Every Friday, Next Reality reviews the latest headlines from the financial side of augmented and mixed reality. This Market Reality column covers funding announcements, mergers and acquisitions, market analysis, and the like. This week's column is led by two companies cashing in on visual inputs.
In February, the popular Facebook-owned WhatsApp Messenger service jumped on the "stories" bandwagon and replaced their in-app, text-based "About Me" status (you know, those lovely little messages where you can say "Sleeping" or "Not Sleeping" under the tiny nub of your profile picture). Taking its place was a clone of Snapchat's Stories feature, continuing the social media giant's recent trend of shamelessly copying Snapchat.
Swipe keyboards such as GBoard, SwiftKey, TouchPal, and Swype are handy for quick one-thumbed typing on an iPhone, but Microsoft upped the game with its experimental Word Flow Keyboard. In short, the keyboard fans out to occupy the natural range of your thumb, where you can type or rely on predictive swiping.
If you purchased something from iTunes, the iOS App Store, iBooks Store, Apple TV App Store, or the Mac App Store and it doesn't work, didn't download, is buggy, or wasn't what you thought it was, you can get a full refund from Apple—you just have to know how to ask.
3D Touch is a new feature on the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus that's reinventing the way we interact with our smartphones. With just a little bit of added pressure when tapping on the display, you can perform Quick Actions from an app's home screen icon, "Peek" at emails, stories, and photos in-app, as well as perform other app-specific gestures. Since 3D Touch is such a new concept, here are some of the apps that currently support it, along with the shortcuts you can use.
With the advent of text messaging, our communication habits have changed drastically. Social niceties are still there, but we budget our words a little more since they have to be typed out rather than spoken. After all, SMS stands for "Short Message Service," so this is the nature of the beast.
In the weeks before Apple officially released iOS 8, consumers were abuzz over rumors that a new feature would password-protect your photos and text messages from prying eyes. Unfortunately, this ended up being untrue, though we did cover some alternatives to protecting your important information using some built-in features and a third-party app. Now, there's a new iOS app that can do it all.
When your iPhone can't be found, Find My iPhone is a true lifesaver. When you use the feature, you can ping your iPhone and even see its current location on a real-time map. But what happens when your iPhone runs out of battery? Find My iPhone can't locate a dead iPhone, can it? You might be surprised to know it can, to a certain degree.
Apple definitely wasn't first to the widget game, but any iPhone running iOS 8 or higher can add widgets to their Today View found via a swipe down from the top of the screen when on the home screen or in any app. There's even access to widgets on the lock screen via the same swipe down on iOS 8 and iOS 9 (on iOS 10, iOS 11, and iOS 12, all you have to do is swipe right on the lock screen).
The autocorrect feature in Apple's default iOS keyboard is anything but perfect. Sometimes it can't autocorrect things on your iPhone to want you want, while other times there's a software bug that just flat out gets it wrong. These autocorrect issues can get even worse thanks to Apple's predictive text feature, QuickType, and the inability to edit your custom dictionary.
Metro apps are pretty nice, but they absolutely suck on a Windows desktop with a mouse and keyboard. That's to be expected though, since Metro (also known as Modern UI or Microsoft design language) was created mainly with touch input in mind for Surface Pros and Windows Phones.
There wasn't really anything too special about the S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, with its limited capabilities and finicky sensitivity. Luckily, the S Pen was greatly improved on the Note 3, the biggest enhancement being Air Command, a floating menu that appears when the S Pen is removed that gives quick access to all the new features.
Are you interested in beginning research of your family's history? I began this journey about 3 or 4 years ago and here is what I found. I've done almost ALL of my research online, and gotten farther, faster and more comprehensively than anyone else who has researched my family the old fashioned ways. This is the kind of thing that technology is made for. Here's how to use it.
If more privacy in your car is what you seek, you may want to consider installing a dark tint to your windows. In this tutorial, Mike Burke of Sunstoppers shows you how car tinting is done right. Mike will show you how to apply a tint just like the professionals do, so that you can get some info on how it's done.
Ever try your hand at betting on the ponies? It's a hard sport to bet on if you're just starting, and you should know everything you need to before you start, or you're just going to be throwing your money away.
Match the color of objects on Photoshop. Take a picture of your self of one shirt that the shirt is on different color mean while choose the black tea shirt because it the traditionally one of the harder colors, change the image mode to the lab color for both images then use eyedropper tool and expose the info pallet select the neutral part of the image i.e. red. Hold down shift then we can see the icon changes then add contrast to it by hue saturation present in the layer pallet.
Just because Greek monster and general bully Medusa had yucky snakes slithering out of her head doesn't mean a Halloween look based on her has to be disgusting and scaly. Bring out the beautiful side of the myth by creating this gorgeous stonelike Medusa look.
If you're looking to play a samurai or other Japanese inspired character at your next boffer larp, this tutorial is for you. You're shown how to build a foam katana using duct tape, a razor blade, measuring tape, cloth athletic tape, DAP contact cement, liquid craft latex, fabric to cover your blade, rope, fiberglass core, and of course, foam!
With James Cameron's "Avatar" being as game changing and visually breathtaking as it is, we're pretty sure that this Halloween you'll be seeing lots of folks looking a little blue...makeup-wise, that is. Whether you're dressing up as a guy Na'vi or a girl Na'vi, this Halloween makeup tutorial will get you looking like a member of the tribe like no other.
We all have our reasons for erasing personal data from a phone. Whether you just ended a bad relationship whose face you never want to see again (lots of text messages) or just want to restore your privacy on the cell phone, erasing may be your only option.
