News: Microsoft Turns Real World into Multiplayer Playground with Minecraft Earth Mobile AR Game
As promised with its teaser from Build 2019, Microsoft has unveiled the details for its augmented reality version of Minecraft for smartphones.
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How To: Save Your Parking Location from Your OnePlus Home Screen
There once was a time before smartphones when you had to actually remember where you parked your vehicle. This really sucked when visiting a location with a large parking lot — they even made a whole Seinfeld episode about it. But now you can just tap a button to solve this problem. Who says we're not living in the future?
News: Google Brings Augmented Reality to the Mainstream by Adding AR Content to Search
If Google hasn't already demonstrated that it is serious about augmented reality, then it made it abundantly clear at the Google I/O keynote on Tuesday.
How To: How All Your Friends Are Adding Fun & Dramatic Zooms to Their Instagram Stories
You see them all over your Instagram Stories feed — post after post, video after video of dramatic, silly, or otherwise fun zooms. Your friends are showing off their lives through the lens of a Hollywood blockbuster, and you can do the same. Luckily, it's quite easy to accomplish, whether you're running iOS or Android.
How To: Preorder the New Apple AirPods on Amazon for Faster Delivery Than the Apple Store (Update: It's Now the Slowest)
Compared to the original AirPods, Apple's second-generation AirPods have better battery life, Hey Siri support, a more stable connection, faster switching between devices and call connections, less latency for gaming, and an optional Wireless Charging Case. If you plan on preordering the new model, you might want to skip the Apple Store and opt for Amazon instead to get it at your door quicker.
News: Epic Games Launches $100 Million Fund to Support 3D Experiences Created Using Unreal Engine
While some widely praised immersive computing initiatives at Google are shutting down, over at Epic Games things are just ramping up, and it involves quite a bit of cash available to indie augmented reality developers and startups alike.
Hands-On: Hands-On with Google Maps Walking AR Navigation Experiment, a Peek into Our Smartglasses Future
While Google isn't ready to commit to a wide release of the AR walking navigation mode for Google Maps, the company has begun testing the feature with members of its Local Guides crowdsourcing community.
News: Microsoft Unveils the HoloLens 2
After years of waiting, Microsoft has finally updated its industry-leading augmented reality device, the HoloLens.
News: Medical Software Maker Medivis Closes $2.3 Million in Funding to Bring HoloLens to Surgical Platform
The HoloLens has made enough of an impact on the healthcare industry for Microsoft technology partner Medivis to convince investors to pledge $2.3 million in funding for its surgical platform.
News: Apple Fixes Group FaceTime Security Bug with Release of iOS 12.1.4, Available Now
Apple found itself in serious trouble last week when a teenager discovered a critical FaceTime bug that threatened the security of nearly every iPhone user. The bug enabled a user using Group FaceTime to access either the microphone or the camera of a recipient before they answered the call. According to Apple, the issues have been fixed in an iOS 12.1.4 update released Thursday, Feb. 7.
How To: Temporarily Disable Your Instagram Account When You Need to Take an #InstaBreak
When you don't want certain friends viewing your account or just need to take a break from social media, Instagram lets you do so. While you can completely delete your Instagram account, then start over when you're ready again, it makes much more sense to just disable your account temporarily. Doing so will hide your profile, photos, comments, and likes from everyone, including your friends.
How To: Disable Those Annoying Looping Videos When Playing Songs on Spotify
Back in 2018, Spotify began testing a new mobile feature that has grown very tiresome: three to eight-second looping videos that take over the entire screen. Known as Canvases, they effectively hide the cover art and lyrics of the current song — and they're still very much around to annoy and distract the hell out of you. Thankfully, Spotify has also included a way to get rid of these things.
News: Snapchat Turns Sunset Strip Billboard into AR Video Ad, Releases Lens Challenge to Promote Music Project
I was today years old when I first heard of Bhad Bhabie, but I'm told she is apparently a rapper with a rags-to-riches story.
