News: HTC Opens Up Augmented Reality Development for HTC Vive
HTC is entering the augmented reality market through the back door by giving developers access to the stereo front-facing cameras on the Vive and Vive Pro VR headsets.
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News: The US Government's Spat with Huawei Is Depriving Americans of a Wonderful Phone
With Huawei's recent emergence as the second largest OEM in the world, the company was poised to finally make a big push into the US market. Instead, their efforts were derailed by an unlikely foe, the US government. As a result, American customers will miss out on the newly-released Huawei P20.
News: Walmart Shoppers Can Now Use Their Smartphones to Become Marvel's Black Panther via Augmented Reality
Marvel and Walmart are looking to capitalize on the uber-successful Black Panther film with a mobile augmented reality app designed to push the franchise's merchandise.
Market Reality: Magic Leap's Branding Comes into Focus, Google Backs AR Cloud, & L'Oreal Takes Over AR Beauty
Noted poet T.S. Elliot once wrote that "April is the cruelest month." But Magic Leap might argue that March is the most miserable, as the Ides of March brought more legal woes to augmented reality startup. Elsewhere, its closely-held branding secrets have been spilled by way of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
News: Finally, You Can Unlock Your S9 Automatically Using a PIN
It's often the smallest details that determine your overall experience with a smartphone. Unlocking your device with a PIN is an example — and iPhones have had a leg up over Android thanks to their automatic unlocking. Thankfully, this era has finally come to an end with the arrival of the Galaxy S9.
Market Reality: Upskill Fields Funding, Leap Motion Faces Lawsuit & Intel Confronts Challenges of AR Adoption
Augmented reality business followers, we've got good news and bad news. First, the good news: Upskill closed another round of funding, this time led by strategic investors Cisco and Accenture. (Well, this is probably bad news if you're competing with them on the enterprise AR front.)
News: Huawei Teases P20 Announcement Date in New Videos
It looks like the Huawei P20 has moved from rumor to all but confirmed. Thanks to a series of YouTube videos released by Huawei Mobile Netherlands, we now have a few confirmations about the latest entries in the flagship series.
News: Everything You Need to Know About the New OnePlus 6 — Specs, Release Date, Pricing & More
Last year, OnePlus released not one but two excellent flagship devices with the OnePlus 5 and 5T. While the 5T released sooner than expected, it brought some worthwhile upgrades, such as a near bezel-less display and a much-needed camera enhancement. Now, that the OnePlus 6 has arrived, it's time to see what OnePlus has in store for 2018.
News: Mapbox Launches Location-Based AR Platform with Multi-User Support
Location services provider Mapbox is giving developers a means for building location-based AR apps and multi-user experiences with its new Mapbox AR toolkit.
Market Reality: Magic Leap, Microsoft & Movie Theaters Reveal Big Money Plans for AR
In any business, there are a number of questions companies must answer in order to get customers to buy a product or service. The same holds true for companies selling augmented reality headsets.
News: Former Microsoft Engineers Achieve Best Hand-Tracking Capabilities We've Seen for AR
While augmented reality headset makers are faced with tackling numerous challenges before the category is truly ready for prime time, a start-up comprised of former Microsoft engineers may have nailed fast and precise tracking of hand gestures and full-body locomotion.
How To: 5 Ways to Stream the Super Bowl Without a Cable Subscription on iPhone or Android
Super Bowl LII will bring millions of football and non-football fans together to watch the big game on the big screen. But without a cable subscription, this process can be a little daunting. Luckily, the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store offer a few ways to accomplish this — no cable contract required.
News: Augmented Reality & VR Take Flight in New Airbus iPhone App
While flying can be a frustrating and sometimes nerve-racking experience, Airbus is banking on augmented reality features in its new iflyA380 app for iPhones and iPads to help passengers learn to love the ordeal.
News: Google's Next Pixel Phone Might Not Have Speakers
Speakers have been an integral part of smartphones since the beginning. Razer's concept Project Linda even uses the speakers from the Razer Phone to power the faux laptop's audio system. But what if Google's next Pixel phone didn't even have speakers? What if it didn't need them in the first place?
Market Reality: Magic Leap One Says Hello, Google Tango Waves Goodbye & Honda Uses AR for CSR
Everything that has a beginning has an end. This week marked the end of the long wait for the reveal of Magic Leap's first product and the beginning of the wait for more substantive details. Likewise, Google Tango will meet its end in March 2018, when ARCore will officially begin its public rollout.
News: Essential Releases Oreo Beta 2 Update
Back in November, Essential opened the Android Oreo Beta Program for all users of their PH-1 flagship. We even wrote up a full guide on how to install the beta, if you're interested. They followed the Oreo beta with a Reddit AMA, where they mentioned the second beta software would arrive very soon. That update has just gone live, so you can grab it right now in a few easy steps.
Market Reality: Apple Funds Its AR Device Production Future, the Snapchat vs. Facebook War Heats Up & Airbnb Goes AR
With an eye toward future iPhone X-focused augmented reality functions, Apple's new investment in one of its components vendors will increase production capacity for the technology behind its TrueDepth camera, but could also apply to its future AR ambitions.
News: Lumus Licensing Deal with Quanta Could Pave Path to First Generation of Consumer Smartglasses
Transparent display maker Lumus has reached a deal to license its augmented reality optical engine models to Quanta Computers for mass production of displays for consumer smartglasses.
Market Reality: This Is How AR Is Changing Things at Amazon, Apple & Snapchat
During its third-quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that "AR is going to change everything."
