Market Reality: AR Competition Heats Up as Microsoft, Google, & Samsung Make Money Moves
Some of the big guns developing augmented reality technology fired shots at their competitors with announcements and leaked plans this week.
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How To: Install Android 9.0 Pie Beta on Your Google Pixel or Pixel 2 Right Now
Earlier this year, with the Developer Preview, we got a tantalizing glimpse of Google's upcoming Android 9.0 Pie and a whole slew of new features that comes along with it, such as iPhone X-like gestures and improved security features, to name a few. With its announcement at Google I/O, Android Pie just got a lot more accessible.
Market Reality: Microsoft's HoloLens Sales Figures Revealed, AR Boosts Snapchat Revenue, & Facebook Expands AR Platform
This week, we're beginning to see the wide ranging impacts of some of the early iterations of augmented reality hardware and software.
Snapchat 101: 6 Privacy Settings You Need to Check on Android & iPhone
Since starting as a simple messenger with self-destructing pictures, Snapchat has grown into a full-fledged social media platform. As features were added, new permissions were requested, and we're all probably guilty of just tapping "OK" to try out the latest and greatest. But at some point, it's a good idea to review your settings to see what personal data you're putting out there for all to see.
News: How Android Go Is Bringing Flagship Performance to Low-End Phones
Ever since Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the helms of the world's most valuable brand, he has made it his mission to bring smartphones to lower-income communities. Born in India, Mr. Pichai has created several programs to address the needs of the Indian market, particularly the lower income families.
News: Why Project Treble Is a Huge Win for Exynos Galaxy S9 Owners
Because of quirks with cell radios and how Android was previously set up, custom ROM support for Galaxy S phones has been sparse these past few years. It's been almost nonexistent for US customers, while international users would see some ROMs. Thanks to Android Oreo's Project Treble, this will all be changing soon.
Dev Report: New ARKit Updates & Native Level Design Features Finally Come to Unity
Continuing to take the steps necessary to reign supreme among the top game engines of the world, with a steady stream of major updates, enhancements, and new features, the team at Unity are keeping the user base in a regular state of surprise. At this rate, it's almost like Christmas every few days.
Dev Report: 'Book of the Dead' Demo Shows New Unity 2018.1 Features Are a Literal Game Changer
In its goal to push the visual quality of real-time rendering to a new level, Unity is starting the new year off right by releasing a sneak peek at its upcoming interactive rendering improvements via a short, three-minute first-person interactive demo called "Book of the Dead."
Dev Report: uSensAR Aims to Fill the Gap for Android Users Left by ARCore's Limits
In 2017, major breakthroughs in smartphone-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) opened up new doorways for developers and users of both Apple and Android phones. Unfortunately for Android users, the solution that Google is previewing, ARCore, currently only works on three Android smartphones. But Silicon Valley start-up uSens is stepping in to fix that with its new engine called uSensAR.
Market Reality: Augmented Reality Continues to Disrupt Mobile via Facebook, Starbucks, Swarovski & Others
Augmented reality was recently named the "Mobile Disruptor of the Year" for 2017 by Mobile Marketer, but the technology is showing no signs of slowing down as we head into 2018. In fact, the technology appears to be gaining momentum.
Market Reality: In the Race for Consumer Smartglasses, the Future Is Coming into Focus
The next frontier for AR hardware is the consumer headset, and tech companies of varying size and tenure are working hard to strike the right mix between comfort, cool factor, and cost. How these companies handle the hype and flow of information vary wildly.
News: We Are TV Aims to Gamify Your TV Shows with AR
If you're like me, then you're rarely just watching TV. You're probably also simultaneously following reactions on Twitter during a live airing of The Walking Dead. Or perhaps you're checking your fantasy football scores while a real game is in progress. Or you might just have the TV on in the background while you're writing an article about a new augmented reality app.
