News: Star Wars Unleashes Adorable AR Porgs via Snapchat
To promote Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Disney and Lucasfilm released virtual porgs into the wilds of Snapchat via a Sponsored Lens on Sunday.
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Apple AR: LEGO AR-Studio Will Give Kids Free Virtual Sets to Play Alongside Real LEGOs
It appears that the new AR app from LEGO is inching closer to release.
News: The Best New Features in the Essential Phone Oreo Update
Essential recently launched their Android Oreo Beta Program, open to all owners of their PH-1 flagship. We detailed a quick and easy method for installing the beta on your device. With every beta program, there are bound to be plenty of new features and a few bugs, as we found out with the Galaxy S8 Oreo Beta. Let's take a look at what's new with Android 8.0 on the Essential Phone.
News: Marvel Teams with Snoop, Jaden Smith, Jamie Foxx, Black Eyed Peas & Others for AR Graphic Novel
While most of Hollywood and its celebrity class are enthralled by virtual reality, a new augmented reality experience featuring some of the music and film world's top talent is preparing for virtual liftoff.
News: Google's New Poly 3D Object Search Engine Looks to Become Go-to Resource for AR Apps
Google just unveiled it's biggest search product in recent memory, except this time the search giant is looking to take over the world of virtual objects.
News: Galaxy S8 Oreo Beta Update Coming to US in November
With all of the Pixel 2 excitement the past few weeks, many Samsung fans are feeling left out on that new software hotness. If you're anxiously awaiting the Android Oreo update on your Galaxy S8 or S8+, that wait may come to an end this week. Users over on Reddit decompiled the APK for the Samsung+ app to reveal multiple mentions of the upcoming Oreo Beta Program for the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
Dev Report: Vuforia 7's New Features Keep It Ahead in an ARKit, ARCore World
The advent of ARKit and ARCore has strengthened the demand for development tools to build augmented reality experiences for compatible iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.
Market Reality: Level Ex Closes $11 Million in Financing, While Gaze Coin Seeks $12 Million through ICO
According to Digi-Capital, investors poured $1.8 billion into augmented and virtual reality companies over the last 12 months, including $300 million in the third quarter. These investments are not made without a means to monetize products and services.
Apple AR: Lowe's Builds Pair of AR Apps with ARKit
Lowe's Home Improvement has been an early adopter of augmented and virtual reality in their business practices, so it was a bit of surprise that their name was absent from the ranks of companies launching ARKit apps last week.
Nova Launcher 101: How to Set Up Home Screen Gestures
Your dog is doing something charming, and you need to take a quick photo, but you don't have time to search in your app drawer for the camera app. The moment would have long passed by the time you find it. What if instead you could you open the camera or any other app simply by sliding your finger down on the home screen? Well with Nova Launcher and gestures, this is easy to accomplish.
Apple AR: IKEA Takes the Wraps Off of Its ARKit App
When Apple introduced ARKit earlier this year, they trotted out IKEA as one of the companies it was working with to build an augmented reality app that lets customers see furniture as it would appear in their home.
Apple AR: ARKit Bestows iOS Apps Thyng & Holo with Ability to Stick Digital Things Anywhere
One of the byproducts of the success of Pokémon Go was the viral images that made the rounds on social media of people putting Pikachus, Charmanders, and their brethren in compromising positions. Snapchat has a similar claim to fame, most recently with the inexplicable popularity of the dancing hotdog.
News: iPhone X Roundup — Everything You Need to Know About Apple's 10th Anniversary Smartphone
Apple has something big in store for consumers in 2017 to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. One major surprise is that Apple has decided to forgo on releasing a 7S in favor of a redesigned iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. To further commemorate its 10-year milestone, the Cupertino-based company has released the very exclusive iPhone X, garnering much excitement in the process.
News: Research Papers & Patents Point to Magic Leap's AR Ambitions
In June at the eMerge Americas investors conference, Magic Leap founder (and NR50 member) Rony Abovitz proclaimed that the launch of their flagship product was "not far away."
News: The Force Is Strong with Star Wars AR Treasure Hunt
A Jedi does not seek adventure or excitement, but Star Wars fans can seek Jedi with the Find the Force augmented reality scavenger hunt promoting the launch of merchandise for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Apple ARKit: ePlay Lines Up to Tackle Fantasy Sports with ARKit
Sports gaming company ePlay Digital, Inc. is looking to capitalize on the fall launch of iOS 11 and ARKit with an augmented reality fantasy sports app.
Today's Top News: GM Plays It Safe with Cadillac Autopilot
General Motors (GM) seems to have gone to great lengths to avoid lawsuits as it launches its first hands-off driving system in its soon-to-be-launched Cadillac CT6.
Today's Top News: Self-Touted 'Tesla of the Seas' Seeks Early Lead by Launching Pilotless Ship in 2018
A Norwegian carrier's launch of a pilotless container ship next year could lead the way to a new era in sea transportation and shipping if successful.
News: Who the Heck Is NOT Using Nvidia?
Nvidia has emerged as the indisputable leader in chips for Level 3 and even more advanced driverless applications, catching some of the world's largest semiconductor makers and automotive suppliers by surprise.
Today's Top News: Audi Slaps Silicon Valley with the First Level 3 Debut
Forget Waymo, Uber, Tesla, and other other heavily mediatized driverless contenders — German premium carmaker Audi AG has become the first OEM to introduce a Level 3 car sold in retail channels.
News: Ubisoft Proves They're Serious About AR Gaming at United Europe 2017
Though the Microsoft HoloLens' release to the consumer market is still a distant thought at the moment, Ubisoft is preparing for the future with the unveiling of AR video game prototypes.
