality experiences. As a result, the company has mana ...more
After a $20 million funding round fell through, augmented reality headset maker Meta Company has been forced to furlough (or place on temporary leave of absence) approximately 65% of its workforce for 30 days. On Monday, Meta CEO Meron Gribetz told Bloomberg that the funding ...more
The critics of Magic Leap have been circling for a couple of weeks now, but that isn't stopping the company from pushing forward with major new partnerships. The latest Magic Leap tie-up is with none other than motion capture actor Andy Serkis and his UK-based The Imaginarium ...more
The fortunes of ARKit and ARCore are still in the hands of developers, who have been increasing the number of mobile augmented reality apps on the market, but perhaps not as fast as companies like Apple might have expected. But one new product is looking to literally kickstart ...more
Regal Cinema's augmented reality magazine Moviebill enjoyed a big debut in April and it has its sights set on an even bigger (virtually) outing with its next edition. Arriving in Regal theaters on June 22, the second issue of the publication will feature Jurassic World: Falle ...more
While mobile gaming, in the 10 years since the App Store launched, has matured to console-level quality, premium augmented reality games built with ARKit (or ARCore) have been scarce. Immersive VR is looking to do its part reduce that deficit with the launch of The Ancients A ...more
For years, Magic Leap has promised to deliver stunning augmented reality experiences that will outperform any other competitor, and a newly revealed partnership hints that the company may be able to deliver on those promises. Framestore, the Oscar-winning studio behind many o ...more