News: Smartglasses Maker North Picks Up Intel's Vaunt Patents
When wearables startup North officially unveiled its Focals smartglasses in October, the stylish frames strongly resembled, in form and function, Intel's canceled Vaunt smartglasses.
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News: 'Atlanta' Actor Lakeith Stanfield Walks an Augmented Reality Tightrope for New York Times Magazine
The New York Times has made a habit of publishing augmented reality stories throughout 2018, and now the media giant's magazine is getting into the act, too.
News: Cinemark Movie Club Is a Great Subscription for Occasional Filmgoers & Popcorn Addicts
Cinemark may not be as big as AMC Theatres, but it also has a subscription if you want cheaper access to movie tickets. There aren't as many theaters, but if there's no AMC around you, there will likely be a Cinemark to save the day. But is the price of its Movie Club plan worth it?
News: Magic Leap One Now Available to Most US Consumers, Affirm Partner Offers Buyer Financing
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 as the company has just announced a financing option that allows anyone with a spare $96/month to gradually pay their way into full ownership of the device.
News: Microsoft Japan Helps Godzilla Invade Real World Tokyo via HoloLens
The company behind Japan's beloved Gozilla, Japan's Toho Studios, has for years tried to give fans the sense of what a giant, nuclear-powered lizard invading Tokyo might feel like. Until now, those attempts have been limited to the movie theater, but now, with the help of the Microsoft HoloLens, Godzilla is finally getting its chance to invade the actual city, with terrified fans looking on from a safe distance.
News: Mapbox Updates Maps SDK to Compete with Google Maps API for Location-Based Gaming
Location services company Mapbox has added new capabilities to its location-based gaming tool to fend off Google's challenge for the same mobile app category.
News: An Augmented Reality Game Brings the Monsters of The Rock's 'Rampage' to Your City Skyline
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 app.
News: Google Leads $14.5 Million Funding Round for AR Cloud Startup Blue Vision
The augmented reality cloud and multi-user experiences are shaping up to be one of the hotter areas of augmented reality, and now Google is the latest entity to back these emerging branches of AR.
News: Price, Pre-Order & Ship Date for Magic Leap One Creator Edition
With the big reveal of the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition in December 2017, and now the update on Feb. 13, 2018, we no longer have to speculate as to what the augmented reality headset will look like or when (in general) it will be available.
News: Starbucks Brews Up Augmented Reality App to Enhance Roastery Experience
To create a destination for coffee connoisseurs, Starbucks has ordered up a venti cup of augmented reality to make the visit more interactive.
News: We Found All the Silly, Wonderful People Playing with Their New 'Star Wars: Jedi Challenges' Lightsabers
If you know your internet history, then you fondly remember the Star Wars Kid and his epic lightsaber display on YouTube. Now, many years later, everyone is following in the footsteps of the Star Wars Kid thanks to the Lenovo Mirage and the new Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app.
How To: Why the LG V30 Is the Only Phone You Should Buy if You Have T-Mobile
If you're in the market for a new smartphone, you'll likely scan spec sheets and read reviews of the top phones, compare display size and technology, RAM amount, and processors. But one factor that is often overlooked is cell reception — and for T-Mobile subscribers, there's only one device that has flagship specs and an exclusive antenna that will actually improve your signal.
Apple AR: Augmented Reality TARDIS Really Is Bigger on the Inside
If you're a Doctor Who fan, you've likely always hoped to see that iconic blue box appear on your doorstep with the Doctor asking you to come on an adventure. With the 13th Doctor just announced, this seems like the perfect time to tell you that thanks to Apple's ARKit, exploring the TARDIS is now possible!
News: This Live Game in Times Square Will Make Your Spidey Senses Tingle
To celebrate the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming and to advertise Dell's newest gaming laptop, Dell and Sony Pictures teamed up to create a live game in Times Square. Simply walk through the tourist hotspot to unlock the game and help Peter Parker save the day.