Market Reality: North Plans Smartglasses Pop-Up Stores, Adobe Buys Allegorithmic, & Candy Ventures Snags Blippar Assets
The era of smartglasses designed for consumers has officially begun, as shipments of North Focals began arriving at its stores this week. And the company now has plans to expand its retail footprint.
News: Adobe Boosts Its 3D Content Creation Capabilities with Allegorithmic Acquisition
Already a powerhouse for its graphic design tools, Adobe is making a run at the 3D content creation realm dominated by Unity and Epic Games by acquiring software maker Allegorithmic.
News: AR Cloud Startup Ubiquity6 Turns Up Volume on Audio AR Through Acquisition of Wavy
Among a crowded field of AR cloud companies aiming to power the future of augmented reality by creating a world of persistent holographic content that lives in a cloud, accessible across devices and accounts, Ubiquity6 is hoping it has found a way to differentiate its platform.
News: Mimesys Brings Its Version of Augmented Reality Video Calling to Magic Leap via Intel RealSense
The release of Avatar Chat for Magic Leap One and Spatial for HoloLens during the fourth quarter of 2018 appeared to revolutionize video calling via augmented reality.
News: 'David Bowie Is' App Delivers a Mesmerizing AR Tour of the Artist's Career with Gary Oldman as Guide
Although next week will mark the late David Bowie's 72nd birthday, his fans and admirers are the ones receiving a gift in the form of an augmented reality app that explores the artist's career
News: Magic Leap Updates Lumin OS with Enhancements for Helio Browser, Avatar Chat, & More
Nearly a year to the day after the unveiling Magic Leap One, Magic Leap has dropped another update to the Lumin OS that runs the device.
News: Magic Leap Launches Cheddar Video News Channel on Magic Leap One
The team at Magic Leap just got a millennial-style boost with the announcement that financial news network Cheddar is coming to the Magic Leap One.
News: Lego Harnesses Apple's Latest Augmented Reality Abilities in Playgrounds App
The app that Lego demoed at this year's iPhone launch event is now available in the App Store, and it showcases several new capabilities available in ARKit 2.0.
News: Walmart & Target Unwrap New Augmented Reality Features to Bring in Holiday Shoppers
This year's holiday shopping season is shaping up to be fertile ground for augmented reality to show its worth, as both Walmart and Target have crafted immersive experiences designed to engage shoppers in the coming weeks.
News: Startup Artie Aims to Give Smart Pills to Augmented Reality Characters
Hollywood has already proven that it's on board with augmented reality, with examples ranging from Avengers: Infinity War to Ralph Breaks the Internet. But one startup wants to make the augmented reality content that's being used to promote TV and film entertainment smarter.
News: Unity Unite Conference Session Videos Give Devs Inside Tips on Magic Leap, ARKit, & ARCore Development
Augmented reality developers who have exhausted their treasure trove of video tutorials and panels from the recent Magic Leap developer conference can now shift their continuing education attention to Unity.
News: Augmented Reality Startup Phiar Paves Path to $3 Million in Seed Funding for AI-Powered Navigation Solution
Another contestant has emerged in the race to deliver a mainstream augmented reality car navigation system, with Silicon Valley-based Phiar picking up $3 million in seed funding to launch its own artificial intelligence-based mobile app by mid-2019.
News: Mojo Vision Raises $50M to Replace Smartphones & Devices with 'Invisible Computing' AR
On Thursday, Mojo Vision, a startup comprised of former engineers from Apple, Amazon, Google, and other Silicon Valley mainstays, emerged from stealth backed by $50 million in funding for a hands-free augmented reality platform that runs without smartphones, tablets, or other devices.
News: Niantic's Ingress Roots Get a Reboot with the Real World Platform
Ingress, the godfather of location based-AR games developed by Pokémon GO creator Niantic Labs, is getting a new lease on life via Ingress Prime, a reboot of the game built on the Niantic Real World Platform.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.1 with Group FaceTime, New Emoji & More
Apple released the first major iOS 12 update Tuesday, Oct. 30, just hours after the company's iPad and Mac presentation. While iOS 12.1 is the first official update to hit iPhones since iOS 12.0.1, beta testers had enjoyed an exclusive first-hand look at all the new features the latest OS has to offer. So what's new in iOS 12.1?
