News: AWE Partners with Accessories Project to Deliver the Ultimate Augmented Reality-Powered Swag Bag
I'm here at the annual AWE event in Santa Clara, California, and the venue is just as packed, if not more so, than last year.
Weekly Freebies Search Results
News: Looking Glass Pro Workstation Offers Glasses-Free 3D Computing, but at Premium Price
With Microsoft taking direct aim at enterprises for its HoloLens 2 with a $3,500 price tag, one startup is betting that business will be willing to pony up for glasses-free 3D displays as well.
News: Meta Rises from the Ashes Under New Ownership, Along with a New CEO
Almost half a year after we broke the story about the demise of Meta Company, there's good news for fans of the augmented reality startup — a rebirth is at hand.
How To: Get a Dark Theme on Gboard for iPhone or Android
If you've been paying attention to the smartphone industry, you've certainly noticed a rise in dark mode lately. With most phones now sporting OLED panels, which use less power to display darker colors, users have been begging developers to include a dark theme in their apps. Lately, Google has been happy to oblige.
How To: Turn Off Those Annoying Amber Alerts & Emergency Broadcasts on Your Android
To bring things up to code with a new FCC standard, Android recently added an "Emergency broadcasts" feature that will make your smartphone notify you whenever a potential safety threat or Amber Alert is posted in your area. Even if you have your phone set to silent, these emergency alerts will cause your device to emit a loud, piercing sound when a potential threat is nearby.
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.
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: Magic Leap Acquires Augmented Reality Telepresence Startup Mimesys
Just months after we previewed the augmented reality, volumetric video conferencing powers of Mimesys, the company has undergone a major change — it's now a part of Magic Leap.
News: Jeri Ellsworth's Tilt Five Teases Forthcoming Augmented Reality Twist on Board Gaming
While augmented reality industry continues to grow, analog board games are also making a comeback. So, why not join the two together?
How To: 'Rick & Morty' Returns This November — Here's How to Catch Up or Rewatch Your Favorites
The last third season episode of Rick and Morty aired Oct. 1, 2017. Over a year and a half later, we finally have confirmation that everyone's favorite morally ambiguous, universe-traveling duo will make their return in November. While six months is still quite a wait, you can make it go faster by catching up on some classic episodes.
News: Google & Magic Leap Developer Create Augmented Reality Mobile Apps for Warping Real World into Art
Because of its ability to place digital content into the real world, augmented reality lends itself well to artists and creatives.
News: Nike Begins Using Augmented Reality for Sneaker Fitting in Mobile App & in Retail Stores
After applying augmented reality as a solution for the sale and marketing of sneakers, Nike is taking the next step in its adoption of AR to improve the customer experience.
News: Google's ARCore Updates Bring Scene Viewer for AR on Web & Search, Improvements to Image Recognition & Ambient Lighting
After announcing at Google I/O 2019 that augmented reality content would come to Search, Google revealed how it would make that happen with the latest round of updates to ARCore.
How To: Add More Context to Quote Retweets on Twitter by Attaching Images, Videos & GIFs
On Twitter, quote retweets are a great way to share someone else's tweet with your view of their message. Twitter has expanded on this idea by giving us the ability to attach images, video, and GIFs to quote retweets. With these extra options, you should have no problem adding your own unique perspective on that funny, serious, or professional tweet.
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.
News: Facebook Updates Spark AR with Windows Support & New Features, Instagram AR Arriving This Summer
Two years ago, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the F8 Developers Conference keynote with augmented reality and the introduction of Facebook's AR camera platform, now known as Spark AR.
How To: Instantly Unlock Your iPhone with Face ID — No Swipe Needed
Face ID does an excellent job with keeping your iPhone safe, boasting a million-to-one odds against unauthorized access when compared to Touch ID, which is 20 times less secure. However, it's far from being truly hands-free, as you still need to swipe up the lock screen once it detects your face to access apps. But if you have a jailbroken iPhone X, this issue can easily be remedied.
News: Google & Childish Gambino Follow Up Pixel Playground Hit with Pharos AR App
Google is going all in with Childish Gambino as its musical champion for augmented reality, as the duo has now dropped its second AR collaboration of the year.
How To: Share What You're Watching on Netflix to Your Snapchat Story So Your Friends Can Watch Too
Over the years, TV has become more of a solo activity than ever before. It is exponentially more difficult to discuss the latest shows with friends since platforms like Netflix just release all episodes at once. Luckily, Snapchat makes it easy to keep your pals in the loop on what you're watching, so they can pick up the remote and do the same.
How To: The Safest Way to Disable ALL Bloatware on Your Galaxy S10
Bloatware remains one of the biggest problems with Android, especially when tied to a carrier. Removing bloatware usually requires you to take extreme measures like rooting. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S10 falls under this annoying umbrella, but there's an easy workaround.