Safari 101: How to Block Cross-Site Tracking on Your iPhone
While it's easy enough to ask websites not to track your browsing activity in Safari, they do not have to honor your request. Plus, some of the third-party content providers that websites use can actually invasively track you across other websites. Thankfully, iOS 11 includes a way to minimize companies from tracking you across the web on your iPhone.
News: Vuzix Previews Smart Glasses Powered by Wearable Computer from Toshiba
A tethered version of the Vuzix M300 smart glasses, developed to pair with wearable computers from Toshiba Corporation, is expected to be available by the first quarter 2018, if not sooner.
How To: Null Byte & Null Space Labs Present: Wi-Fi Hacking, MITM Attacks & the USB Rubber Ducky
Null Byte users have often requested video content, but the question has always been what format would best serve our community. This week, we partnered with Null Space Labs, a hackerspace in Los Angeles, to test the waters by hosting a series of talks on ethical hacking for students in Pasadena Computer Science Club. We invited students and Null Byte writers to deliver talks on Wi-Fi hacking, MITM attacks, and rogue devices like the USB Rubber Ducky.
News: Aireal Places AR Content Anywhere in the World with Geographic Coordinates
While ARKit and ARCore are poised to bring AR experiences to millions of mobile devices, one company is poised to anchor those experiences anywhere in the world with just a set of geographic coordinates.
Brief Reality: Fictional Heroes, Historic Warriors & Infamous Rogues Featured in AR Experiences
This fall, DC Comics fans will be treated to an augmented reality experience promoting the Justice League movie. Likewise, history buffs will be able to enjoy their own augmented reality content by way of the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and an in-store promotion featuring famous convicts from 19 Crimes wines.
News: In Love? True Togetherness Means Sharing the Same Microbes
Love is the spice of life — it is also the microbes that couples share through sickness and in health, through the bathroom and in a hallway.
News: Google's Verily Trying to Debug Fresno with Bacteria-Treated Mosquitoes
For a company more associated with debugging computer programs, Google's parent company, Alphabet, is making a name for itself by taking on the real thing — mosquitoes.
News: Get into Concerts with Ultrasonic Sounds from Your Smartphone, No Ticket Necessary
Imagine walking up to enter a live event — but instead of pulling out a physical or mobile ticket to get admitted — you pull out your smartphone which lets out an ultrasonic sound tailored for you that lets you into the event.
News: New Map Shows Where Zika Mosquitoes Live in the US
As summer heats up, new maps from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives us our best guess at where Zika-carrying mosquitoes could be hanging out this year in the US.
News: This Dad Wants to Make Selling Pre-Teens Smartphones Illegal
While restaurants and classrooms have enacted policies banning cell phones, one father has had enough of his kids' obsessive phone habits. Dr. Tim Farnum is now seeking to ban the sale of smartphones to children under 13.
News: Hit Musical.ly Live Show Gives Teen Girls a Platform to Create
Who would have thought that musical.ly would be the first social media app with a highly successful original show?
News: Tired of Long, Pointless Conversations on Dating Apps? 'First' Can Help
We're all looking to meet someone, and in this day and age the easiest way to do that is through one of the various dating apps out there. But we can all admit it can get disheartening swiping through all of those people for the frustration of someone not answering your messages after matching. The fact is, we could be missing out on great people just because they don't have time in their busy lives to answer their dating apps every day. Not to mention the fact that we as a society are becomi...
News: Realfiction's New Mixed Reality Display Projects Large Scale Holograms Without a Headset
Mixed reality display manufacturer Realfiction has developed a 64-inch display capable of delivering 3D holograms without a headset.
News: Living Bacteria in Clothing Could Detect When You Come in Contact with Pathogens or Dangerous Chemicals
While at work, you notice your gloves changing color, and you know immediately that you've come in contact with dangerous chemicals. Bandages on a patient signal the presence of unseen, drug-resistant microbes. These are ideas that might have once seemed futuristic but are becoming a reality as researchers move forward with technology to use living bacteria in cloth to detect pathogens, pollutants, and particulates that endanger our lives.