News: Can You Hear Me Now? Probably Not if You Have T-Mobile
If you're on T-Mobile, you've probably had a rough morning. Reports are coming in saying that the carrier's LTE network is down in cities throughout the country.
News: Honda Sets 2025 Target for Level 4
Honda president Takahiro Hachigo has just announced that Honda will complete development of fully self-driving cars by 2025. While the company aims to have level 3 — or conditionally autonomous cars requiring human intervention only in emergencies — on the road in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, these level 4 cars would require no intervention in most environments and thus bring Honda one step closer to producing fully driverless cars.
News: Check Out Volvo's Vision for a Driverless Garbage Truck Future
Volvo is joining the autonomous vehicle race. In a video released Tuesday, the company showed off its concept for a driverless garbage truck, adding themselves to a growing list of manufacturers pledging to work in the self-driving field.
News: Google Search Never Wants You to Feel Left Out Again
Google added a new feature to its mobile app that pairs your searches for events with direct summaries of activities from sites like Eventbrite and Meetup. If you see an event you like, then you can tap on it to check it out for more fun details or book your ticket directly through the providing website.
News: Google Will Automatically Translate Reviews No Matter What Country You're In
Traveling is a rich and rewarding experience. When you don't speak the language, however, your trip can present some tricky obstacles. Google knows this, which is why they will now automatically translate user reviews in Google Maps and Google searches.
News: Thyssenkrupp Claims Up to 4x Faster Workflow with HoloLens
Microsoft announced yet another exciting partnership for HoloLens today — thyssenkrupp, an industrial engineering company best known for their elevators — continuing to prove how useful augmented reality is in the workplace.
News: Otto Cofounder Claims Autonomous Trucks Will Be Taking Over Highways Within 10 Years
Any truck driver who breathed a sigh of relief when US Secretary of Commerce Steve Mnuchin recently stated that driverless cars "will not affect jobs in a meaningful way for roughly 50 to 100 years" can go back to being anxious about job security again.
News: Australia Is Becoming a Hotbed for Autonomous Innovations
Australia is looking to the future and finding driverless cars and other autonomous vehicles to be a top priority. Spacial Source reports that the state government has put AU$10 million into their Future Mobility Land Fund "to drive local development of autonomous vehicle technology."
News: The Perceptoscope Brings Mixed Reality to Any Location
With most augmented and mixed reality devices, you wear a purchased headset and use it alone, in a place of your choice—but not this one. Ben Sax decided to reinvent the binoculars to create a mixed reality experience that anyone can walk up to and try for free. He calls it the Perceptoscope.
News: How to Access Facebook's Hidden Messenger Website
Facebook's Messenger apps for Android and iOS make it easy to navigate between conversations, helps you keep in touch with your friends or heckle your enemies, and even lets you tag yourself or others in the conversation with hilarious nicknames to keep things interesting.
How To: Make a Mini Grill Out of a Wire Hanger & Foil Pans
It is a beautiful, yet scorching day here in Los Angeles, and the only reason I would ever step outside from my air-conditioned castle would be to grill out by the pool. There's just one problem: backyards are few and far between here in The City of Angels.
How To: Make Android's Clock App Open Directly to the Alarm Tab
The basic clock app on Android devices is functional and has a few nice features. One of these is a "World Clock" view, which lets you see the current time in different cities across the world, and shows the time in your location at the top.
How To: Dashlane & LastPass Can Now Automatically Strengthen All of Your Weak Passwords
A group ironically called the "Guardians of Peace" hacked into Sony Pictures' computer systems and released a mountain of internal information such as medical records, leaked scripts, work complaints, and even celebrity aliases.
How To: Which Stores Accept Apple Pay? The Always Up-to-Date List
Apple Pay has been available to use in stores, as well as in select apps and websites, ever since its first appearance in iOS 8.1. Now, with iOS 12, there are currently 13 different iPhone models that support Apple Pay functionality without the use of an Apple Watch, and the list of partnered stores that accept Apple Pay has only grown. Here's our always-up-to-date list to keep you in the know.