How To: Use Desktop Chrome Extensions on Android
For years, there has been a disconnect between the Chrome app on your smartphone and the Chrome browser on your computer. The latter was a powerfully fast browser which could be enhanced with extensions to add new features and functionality, while the former was just a fast browser. Well, that all changes now.
How To: Auto-Hide the Navigation Bar on Your Galaxy S10 — No Root Needed
Because of the way Android is laid out, you automatically lose a portion of the top and bottom of your screen thanks to the status and navigation bars. The thing is, you don't always need the navigation buttons. By hiding them, you can enjoy more of your Galaxy S10's big, beautiful display.
News: The Magic of Microsoft's HoloLens 2 Hand Interaction on Display in Mixed Reality Toolkit v2 Demo Video
Describing how and why the HoloLens 2 is so much better than the original is helpful, but seeing it is even better.
Exclusive: Meta Company Patent Lawsuit Takes New Turn as Plaintiff Asks Court for Injunction
Months after Next Reality broke the story surrounding the financial troubles at Meta Company, there's a new update in the company's ongoing patent lawsuit.
News: Puma's QR Code-Covered Sneakers Put Augmented Reality at Center of Design, with Mixed Results
We've seen a variety of AR experiences related to athletic footwear over the years, but Puma is betting sneakerheads will buy into a version of interactive design where sneakers are the augmented reality experience
Exclusive: Inside Magic Leap's Secret Headquarters
The long guarded veil of mystery surrounding Magic Leap for years was finally lifted last year when the company revealed its Magic Leap One device.
News: Niantic Offering In-Game Rewards to Pokémon GO & Ingress Players Who Pitch in on Earth Day Cleanup Events
Location-based gaming company Niantic knows its business model is inextricably tied to the outdoors, so it is in its best interest to help preserve that environment to give players a place to play.
News: The iOS 12.2 Update Made Loving & Disliking Stories Harder in Apple News
If you updated your iPhone to iOS 12.2, you'll notice in the Apple News app that there are no longer "Love" and "Dislike" buttons inside stories. Why did Apple remove them? And will they make a comeback?
How To: Turn Your Galaxy S10's Camera Cutout into a Battery Indicator
The camera punch hole on the S10 has gotten our creative juices flowing more than any notch ever could. First, we saw wallpapers that served to camouflage the cutout or even accentuate it. Now, if you want to go the opposite direction and highlight your S10's camera hole, there's an app that turns it into a circular battery meter.
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.
Exclusive: ODG Filing Points to Magic Leap Acquisition of Auctioned Patent Assets
In case you thought the long and unfortunate story of ODG was over, hold on, there's one last chapter to tell.
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.
How To: View & Leave Tips on Yelp (& Why It's Important)
Yelp reviews are great for getting a feel for how a business operates, but they can't always be trusted, and they don't always get to the point fast enough. That's where "Tips" come in, and you can view and make them whether you're on an iPhone or Android phone.
News: Google Backs Mojo Vision's 'Invisible Computing' Augmented Reality Platform in $58 Million Funding Round
Four months have passed since Mojo Vision emerged from stealth, and we are no closer to seeing exactly what its "invisible computing" technology looks like.
News: Angry Birds Returns to Its Mobile Roots with 'Isle of Pigs' Augmented Reality Game
After launching its first augmented reality title for Angry Birds on the Magic Leap One, Rovio has doubled back to the platform that made its franchise famous.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.2 Beta 6 for iPhone to Developers, Adds New 'Warranty Status' in Settings
Apple just released the sixth beta release for iOS 12.2 today, Monday, March 18. Just as expected, the update to the developer version dropped just past 1 p.m. EDT (10 a.m. PDT), and comes with new changes and features from iOS 12.2 beta 5 and beyond, including a new warranty status in the "About" page in Settings.
How To: Automatically Answer Calls Just by Putting Your iPhone Up to Your Ear
Tapping on your iPhone's display to pick up an incoming call can be annoying when your hands are wet or dirty. It might even fail to register and cause you to miss your call. If you have a jailbroken iPhone, however, you can get rid of this problem entirely, thanks to a free tweak that lets you instantly pick up calls without having to interact with your phone's screen.
News: Spatiate Brings Multi-User Augmented Reality Painting to Magic Leap One
While painting in augmented reality is not a groundbreaking pursuit, the ability for Magic Leap One, iPhone and iPad, and Android users to collaborate remotely on virtual artwork would be.
How To: Set Privacy-Focused DuckDuckGo as Chrome's Default Search Engine on Your Phone
While Google would rather you use Google as the default search engine in Chrome, there's a way to switch to the more privacy-geared DuckDuckGo search engine for all your web browsing needs. With DuckDuckGo, the company does not track anything you search or allow anyone else to track it, so you can effectively search from your iPhone or Android phone anonymously.