News: CNN Brings Its News Networks to Magic Leap One
News junkies who own the Magic Leap One received some good news on Thursday, as CNN has published an app for the headset to display the network's news coverage in augmented reality.
Consumers Aren't Search Results
News: ThirdEye Reveals X2 Smartglasses Design & Retail Partnership with b8ta
Smartglasses maker ThirdEye has announced that its X1 model wearable will be updated by the slimmer, as yet unreleased X2 model. Both devices will be promoted and sold through its partner, brick and mortar technology retailer b8ta.
News: Avegant's Future Looks Bright as It Lands $12 Million in Funding for Augmented Reality Displays
The display is one of the most critical components in augmented reality hardware, and on Tuesday, one of the companies making that component, Avegant Corp., closed a funding round of $12 million to support development of next-generation AR displays.
News: Coors & KFC Court Consumers for Memorial Day Weekend via Snapchat AR
Many Americans will celebrate the start of the summer this Memorial Day weekend with backyard cookouts, and two brands hope to solidify their invites to those parties through augmented reality experiences in Snapchat.
News: This AR Headset Surpasses the Field of View of HoloLens, but You Still Won't Wear It in Public
Digital imaging company OmniVision Technologies and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) entered the CES fray this week with a new reference design for an augmented reality headset capable of 60 degrees field of view (FoV).
News: WayRay's Auto Techno Video Will Make You Want to Add AR to Your Driving Experience
When it comes to marketing, sexy sells, a point that has been lost on most augmented reality hardware makers focused mostly on the geek space. But a new promotional spot from AR-in-the-car accessory maker WayRay indicates that AR companies are beginning to see the virtual sizzle reel light.
News: Augmented Reality Treasure Hunt Allows You to 'Snatch' Up Free Beer
Free beer and AR? What could be better? Amstel, a Dutch beer brand, has launched an innovative sampling campaign using an AR app called "Snatch." Snatch is a treasure hunt gaming app, and if you win the game, your prize is 10,000 free pints of Amstel beer, redeemable at Mitchell & Butler pubs.
News: Apple Blames Slow Sales on iPhone 8 Rumors
On Tuesday, Apple held a public conference call for its Q2 earnings report. During the call, Steve Milunovich from UBS asked Tim Cook about a recent 451 report, and how it reflects a pause in current iPhone sales. Cook's response was more than interesting, to say the least:
News: Adobe Integrates with HoloLens for Personalized Marketing
At Adobe Summit 2017 this week, Adobe announced they are looking to occupy a new space in the market by combining their analytic capabilities with augmented reality. Teaming up with Microsoft, the company has combined Adobe Sensei software with the HoloLens, reports GeekWire. Together, the tech and software create a new tool for retailers to track their consumers' habits.
News: Will the HoloLens Forget About Gaming?
Microsoft's HoloLens has many applications in the business world, both large and small, but what about gaming? Initial demos gave the impression that we could expect amazing first person shooters, platformers, and even Minecraft. Yet, as Newsweek noticed, the HoloLens was nowhere to be found at E3 this year.
News: 'Nutrition Labels' Will Make Picking the Right Internet Provider Painless
Shopping around for a good broadband company or mobile carrier may soon be as easy as shopping for cereal, thanks to the introduction of broadband consumer labels by the FCC for both fixed and mobile broadband.
How To: Congress Wants to Make Unlocking Smartphones Legal Again—Here's How You Can Help
Whether you have AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, or any other mobile carrier, chances are your smartphone is sold locked to only work on that specific carrier's network. Sure, you could unlock your carrier-subsidized device, but that would mean breaching the Library of Congress' latest Interpretation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act—making the whole process illegal. As softModders, boundaries and regulations are things that we don't take lightly, although many times we have to begrudg...
News: What the Laws on Jailbreaking, Rooting, & Unlocking Mean for You & Why the White House Is on Our Side (Updated)
UPDATE (February 26, 2014) Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1123 with a 295-114 vote decision. The ruling repeals the 2012 Library of Congress (LOC) decision that limited the ability to legally "unlock" your smartphone (see below).
How To: Put an audiobook on a portable MP3 player
In this video tutorial, we learn how to listen to audiobooks on a portable MP3 player like the Apple iPod. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this consumer electronics how-to from the folks at CNET.
How To: Get companies to give you consumer electronics to review and keep afterwards
Do you like to try out the latest electronics before they come out? Do you hate it when you have to send back test products you do get your hands on? Watch this video to learn how you can get companies to send you products to review and let you keep them afterwards.
How To: Market and sell a product successfully
If you have created a product and want to start selling it, watch this video. It will give you some general ideas for steps you can take to market your product and attract interest from consumers and investors.
How To: Use the cookie cutter tool in Photoshop Elements 4.0
Adobe Photoshop Elements is the consumer version of the Adobe Photoshop raster image editing product. In this video tutorial you will learn to use the cookie cutter tool in Photoshop Elements 4.0 to create shapes out of your photos. The tool is great for creating signs and logos.
Market Reality: Samsung Prototype, Mastercard App, Plus Vuzix, 0Glasses, & Pacific Future AR Wearables Shown Off at CES
In years past, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) mostly dabbled in the future as far as the long-term vision for augmented reality was concerned. This year, however, objects in the future are much closer than they appear.
News: Augmented Reality Apps Account for Over Half of the Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps of 2019, Report Says
If there's any lingering uncertainty as to the mainstream viability of augmented reality, a list of the top mobile apps and games of 2019 serves to dispell those doubts.
