Holographic car windshields that overlay augmented reality graphics atop the real world could be closer than you think, with Porsche, Hyundai, and others tapping a smart glass startup developing the transparent tech. WayRay has been working on holographic augmented reality head-up display technologies since 2012, developing a compact hologram projector that could change what you see through your car's windows.
Lenovo promised regular updates for the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges augmented reality game, and it's been delivering, with the latest being a Dark Side Expansion and a new lightsaber option. The AR game uses a smartphone slotted into Lenovo's Mirage headset, and wirelessly-connected weapons modeled after those in the hit movies.
It’s really no secret that Apple, or at least CEO Tim Cook, believes in augmented reality, at least more than virtual reality. It does, after all, have ARCore but nothing equivalent for VR. But like its self-driving car, the company has been unsurprisingly mum about its plans to make and sell an AR product of its own. Actions, however, speak louder than words and buying a startup that focuses on AR lenses is pretty much the smoking gun we could be looking for.
Google made a switch from virtual reality to augmented reality in an apparent hardware-focused move in late 2017. The move was made public this week in a behind-the-scenes confirmation of a cancellation of an IMAX VR project announced previously. Google and IMAX announced a collaboration on a VR camera back in May of 2016 - all that appears to be over right this minute.
The Apple Car rumor has reignited, with analyst predictions that the Cupertino company will look to four wheels and complex technology for its next iPhone-scale success. Speculation that Apple is considering wading into transportation has been a regular topic of discussion in recent years, as investors and fans alike try to guess what the $1 trillion company might do next.
This week the folks at Nokia decided to bring their classic game "Snake" back to the public via Facebook Camera. Using the new augmented reality features of the Facebook Camera platform, Nokia delivered Snake to all users starting this morning. To attain said Snake, one needed only to open the Facebook app and click a button in the Facebook Camera. Now, if only they'd bring Tony Hawk Pro Skater there too...
One of the problems with new computing platforms is the danger to go overboard in trying to present a novel experience. Nowhere is that truer than with virtual and augmented reality where user interfaces are already split into two almost diametrically opposed camps. As one of the most popular proponents of controller-less AR experience, Magic Leap runs the risk of overloading its UI with novel and fancy gizmos and controls. Fortunately, based on images going rounds over the Internet, the startup has exercised some caution and common sense.
Virtual and augmented reality have created the need for a niche type of content creation, one that requires truly immersive 3D experiences. But while there are already tools for that, a bottleneck is created when you have to put on cumbersome VR or AR headsets just to quickly test their work. Wouldn’t it be great if you could actually see those right on your desk immediately? That would require a holographic display and that is exactly what The Looking Glass is trying to offer.
Online shopping services, especially Amazon’s, have become so convenient that, for some, it is their go-to for anything they need to buy. It only works, though, if you actually know what you need to buy. When you don’t, like with unidentified bolts, washers, fasteners, etc, you often have to drag yourself to the nearest hardware store. To help buyers, Amazon is rolling out a Part Finder feature on its mobile app that employs augmented reality tricks to keep you from buying from someone else.
Magic Leap conducted a livestream today during which time it gave the public a demonstration of its augmented reality experience. During the demo, which is still available to view, we see the system establish locations within the user's world where an AR creature can spawn, then the creature throws rocks at the wearer, who is able to dodge them and interact with the entity by swatting the air.
It may be hard to imagine a world without smartphone apps, but Apple's App Store only celebrates its tenth birthday later this month. The download store first opened its digital doors on July 10, 2008, with a mere 500 titles on its virtual shelves.
While Google is probably wishing the world forgot about its less than stellar history with Android tablets, it isn’t writing out the device form factor completely. It is, instead, reframing tablets within the context of Chrome OS, particularly with its first tablet, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10. But in order to do that, it has to bring some features over from Android to Chrome OS, which is what it’s doing now with its education-themed update.