News: Google Launches Augmented Reality Filters on Meet App for Mobile
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Google has packed new functionality into Google Meet to compete with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other video conferencing platforms.
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News: Facebook's Smartwatch Will Eventually Include CTRL-Labs Tech for Smartglasses Control, Report Says
If you were to summarize the path Snap has taken towards augmented reality smartglasses with a meme template, how it started would be the first-generation Spectacles camera glasses and how it's going would be the next-generation Spectacles with AR capabilities.
News: Deutsche Telekom Opens Early Access to Tooz Smartglasses via Dev Kit
If you're a developer working on the bleeding edge of augmented reality, or even an enthusiastic smartglasses early adopter, being first in line for new wearable hardware is a priority.
News: Facebook Portal TV Evolves as Remote Work Device with Zoom & GoToMeeting Support
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook enjoyed a boost in sales of Portal, its smart video cameras with AR effects, as social distancing became the norm.
News: 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.
News: Apple Has Secured Micro OLED Supply Partner for Future AR Devices, Says Report
Like the layers of an onion, 2021 continues to peel back new hints of Apple's kinda-secretive augmented reality device development.
News: Looking Glass Factory Reveals 3D Conversion Platform That Can Turn Any Photo into a Hologram
Now that 3D display maker Looking Glass Factory is closing in on $2.2 million raised in its crowdfunding campaign for the consumer-grade Looking Glass Portrait device, the company now has a 3D content generator to go with it.
News: Manscaped's Brand Hype Grows into Augmented Reality via Snapchat Lens
If you're a man and subscribe to podcasts or YouTube channels that cater to masculine interests, then you've almost certainly encountered sponsorships from Manscaped. And that means I don't have to explain what the company is selling you (for the uninitiated, it's a company dedicated to helping you trim your body hair—most notably, your nether regions, in addition to other areas).
How To: Harness the Power of Big Data with This 10-Course Bundle
You don't need to work as an executive at Google to understand and appreciate the importance of large-scale data analytics in today's world. Whether you're interested in joining the ranks of a major tech firm or want to improve your company's marketing campaigns through consumer analysis, knowing how to work with large sets of complex data is paramount.
How To: Take Control of Your Bank Account with These Master Classes
Navigating a pandemic is new for everybody, which makes staying on top of your finances more important than ever. Fortunately, financial freedom is possible when you focus on budgeting and investing wisely.
How To: Use Your Favorite Snapchat AR Lenses on Zoom, Skype, Meet & Other Video Conferencing Apps
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic means that social distancing has become the new normal. It also means that more Americans are using video conferencing to connect with colleagues working from home or friends and family in quarantine because of the new coronavirus.
News: Magic Leap Repackages Developer Tools as The Lab, Publishes Updates to Lumin SDK & Lumin OS, & Previews Magicverse SDK
Along with rebranding Magic Leap 1 for enterprise customers, Magic Leap has gifted its developer community with some new toys with a tease of more to come in 2020.
News: Dimension NXG's New Headset Brings Rural Indian Schools into the Future of Augmented Reality
Indian startup Dimension NXG is launching augmented reality headsets into India's consumer market with a bold idea: focusing on immersive computing in education on the high-end. The plan is to give a new kind of AR headset to schoolchildren in remote Indian villages, starting from class 5 (age 10) until graduation.
News: The Future of Augmented Reality — What to Expect This Year & in 2020
The year in augmented reality 2019 started with the kind of doom and gloom that usually signals the end of something. Driven in large part by the story we broke in January about the fall of Meta, along with similar flameouts by ODG and Blippar, the virtual shrapnel of AR ventures that took a wrong turn has already marred the landscape of 2019.
News: What to Do When You Get a Low Heart Rate Notification on Your Apple Watch
You're minding your business when your Apple Watch taps you. To your surprise, the watch claims your heart rate dipped abnormally low. The news might come as a shock — especially if you have no history of a heart condition — but before you panic, you should take the time to fully understand what this alert is really saying and what you can and should do about it.
Market Reality: L'Oreal's Rochet Leads NR30's AR Influencers & Magic Leap Demonstrates Its Own Influence at L.E.A.P. Con
This week, Next Reality released the fifth and final set of profiles on the NR30 leaders in augmented reality, with this chapter focusing on the influencers in the industry.
News: The ASUS ZenFone 5Z Is Coming to the US with Legit Flagship Specs for Under $500
After first being announced at Mobile World Congress 2018, the ASUS ZenFone 5Z will finally be coming to the US. Deemed an iPhone X clone by some, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this flasghip. While it is similar to the iPhone X, in some ways, it improves on the design.
News: Magic Leap's Unity Conference Presentation Uncovered Many New Details, Here's What We Found Out
During its presentation at Unite Berlin, Magic Leap gave attendees a crash course in developing experiences for Magic Leap One (ML1), we found out quite a bit more about how the device works and what we can expect to experience with the device.
News: Why the LG G7 ThinQ's New Super Bright Display Is Actually a Game-Changer
The LG G7 ThinQ will likely be lambasted for its notch and awkward name, but one thing they seem to have gotten right is the new display. The G7 ThinQ will give many a first look at a new type of panel with lots of promise. While it was previously limited to TVs, from what we know, it should really shine on a smaller screen.
News: Samsung Is Still Awful at Flagship Updates
In the Android community, Samsung's slow updates have long been the accepted norm. With the Note 8's recent Android Oreo update, Samsung completed annual version updates to their 2017 flagship lineup. Now is a great time to look back on how Samsung has fared with updates over the past few years. Hint: It's not pretty.
Dev Report: Microsoft's First HoloLens Update in Over a Year Now Available in Preview, Hints at Big Plans for 2018
After more than a year and a half of silence, the rumors have morphed into reality: Microsoft has finally released an update for the HoloLens. And with that update comes a collection of new features that hint at big plans for the HoloLens this year.