How To: Add Email, Text, & Callback Shortcuts for Missed or Ended Calls on Android
Living in a densely populated city means that I usually have a strong cell signal, but that isn't always the case when I start driving out to the boonies. When I do get that occasional dropped call, it makes more sense to shoot off a text or email instead of trekking around trying to get more bars.
How To: Search Your iPhone Photos by Date or Location in iOS 8
Skimming through the hundreds of photos you may have on your iPhone for that one selfie of you and your friends in Los Angeles can be a tedious task, especially if you were inebriated and snapping pics indiscriminately. Thankfully, as one of the many cool features available in iOS 8, the Photos app now lets you search your images based on date or location.
How To: Cast Reddit GIFs & Images from Your Android Phone to Your TV
Reddit is home to tons of fun and unique content. A starting point for the various memes and videos that eventually make it into your Facebook feed, you could seriously spend all day just browsing different subreddits and not get bored.
How To: Take a Screenshot on Your Amazon Fire Phone
Screenshots are all the rage. From sharing high game scores with friends to placing conversation threads online for the world to see to secretly capturing Snapchats, this function of smartphones is prevalent through modern society.
How To: View Google Maps & Street View in Split-Screen Mode on Android
On a recent trip to Palm Springs, I found myself navigating with Google Maps and virtually exploring my destiniation using its built-in Street View feature. The thing is, using Street View can make keeping track of your exact location difficult as you zoom in, out, and about. It's a little discombobulating.
How To: Make Water 'Bottles' You Can Eat
Bottled water is a rip-off. Not only is it pretty much the same stuff that comes out of your tap for free, but plastic bottles are rarely recycled and thus account for a huge amount of the waste that's overflowing our landfills. Next Up: Water Bottles You Can Eat
News: New Features and KitKat Compatibility Added to HTC Backup for Your HTC One
If you are using the the AT&T variant of the HTC One, you are well aware that the carrier opted not have the HTC Backup app pre-installed on the device. Luckily for us, HTC said "screw it" and put the app on Google Play, allowing anyone with an HTC One, regardless of carrier, to be able to download and use the app—if you're an AT&T customer, grab the app and let's take a quick walkthrough (again, the rest of us on other carriers should have the app already).
How To: Smoke Foods on Your Stovetop Using Kitchen Gear You Already Own
Smoked foods are popular all over the world, but most of us don't have smokers at home. If you want smoked salmon, brisket or Gouda, you usually have to go out and buy it. Outdoor smokers aren't usually an option for city-dwellers, and the indoor versions can be pricey.
How To: Get Auto-Rotating Google Now Wallpapers on Your Samsung Galaxy S3 Home Screen
There are hundreds of sites that host high-res wallpapers for your Android's home screen, but most of us stick with the same old drab stock wallpaper because we're too lazy to go hunt for new ones.
How To: Cycle Safer with This DIY Turn Signal Backpack, Complete with Accelerometer-Activated Brake Lights
If you ride your bike or motorcycle a lot, especially in a large city, you've probably had a few close calls. No matter how safely you're driving, you never know what other people are going to do, and being on a smaller vehicle makes you difficult to see.
How To: This DIY 'Bicycle Barometer' Lets You Know If You Should Bike to Work or Catch the Bus
If you don't have a car, or just prefer to take public transit to work, you know that an unexpected change in the weather can quickly...er, dampen your day. If you're not expecting it, rain or snow can turn your trip into a long, hellish ordeal—especially if you bike.
News: Majestic Airship Needs Votes to Get Produced by LEGO
LEGO has not attempted a blimp, zeppelin, or similar airship since 1999, the 5956 Expedition Balloon which used highly specialized parts. This is unfortunate as these vessels are well and truly part of the pulpy adventure and steampunk scene.