News: Nissan & Renault Alliance Prepares Launch of Driverless 'Robo-Vehicles'
A spokesperson from the Nissan and Renault Alliance told Driverless the group is testing self-driving electric "robo-vehicles" for future mobility services and is "not ruling out anything" for future services the group might offer, as the alliance widens its driverless business model to include both fleets and private sales.
News: Want to Try on Lipstick Without Leaving Your Home? Meitu Has a Way
Finding the perfect lip color can be a difficult task, to say the least. Thankfully, we're living in a world with augmented reality, where it's possible to try on lipstick from different brands at home.
News: Chinese VCs Spent Over $900 Million on Driverless in Q1
Millions of dollars continue to pour into the Chinese driverless market. Now, according to research firm CB Insights, $929 million have been invested in the first quarter of this year.
Help Wanted: GM's Cruise Seeks Lead Engineer for 3D Maps as Driverless Plans Take Shape
Cruise Automation is actively seeking to recruit a lead engineer to head its development efforts of 3D maps with expertise in city environments, signaling the GM driverless unit's move towards a mobility-as-a-service business model.
News: Samsung Announces That You Can Sign Up for Early Access to New Bixby
If you're not familiar with Bixby, I don't blame you. The Samsung assistant was released two months ago with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. While users were excited about this Google Assistant-like feature, they were ultimately disappointed by the limited rollout of only some of Bixby's features. Now, Samsung is hopeful to perfect Bixby using you.
Brief Reality: New Game Underverse Takes a Stab at the Pokémon GO Gaming Model
This week, augmented reality spawns in the world of online role-playing games with a soft launch down under from an indie game developer. Meanwhile, in Asia, another startup wins a coveted award for its AR headset. Finally, an established player in the mobile AR touches up its feature set with an app update.
News: In a Rare Moment, Pixel's Sales Figures Are Revealed
Savor this moment: we've got a confirmed number of sales for the Google smartphone. We say this because unlike most hardware manufacturers, Google refuses to share official sales numbers for their phone. Instead, during earning reports they simply bundle the product under Alphabet's "Other Revenues", leaving us in the dark about how successful the product is.
News: One Step Closer to the Mainstream: Delphi and Transdev to Develop Driverless Cars
Delphi Automotive PLC has announced it is partnering with Transdev Group to develop on-demand driverless transportation systems, a deal that shows promise for autonomous development on a global scale.
How To: Play 'Comix Zone' on Your iPhone Now & Relive the Glory Days of Arcade-Style Fighting Games
Prepare yourself for a trip back to the days when a Sega Genesis was your gateway to premium gaming. The mid-nineties classic, Comix Zone, has been soft-launched in the Philippines, and while it's not officially available for gamers in the states, you can install it right now with a little hackery.
News: Will Google's Standalone VR Headsets Enable AR Experiences?
Google announced several new devices (as well as updates to existing devices) that will take advantage of the company's augmented and virtual reality platforms.
Gaming: Play 'Titanfall: Assault' on Your iPhone Before It's Released Worldwide
Fans of Titanfall now have a great alternative to play on their iPhones whenever they're out and about. Titanfall: Assault has arrived as a soft launch for iOS devices. A hybrid between card-based and real-time strategy genres, the game will pit you against other players with some mech-on-mech action to dominate the battlefield. Taking some cues from Clash Royale, each unit that's deployed in Titanfall: Assault will automatically fight its way through opposing forces to accomplish its objecti...
News: OnePlus 5 Confirmed for Summer Launch, Will It Make Its Deadline?
In a series of news about the OnePlus 5, the company posted its first teaser of the upcoming device on its Weibo account. According to GSM Arena, the teaser doesn't show us any sneak peaks of what the phone might look like — co-founder Carl Pei took care of that — though, we are greeted with the caption "Hey Summer! Give me five!"
News: EU Driverless Tech Could Knock the US Off Its Pedastal
The US driverless market has become a competitive – and crowded – arena, with big names like Google, Apple, Uber, and even Intel intent on leading the pack. Not to be outdone, the EU is also getting in on the automated car action with self-driving fleets launching in both the UK and the Netherlands within the next two years.
News: Intel Hunts for Partners After Driverless Garage Launch
Intel launched their Advanced Vehicle Lab in Silicon Valley this week, and the tech giant is now on the hunt for potential partners.
Gaming: Play 'Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow' on Your Android Before Its Official Release
Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow has finally touched down as a soft launch for Android. Join Fry and his lovable band of interstellar misfits on a quest to rebuild New New York, traveling the stars, fighting aliens, and delivering packages while doing so. As with any city building and quest game, progressing through the game equals leveling up, which in turn unlocks new buildings and outfits to further beautify your characters and the city they live in. And the best part of all, Futurama's creato...
News: T-Mobile & ZTE Add New Entries in the Budget Phone Race
The battle of the budget phone is well and truly underway, as both T-Mobile and ZTE have launched affordable new devices simultaneously.
News: Porsche Is the One to Watch in the Driverless Race Says Industry Expert
An expert in the driverless market has earmarked Porsche as the company to watch in the automated car race.
News: Facebook Introduces AR Platform at F8
During his opening address on April 18 at F8, Facebook's developer conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched the company's augmented reality platform centered on artificial intelligence-powered cameras.
How To: Download & Use YouTube TV Right Now—Even if You're Not in an Official Launch City
As you may have heard by now, YouTube has launched its own live streaming TV bundle available for users in the select markets of New York, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Chicago, and Philadelphia. A subscription to the new streaming YouTube TV bundle costs $35 a month, but the service is drawing in users by offering a free 30-day trial.