How To: Use Remote Port Forwarding to Slip Past Firewall Restrictions Unnoticed
Local port forwarding is good when you want to use SSH to pivot into a non-routable network. But if you want to access services on a network when you can't configure port-forwarding on a router and don't have VPN access to the network, remote port forwarding is the way to go.
News: Give the Gift of AR This Holiday Season with These 12 Newbie-Friendly Ideas
If you're a regular reader of Next Reality, you're more likely to spread the joy of augmented reality than most others. But it can be difficult to introduce newbies into the AR fold if you don't give them exactly the right starting point in terms ease-of-use and affordability. But fear not, oh gift-giving AR pioneer, we're here to help!
Qi Explained: The Best Wireless Chargers for Your New iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus
Apple's iPhone 8 and iPhone X announcement went about exactly as the rumors predicted. Really, there was only one surprise — the fact that all of the new models will support the Qi wireless charging standard.
News: Microbe-Fighting Plastic Wrap Keeps Fruits Fresher for a Week
In the case of rotting food, microbes are not our friends. Now, scientists have developed a new food wrap coated with tiny clay tubes packed with an antibacterial essential oil that can extend the shelf life of perishable food, so we can waste less and eat more.
YouTube 101: Is YouTube Red Worth It?
When Google announced YouTube Red — a paid monthly subscription service that disables advertising, among other perks — many of us thought "just use an ad blocker." But it isn't really that simple.
NR50: Next Reality's 50 People to Watch: Paul Travers
There is an Indian story called the Legend of Paal Paysam, and while it doesn't seem like it at first, it has a lot to say about what motivated Paul Travers in the augmented reality space.
How To: The 7 Best New Features for Maps in iOS 11 for iPhone
There are many impressive features in the new iOS 11 for iPhones, and the Maps app got a lot of love from Apple. This means it's finally about time you stop relying on Google Maps for all of your navigation needs, since Apple Maps is not only more accurate than it used to be, but it's way more helpful overall.
Hands-on: Acer Windows Mixed Reality Dev Kit & Datascape
One thing that I got more and more excited about as we got closer and closer to the Microsoft Build 2017 developers conference was finally learning about the new Acer Windows Mixed Reality head-mounted displays (HMD). Brandon Bray, Principal Group Program Manager at Microsoft, had teased us a few weeks earlier at the Vision Summit event in Los Angeles, California, and said there would be a lot more information at Build. Fortunately for us, he was right.
News: How Livestock Farts Lead to a Warmer Climate
When it comes to global warming, most of us think of carbon dioxide emissions. While carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide emissions have stayed constant for the last three years. On the other hand, methane, the second most important gas, has been steadily rising since 2007.
News: Take These Steps to Avoid Getting an Infection When You Receive Health Care
The office of your physician, or your local hospital, is where you go when you need medical care. But it could also be where you could pick up a life-threatening infection.
Hands-On: Our Detailed Look at Osterhout Design Group's R-8 & R-9 Smartglasses
I had the opportunity to speak with the COO of Osterhout Design Group, Pete Jameson, shortly before the announcement of the company's R-8 and R-9 smartglasses models at CES in January. And while I sadly could not make it to CES to test the smart specs out right away, ODG invited me to do just that while I was in San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference.
AutonomouStuff: How a Small Company Punching Above Its Weight Is Accelerating Driverless Car Development
Ask anyone that works on the development of driverless vehicle technology and there is a very good chance that AutonomouStuff will have supplied something to their project.
News: Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ with Infinity Display, Iris Scanner & More—Here's Everything You Need to Know
The new Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ phones were announced on March 29 at the Samsung UNPACKED 2017 event. Preorders start on March 30 for the Korean tech giant's latest flagships, and sales officially begin in the US on April 21. Samsung will need a smooth release to win back consumer trust after the Note7 mess, and it's already looking like the S8 won't disappoint.
How To: Everything You Need to Know About Insuring Your Android Phone
As a former repair tech, I've heard the same reasons over and over as to why people opt not to purchase phone insurance. Some cite the cost—why pay extra every month for insurance when you're careful with your phone? Deductibles are expensive, so why not just spend that money on a repair instead of getting a refurbished phone as a replacement?
How To: Everything You Need to Know About RCS Universal Profile
Google is on a mission to bring a better messaging experience to Android users. We've seen them try and fail over the years with various messenger apps, but this time, they're taking a different approach by working with industry leaders to create a new messaging standard. The result is RCS Universal Profile, or simply Chat, and it's finally catching on.
News: Apple & Samsung Bring Design Patents to the Supreme Court for the First Time 130 Years
Samsung and Apple are back in court, but this time it's not just money at stake. The Supreme Court's decision could have a far reaching effect on patent law and innovation in design.
News: YouVisit Teleports You Around the World with an Expansive, Elegant Library of 360-Degree Video Content
Virtual reality holds the promise of electronically visiting distant places we'd otherwise struggle to reach, but that teleportation-esque ability isn't possible without the right content. YouVisit created a platform that makes it easy for almost anyone to create immersive 360-degree experiences so we can map our lives and see the world through the eyes of our fellow humans.
Tested: Baking with Cricket Flour Is Not as Gross as You Think
If you've ever played the game of Would You Rather, you've probably been given the ultimatum between eating insects or doing something else that sounds absurd, like licking a cactus. I'm advising you to always choose the insects, and here's why:
The Hacks of Mr. Robot: How Elliot & Fsociety Destroyed Evil Corp's Data
Welcome back, my nascent hackers! In the conclusion of the Mr. Robot television series, Elliot and fsociety successfully completed their mission of encrypting all of Evil Corp's data with AES-128 encryption and destroying the key.