Market Reality: Vuzix & Vivo Tease New Consumer Smartglasses, Gucci Goes AR, & Nreal Fires Back at Magic Leap
While a viable version of consumer-grade smartglasses has yet to find mainstream success, two more contenders emerged this week, as Vuzix confirmed that a leak of a fashion-forward design is legitmate and Vivo introduced tethered smartglasses designed to pair with its new 5G smartphone.
Market Reality: Meta Company & Leap Motion Find New Owners as AWE 2019 Wraps Up
The annual Augmented World Expo (AWE) typically packs the front page of Next Reality with new products and services from companies in the augmented reality industry.
News: Vuzix Blade Smartglasses Will Tell if Weather Outside Is Frightful with AccuWeather App
A year after making a splash at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with Amazon Alexa integration, smartglasses maker Vuzix is bringing a notable weather app to its Blade smartglasses for the 2019 edition of the conference.
Market Reality: US Army Chooses Microsoft Over Magic Leap & Niantic Puts Its Money on Consumer Smartglasses
The recent announcement of a $480 million US Army contract awarded to Microsoft over Magic Leap for supplying 100,000 augmented reality headsets shows just a how lucrative the enterprise (and government) sector can be for AR.
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: Techstars Sees Easing the Cognitive Load as Killer AR App for Enterprise & Consumers
When a firm like Techstars believes that augmented reality is an attractive industry to invest in, there's a high probability that it's right.
How To: Set Up and Configure Microsoft Kinect on Your XBox 360
The Kinect is finally here, poised to make game consumers forget the Wii ever existed. If you've got a Kinect, gotten it all plugged in, but are wondering what to do next, watch this video. It will walk you through the process of setting up and configuring your Kinect on the XBox so that it works as well as possible.
How To: Make inexpensive solar panels from broken ones
As far as the world of consumer electronics goes, it doesn't get much greener than recycling solar panels. In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to solder together broken solar panels, giving them new life as a functional AA battery charger, which produces about 6 volts in direct sunlight and about 3 volts indoors. In order to get started on this hack, you'll need a number broken solar panels (which can be had cheap for cheap on the Internet), a low-temperature soldering iron, silver-beari...
News: What Apple's Record Wearables Earnings Could Mean for Its AR Smartglasses Future
This week's Apple earnings offered a report of solid performance and guarded optimism about future iPhone sales, which may be impacted later this year by issues around the current coronavirus epidemic in China.
News: Vuzix Reveals Next-Gen M4000 Enterprise Smartglasses, Shows Off Smart Swim AR Wearable for Aquatic Athletes
While consumer-grade smartglasses are the holy grail for tech companies, smartglasses maker Vuzix knows where its bread is buttered, and that's in the enterprise segment.
News: Alcohol Delivery Startup Drizly Teams with Wine Brands to Deliver Intoxicating AR Experiences via DrinkAR App
The landscape of augmented reality marketing is growing by leaps and bounds nearly every month, with Hollywood and the cosmetics industry leading the way.
News: Smartglasses Startup North Begins Delivering First Focals Shipments, Announces Series of New Pop-Up Stores
Just over two months ago, smartglasses startup North opened the doors at its two brick-and-mortar retail locations in Toronto and New York and began accepting orders for Focals. On Thursday, the company announced that those initial customers can get ready to pick up their wearables, as the first shipments have now arrived in stores.
News: RealMax Returns to CES with Production Model of Qian AR Headset with Industry-Leading Field of View
Last year at CES, RealMax blew away the AR headset competition with a prototype AR headset surpassing 100 degrees field of view.
News: First Truly Mainstream, Hit Augmented Reality App May Arrive Through Advertising, Says Unity CEO
Despite the launch of ARKit a year ago, and ARCore this year, a true killer app has not arrived for either platform, that's according to the head honcho for one of the leading development environments for 3D applications.
News: Epson Launches AR App to Control DJI Drones via Moverio Smartglasses
Smartglasses maker Epson remains the top gun in the drone market with its Moverio line of wearables, and the company is further elevating its offerings with its new Drone SoAR app for DJI drones.
News: Magic Leap One Passes Through FCC Certification, Setting the Stage for Imminent Release
The rite of passage for every tech product, formally known as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification, has come for the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition.
News: Vuzix Smart Glasses Getting a Major Upgrade in 2019 with Light Engine from Plessey
While Vuzix is beefing up the processing power of its next-generation smartglasses with the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1, the company will also give its devices an upgraded display engine.
News: WaveOptics Enlists Waveguide Manufacturing Partner to Help Produce Lower-Cost, Mainstream AR Smartglasses
On Thursday, waveguide maker WaveOptics announced that semiconductor and microelectromechanical systems supplier EV Group (EVG) will provide the manufacturing infrastructure for the production of its waveguide displays designed to support lower-cost, third-party augmented reality wearables.
News: Kay Jewelers Adds Some Bling to Snapchat via Try-on Lens
Rabbit ears and dog noses are fun and all, but Kay Jewelers is here to class up Snapchat.
News: uSens Introduces Markerless Tracking for Mobile Apps
With mobile developers near and far primed to implement augmented reality into their iOS apps with Apple's ARKit, uSens offers them a new tool for markerless location tracking.
News: HoloSuit Proof of Concept Uses Full Body Motion to Control the HoloLens
Here at NextReality, we talk a lot about the many different ways of controlling holograms in the HoloLens and other augmented and mixed reality devices; New and creative ways are coming more and more every day. Most recently is something called the HoloSuit. In the 25-second clip below, you can see a woman moving the arm of a jacket which in turn moves a 3D model of Darth Vader on the screen. It's a simple idea with big potential.