In this tutorial, we learn how to set up a group on Facebook. First, log into your Facebook, then click on "groups", then click "create a new group". Now, give your group a name, description, news, email address, and contact information. When finished, click on "create group". Now you will be able to customized your group by adding images. Once you do this, you can add a website and change your different options. Allow only instructors to upload photos, because students may decide to upload i...
In this tutorial, we learn how to deal with bed bugs in college. There is no treatment for bed bugs, you just have to get rid of where they are living. If you suspect they are in sheets, blankets or clothes, you must wash these in extremely hot water or freeze them for 24 hours. Don't share grooming products or headphones, because these can transfer head lice from person to person. You can also get body lice that spread from clothing and feed on your skin. Pubic lice comes from sexual contact...
Thanks to Bare Escentuals, generations of women have been enlightened as to the skin-soothing and non-irritating powers of mineral makeup, which is (generally) 100% natural. But did you know there are also mineral eyeshadows available?
Eric Mayo teaches us how to put together a resume as an ex-offender. Your resume should be a one page paper of all your skills and work experiences. If you don't have a lot of experience writing resumes, get help from friends who have experience. When you write it, add your name, address and telephone number onto it so you can be contacted. After this, you will want to list: objective, work experience, education/training, skills/strengths, and references. Remember not to list your references ...
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to use Flickr photos in their screen-saver. This task can only be done on the Windows computer. Users will need to download the program from the website provided in the video. Once downloaded and installed, there is an option in the Screen Saver Settings. Users are able to take photos from specific users or groups, or can search through tags and contacts. Further options include selecting the size of the photo and delay between switching the photos. U...
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to unsend emails with the help of Google. Users will need a Google email account. Begin by logging into your Gmail account and click on Settings. Then click on the Labs tab under Settings and scroll down the page until you see "Undo Send". Now click on Enable and click on Save Changes. Now when users send an email, they can undo the email by clicking on Undo once they have sent the mail. Users will only have 5 seconds to undo an email after it has bee...
If you would like to use your Facebook chat but are hiding from a particular friend, check out this tutorial. Sometimes you just aren't in the mood to talk to certain people and you don't want them to see that you are online. In this video, you will learn how to create block lists so that only certain groups will be able to contact you and see your online status. Follow along with this step by step and decide who you talk to and when.
Want to look like a blond Playboy bombshell? This tutorial goes into a red rust/silver smokey eye that complements blue and gray eyes (you can always wear contacts in those colors if you have them). The look is inspired by Kendra from "The Girls Next Door."
Back at the dawn of time, a man's worth was determined by how many dead animals he had mounted to his wall. These days, men still want to be manly but find taxidermy a wee bit creepy.
Lock and load! In this Xbox 360 tutorial, you're taken for a nifty little ride by the guys at Achievement Hunter. The main target: an easter egg. And not just any cool easter egg, it's one that puts you, somewhat, in contact with another zombie basher from a different game, Dead Rising. Yes, in this Left 4 Dead 2: The Passing, easter egg hunt, you'll be reading a little message left to you from the man himself, Frank West. So sit back and prepare for the worst. Enjoy!
In this Electronics video tutorial you will learn how to build and use a tinyCylon kit. The kit contains a battery pack, a PCB, LEDs, resistor, a momentary switch and a screw. The long end of the LEDs will go into the square shaped contacts. Don’t push the LEDs right up to the board. Instead, use some poster putty to hold the LEDs standing upright so that they can be bent later on. Fix all the LEDs in this manner and solder them on the other side. Then solder the leads of the battery pack. ...
See how to make a guerilla battery pack for your camera! For this quick battery hack from ChappyShowcase, all you need is some gaffing tape and two batteries from your camcorder. Simply tape the two batteries together so that the contact terminals are facing away from each other. By combining two batteries into one, you'll have a guerilla battery brick setup. Now you're prepped for the most efficient battery swapping capabilities possible! This is a good trick for any assistant cameraman.
Welcome to a tennis lesson from FuzzyYellowBalls, the the best place to learn how to play tennis online. Our free video tennis lessons teach you how to play the game in a new way that combines technical analysis, visual learning, and step-by-step progressions.
Welcome to a tennis lesson from FuzzyYellowBalls, the the best place to learn how to play tennis online. Our free video tennis lessons teach you how to play the game in a new way that combines technical analysis, visual learning, and step-by-step progressions.
Welcome to a tennis lesson from FuzzyYellowBalls, the the best place to learn how to play tennis online. Our free video tennis lessons teach you how to play the game in a new way that combines technical analysis, visual learning, and step-by-step progressions.
Nasty defender Bruce Bowen teaches you how to defend a player or in his case, superstars like Lebron James or Kobe Bryant. This is key to defensive plays. Man-to-man can be a full contact and aggressive way to play. You got to be quick on your feet and ready to get in the offense's face. Don't let the shot go off. It is your responsibility to beat them on every play.
So you want to be a reality TV star. The first step? Wow the producers with an awesome audition tape.
See how to avoid rejection on the singles scene! When it comes to putting the moves on someone, no one can make themselves rejection-proof. But you can increase the odds of a good outcome.
Need to upgrade your bathroom's mirror? Well, first you need to take down the old one! And Eric shows you how it's all done in this video guide from GardenFork. Removing a mirror that's been glued to the wall is tricky, but it's nowhere near impossible to take down. Eric covers the mirror surface with contact paper to prevent broken shards dropping everywhere, then start banging on to break it, so you can take it down in sections safely. Once you get it down, see how to hang the new mirror up...
Grafting, also known as "top working," is simple-but-essential technique that enables you to change the variety of fruit a tree bears. In this tutorial, Stephen Hayes of Fruitwise Apples Heritage demonstrates the rind grafting technique, a useful method for grafting over a sound-but-unwanted apple or pear tree.