NR50: The Developers to Watch in Augmented & Mixed Reality
In order for software developers to do their jobs as new hardware reaches the market, they will need the right tools to get their projects off the ground and into augmented and mixed reality devices. There have been completely new approaches to development when it comes to AR and MR, and these are some of the faces behind them.
News: Waymo Driverless Minivans Are Offering a Free Spin in Arizona
The sun-drenched people of Phoenix can now sign up to ride in an automated car, for free, courtesy of Waymo. The Alphabet affiliate announced its "early ride program," which will (hopefully) demonstrate how self-driving cars will fit into people's everyday lives. Highlighting a challenge Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has spoken about that faces the driverless industry.
News: World's Largest Fleet of Driverless Cars Will Be Launched by GM
General Motors Co. (GM) is set to expand their fleet of driverless cars in San Francisco, Detroit, and Scottsdale, according to documents filed by the company.
News: Zika Is About to Explode Again as Mosquito Season Approaches
There could be a fresh outbreak of the Zika virus in the Americas as the weather heats up and the mosquito population blooms.
News: 2016 Disengagement Reports Show Waymo Absolutely Crushing the Competition on Every Single Metric
Disengagement report numbers for self-driving car testing in 2016 on public roads in California were just released, and the biggest point we can make about them is that Waymo is very far ahead of their competitors in almost every metric.
HPV: Almost Half of Adult Men in US Have This Cancer-Causing STD
Despite the availability of a vaccine against it, almost 50% of men aged 18-59 in the US are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Why?
News: New Coalition Investing Millions to Stop Outbreaks Like Ebola & Zika Before They Explode
Responding to the rapid emergence of dangerous pathogens around the world, a new initiative to prevent or contain pandemics was announced in Davos, Switzerland, yesterday. If you ever worried that a highly contagious pathogen could take down your community, or the country, this news is for you.
News: Thinking About Sushi Tonight? Your Raw Fish May Come with a Side of Invasive Parasite
After California college student Luis Ortiz blacked out and was taken to the hospital in 2015, doctors were startled to discover the reason his brain was swelling—a one-centimeter long, wriggling tapeworm living within a ventricle in the middle of his brain.
News: Two Doctors Simplify Spinal Surgery with the HoloLens
True innovation tends to come from the places we least expect as developers. The Microsoft HoloLens is still a very new product, and some of the other headsets are still just ideas, so the rules for mixed reality are not set in stone. That means all the real problems to be solved are yet to come.
News: With Apple Cutting the Headphones Cord, Why Aren't They Cutting the Power Cord Too?
Before the iPhone 7 was launched and all the unrealized reports about the phone's features were tucked back into their annual rumor mill, there was some speculation about wireless charging. Specifically, whether or not the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus would support it. We now know they don't, and here's why.
News: Google Is Deadly Serious About Taking on Apple's iPhone
Looking past the obvious visual similarities between the iPhone 7 and Google's new Pixel phones, there are several indications that the search giant had Apple in its sights as they released their latest flagships. For once, this isn't an Android phone we're talking about, it's a Google phone—and it showcases Google's latest strategy.
News: Flip Your Breakfast Script with These Savory Oatmeal Ideas
I am officially breaking up with my daily breakfast of avocado toast and embarking on a promising new relationship with savory oatmeal. Yes, you read that right—savory oatmeal.
How To: 5 Android Apps That'll Make You a Citizen Scientist
Using a technology we like to call "Hive Computing," several Android apps allow you to contribute idle processing power to help further scientific research. This basically means that when you're not using your phone or tablet, it can join forces with other idle devices to form a supercomputer that scientists can use to potentially make a world-changing breakthrough.
No Preservatives, Please: How to Make Frozen TV Dinners
Please read the following in Rod Serling's voice. Picture, if you will, a mother. She comes home after a long day at the office, relieved that she took some chicken breasts out to thaw and will be able to make a quick and easy dinner for her family. She opens her refrigerator to get the chicken, but to her horror she does not see it… she forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer after all. What will she make for dinner now? How will she feed her family? She has entered…the Panic Zone.