News: Samsung's Galaxy S9 Could Arrive in a Burgundy Red Color
Samsung just announced that the Galaxy S8 is getting a fresh coat of paint, launching a burgundy red color of the flagship in their home market of Korea. There is currently little information about whether this color will come to the US for the S8, but this could be a preview of things to come. The Galaxy S9 is set to arrive in January and may also come in a beautiful red variant.
Market Reality: Auto Industry Ramps Up AR Use via Microsoft & Snapchat
Between Renault Truck's testing of the HoloLens in factories and BMW promoting its newest model through Snapchat, the auto industry is hot for augmented reality to improve internal operations and engage consumers.
Market Reality: Apple Presents Bright Future for AR, While Snap Shows Reality of Glum Present
We may have to wait a few years before they arrive, but reports of Apple's headset taking shape in Cupertino gives the tech world hope that its white knight for consumer AR is on its way.
News: Google Launches Public Beta of 'Files Go' After New File Management App Leaks Online
There may be many third-party file managers for Android to choose from, but until now, Google offered no proprietary option. Enter 'Files Go,' which, while initially anticipated for December, is now available for you to try.
News: Epson's AR Drone Simulator Lets You Get Your Virtual Wings Before Crashing the Real Thing
With smartglasses designed for navigating drones and an AR drone racing game to its credit, Epson has just added another credit to its pioneering efforts in the AR-meets-drones space with the launch of a drone simulator app.
Market Reality: Lenovo's Star Wars AR Headset vs. iPhone X Launch Day, Niantic Acquires Evertoon & More
When the Super Bowl airs, every other TV network puts on reruns because no one wants to face that juggernaut for ratings. The launch of a new iPhone is the Super Bowl of the tech world, with the launch of the iPhone X being the biggest one yet.
Apple AR: Put 3D Emojis & Text in Your Videos with Holocam
People love emojis, it's a scientific fact. So an app that places poops, smileys, and ghosts into social media videos should, in theory, be the most popular app ever. That's likely the reasoning behind the new Holocam app, which is available for $0.99 in the iOS App Store. Sure, Snapchat and Instagram offer users editing tools to stick static text, emojis, and drawings on top of photos and videos. However, Holocam ups the ante by placing fully three-dimensional emoji, text, and drawings, as w...
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.
Market Reality: AR Investors & Influencers Respond to Apple's Big AR 'Meh'
The launch of the latest line of iPhones came and went without major revelations for advanced AR hardware other than the next iteration of processors and cameras.
Market Reality: Techstars Seeks Startups for Accelerator Program
Outside of early military applications, augmented reality is a relatively new technology. It stands to reason that the next company to make a splash in AR would be a startup, and Techstars wants to help.
News: Next Edition of Qualcomm Spectra ISP Brings Features to Support AR
Chipmaker Qualcomm introduced the second generation of its Qualcomm Spectra image signal processor (ISP), which has gained capabilities that will enable smartphones to facilitate augmented reality apps.
Market Reality: Immersv Closes Funding Round While Lampix Completes Coin Offering
This week, two companies looking to capitalize on the growing augmented reality industry, raised funding from starkly different sources.
Market Reality: Vuzix Reports Sales Growth & Partners with Blackberry
As more companies begin adopting augmented reality in the workplace, providers like Vuzix reap the benefits.
News: AR Developers Emboldened by Facebook & Apple During Second Quarter
According The Venture Reality Fund, the introductions of Facebook's camera platform and Apple's ARKit catalyzed increased activity among companies developing consumer applications.
Today's Top News: Hyundai Rushes to Offer Level 2, but After GM Launch
Hyundai Motor Company says it will launch its driverless tech ahead of schedule, but the Korean carmaker will remain behind mainstream rivals, including General Motors (GM), Nissan, and Honda.
Market Reality: Augmented Reality Demonstrates Value for Business & Recreation
We continue to field stories underscoring the strong trends of Investment in augmented reality in various sectors. This week, one company strengthens their offerings to the enterprise sector, while two other companies capitalize on the promise presented by augmented reality to consumers – specifically, in gaming.
Brief Reality: Augmented Reality Companies Earn Accolades for Innovation
A pair of organizations recognized companies working in augmented reality for their innovative technologies over the past week. Meanwhile, another company used augmented reality for a sector that is overdue for a technology makeover, while another company has developed new camera modules that could usher in the next evolution of mobile AR.
Market Reality: Augmented & Virtual Reality Represent Leading Growth Segment in Entertainment & Media
A report by PwC highlights that immersive experiences in augmented and virtual reality represent the fastest growing segment of the entertainment and media industry over the next six years. News from two companies working in the industry, Fox and NetDragon, underscore the growth forecast.
News: Pixel 2 May Resemble Samsung's S8 More Than the Original Pixel
The latest trend in smartphone design is all about the display. Manufacturers want larger screens with smaller bezels. The rumors are heating up about Google's next big release, the Pixel 2, and with that, we may have a clue that shows us Google is hopping on the display train.
News: Wikitude & Lenovo Converge for Augmented Reality Cloud Platform
Lenovo has partnered with Wikitude to develop a cloud-based platform for delivering industrial-focused augmented reality content, the companies announced at the Augmented World Expo today in Santa Clara, California.
News: Guess Who's Back? Sherif Marakby Returns to Ford After Uber Stint
Sherif Marakby has returned to Ford as the VP of AVs & Electrification after a brief stint with Uber. Marakby's VP title will be effective June 12.