News: Moschino & H&M Harness the Power of Magic Leap One to Intro Augmented Reality to the Fashion World
Magic Leap has already entered the realm of entertainment and enterprise, but on now it has blazed its way into a new augmented reality frontier: fashion.
News: Visualix AR Cloud Platform Looks to Give Enterprises the Ability to Virtually Map Their Facilities
A new augmented reality cloud platform from German startup Visualix is working to give enterprises the capability to scan their own warehouses, factories, and stores and create maps for augmented reality navigation.
News: Insomniac Games Unveils Seedling Experience for Magic Leap One
The game wizards at Insomniac take pride in diving deep when it comes to world-building, and the same is true for the studio's latest title for Magic Leap One called Seedling.
How To: Play Contra Return on Your iPhone & Relive the Glory Days of Classic Nintendo Gaming
Though not as popular as Super Mario or Zelda, Konami's Contra nevertheless remains as one of the greatest titles that helped put Nintendo on the map. This retro shooter is set to make a comeback, and has been soft-launched in select Asian countries ahead of a worldwide release. Of course, you can try the game yourself right now, thanks to a nifty workaround.
News: Harry Potter Photo Printer from Lifeprint Turns Snapshots into Magical Augmented Reality Portraits
The Daily Prophet, the enchanted newspaper from Harry Potter lore, is no longer the sole source for magical moving printed photos.
News: Samsung Is Bringing the Galaxy A6 to the US — Budget Phone with a Flagship Screen
Samsung makes more than just the Galaxy S and Note series. With a large portion of the world not able to afford phones with flagship specs, Samsung makes several different series that focus on price. The latest is the Galaxy A6, a budget option with a flagship feature.
How To: Watch Apple's Sept. 12 'Gather Round' Event on Your Computer, Smartphone, or Apple TV
Apple revealed three new iPhone models on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at its "Gather Round" event in Cupertino, as well as announced the official release date of iOS 12, its newest mobile operating system. If you missed it and want to watch the full event, here's how to do it on your computer, smartphone, or Apple TV.
How To: Here's a Great Alternative to Fortnite & PUBG You Can Try on Your iPhone Right Now
Massive multiplayer shooters like Fortnite have become all the rage, as mobile gamers duke it out in long, protracted battles that can often be as excruciating as they are thrilling. If you're yearning for a more fast-paced shooter on iOS, Nitro Games has you covered, and has soft-launched Heroes of Warland for further tweaking. Of course, you can try the game yourself right now with a tiny hack.
News: Still Need the Battery Replaced on Your Older iPhone? Get It Done Soon — Or It'll Cost You
While last year's revelation that Apple slows down iPhones with aging batteries left a bad taste in users' mouths, the company's $29 battery replacement program was a step in the right direction. However, all good things must come to an end; Apple will soon shut down the program, leaving users to pay the full $79 to replace their faulty batteries.
Market Reality: Magic Leap Launches, L'Oréal Friends Facebook, & Nickelodeon Takes TV to AR
The long, long, loooong wait finally ended this week for the augmented reality community as the Magic Leap One was finally released. The Florida-based company has loomed over the industry for years promising something big, and now the AR cat is finally out of the bag. Now we get to see if it will live up to expectations, but early reviews are a bit skeptical.
News: Blippar Brings Its AR Navigation Capabilities Indoors
Computer vision company Blippar has already dabbled with outdoor AR navigation, but now it wants to make it easier for people to make their way through indoor spaces with augmented reality.
How To: Get the New iPad Pro Wallpapers on Any iPhone
The current iPhone lineup inarguably features Apple's best displays to date, but the stock wallpapers don't really do the screens justice. There are plenty of third-party wallpapers you can use, as well as ones you create yourself. However, if you want that typical Apple feeling, you're better off sticking with Apple wallpapers, and the iPad Pro has some beautiful ones that look awesome on an iPhone.