AR

Google is not one to one to "retire" apps, services, and products, sometimes with little prior notice. That's true for products that have cost Google a lot of money as well as some products that do make Google some money, it's even more true for those that don't. Apps come and go, regardless of their importance or significance, and one of the most recent to get the boot is Measure, one of Google's earliest mobile AR apps and one that it used to highlight its AR technology even before mobile AR became a thing.

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WWDC 2021 unloaded a lot of goodies for Apple fans across all its devices and even teased some of the things Apple will be working on in the next few months. One frequently rumored endeavor, however, was still without a trace. Despite its profession of belief in augmented reality technology, Apple has yet to reveal even a shadow of its much-rumored AR headset. That will still be coming, but those waiting for it might not want to hold their breath as the latest word is that its debut may come only in the middle of 2022.

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Snap announced its latest Spectacles yesterday, its first eyewear to actually offer augmented reality, but in the background it's buying the company responsible for the AR lenses too. Snap's immediate ambitions for the new Spectacles - which look, generously, like over-stylized sunglasses - are conservative, but its WaveGuide acquisition hints at how big a market the Snapchat-maker believes AR will eventually be.

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During an event today, Snap CEO Evan Spiegal introduced the company's first pair of augmented reality glasses, a model capable of overlaying digital objects and experiences over the real world. The AR glasses look distinctly different when contrasted with the consumer-level Spectacles smart glasses Snap previously launched, and they pack quite a bit more tech.

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Search, next to or in conjunction with ads, is the bread and butter of Google's business. The more people use it and stay within Search for any and all their needs, the better it is for Google. Of course, that implies that Google makes Search an indispensable tool for any and all Internet needs and that is exactly what it is saying in its I/O 2021 update, powered by AI and AR, of course.

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Apple has pumped a further $410 million into a key supplier for its laser tech, used in the iPhone and iPad cameras for Face ID and the LiDAR Scanner. The investment is the second the Cupertino firm has made in II-VI, and one which Apple suggests will get it earlier access to upcoming components for next-gen devices.

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Although it was one of the first on the mobile AR train with Project Tango, some may have felt that Google dropped the ball on that area. Professing more interest in AR than VR, Apple has been promoting the practical applications of its ARKit framework since day one, enabling experiences like placing furniture in your room to test them out, enhancing mapping and navigation tools, and the like. Of course, there's always room for some whimsical uses, like the new AR Spaces you can add to your video clips using the latest Clips app.

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Google may have ditched its Daydream VR platform but it's still holding on to augmented reality, at least without the headset. Google recently released WebXR, short for Extended Reality, experiments that showcased more practical uses for AR on your phone but most of its AR experiences really revolved around entertaining or sometimes educational experiences instead. Google's mobile Search, in particular, has been putting virtual objects in the real world via your phone's screen, and its latest trick is to call forth Japan's most iconic characters, wherever you are in the world.

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Samsung seems to be at a stage where it's rapidly playing around with its camera systems, quickly changing the formula based on what works and what doesn't. One of the puzzle pieces that has changed since last year has been its use of a 3D Time-of-Flight sensor or ToF which was present until the Galaxy S20 last year. Since then, however, the tech has been missing and it seems that next year's Galaxy S22 will miss out on it again, hinting at the end of its use at least for the time being.

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Virtual and augmented reality, collectively known as mixed reality (MR) or, more recently, "extended reality" or XR, always had the potential to make life not only more fun but also more productive. Most applications, however, may have focused too much on the "fun" aspect, making most people presume the technologies are mostly just for entertainment. These experiences can, of course, be quite interesting but Google's latest WebXR experiments for smartphones try to prove how they can be educational as well.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook has talked about Apple car rumors, augmented reality, and the electric vehicle segment and his contact - or lack of - with Tesla's Elon Musk, amid speculation by analysts that the Cupertino firm is readying a handful of ambitious launches into new categories over the next few years. Though Cook is, as always, tight-lipped about details and exact product plans, it's clear that Apple isn't interested in a low-key role in either AR or autonomous driving.

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Samsung has been talking up its new Galaxy SmartTag Plus gadgets since the beginning of the year. When they were first talked about, the launch date was noted as coming soon. The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Plus is now officially available for preorder, with an expected availability date of April 12, 2021. That's only a bit more than a week from now.

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