Next Reality » Augmented & Mixed Reality News, Rumors & Dev Guides

Market Reality: North Secures More Funding, Google Unveils New Glass, & McGraw-Hill Takes AR to School

After a rough run of news, smartglasses maker North still has the confidence of investors, as evidenced by its latest round of funding.

News: North Focals Smartglasses Update Adds Google Fit, Google Slides, & a Distraction-Free Mode

The software updates from Canadian smartglasses startup North keep coming, each with a unique new twist.

News: Pepsi Celebrates Summer with Hundreds of Instagram Camera Effects for Soda Drinkers

With the upcoming Memorial Day weekend serving as the unofficial start of summer, Pepsi is turning to Instagram to help sell its soft drinks to quench the thirst of beachgoers and BBQers.

News: One of the Biggest Educational Publishers Is Making the Move to AR

In the wake of Apple and Google pitching augmented reality to schools, McGraw-Hill is stepping up its own augmented reality efforts for education.

News: Smartglasses Startup North Secures $40 Million in New Funding, Report Says

Despite the recent gut punch of staff layoffs, Canada-based smartglasses startup North and its Focals are likely to be in the game for a while longer.

News: Google Releases Glass Enterprise Edition 2, Includes Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1Upgrade

As the tech world patiently waits for the advent of mainstream consumer smartglasses, Google is content to stick to the business world (for now).

News: Magic Leap Adds Mobile Carrying Case to Its Arsenal of Augmented Reality Gear

It took a while, but one of the most anticipated Magic Leap One accessories is finally here. Magic Leap has quietly added the official Magic Leap One carrying case, which we previewed last year, to its website.

Market Reality: Mimesys Joins Magic Leap, Samsung Funds DigiLens & Lenovo Moves in on Microsoft's AR Territory

Magic Leap and Samsung are putting their money where their augmented reality plans are, with the former acquiring an AR collaboration technology and the latter funding a waveguide display maker.

News: Sony Pictures & Snapchat Serve Up Creepy Augmented Reality Lens to Promote 'Brightburn' Movie

The new film Brightburn, a horror take on the superhero genre produced by Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, debuted in theaters on Friday, and it has some promotional backing from Snapchat to drive ticket sales.

News: Amazon Prime Takes Over Times Square with Augmented Reality Apocalypse

Hollywood loves to use New York City's Times Square as a setting for major scenes in a blockbuster movie, so it's only right to use the area for a choice bit of virtual apocalypse in augmented reality.

News: Hollywood Exhibit Uses HoloLens to Transport Fans into the Worlds of 'Back to the Future' & Halo

The potential of augmented reality is often shown in science fiction movies, but a new exhibit marries the genre with very real-world AR technology, to great effect.

News: Amazon Will Pay You to Help Develop Its Augmented Reality System, No Skills Required

Many of us know that you can make a few bucks from Amazon by helping the company sell its wide array of products, but now there's a very different way to make a buck with the company, and it involves 3D technology.

News: Streem Upgrades Its Augmented Reality Platform via Acquisition of Computer Vision Startup Selerio

There's no shortage of augmented reality platforms for remote video assistance, but startup Streem is looking to give its offering a leg up with an infusion of new technology.

News: Now You Can Visit the Statue of Liberty in NYC from Anywhere in Augmented Reality via iOS App

Many native New Yorkers, like myself, get a chance to visit the famed Statue of Liberty during school trips when they're a child in grade school. And if you're not lucky enough to be born in the city, you have to make a special trip to the monument as a tourist.

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.

News: Next Reality Is Giving Away Free Tickets to AWE

You already know that the best place to learn about the cutting edge of augmented reality is Next Reality, but the best event to meet the people and companies pushing the space forward is the annual Augmented Reality Expo (AWE), and we're giving away free tickets!

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?

News: Samsung Joins Niantic in Backing DigiLens with $50 Million Funding Round

Smartglasses are the future of augmented reality, and Samsung is betting on waveguide maker DigiLens to emerge as a leader in the growing AR wearable industry.

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: Unity Beta 2019.2 Adds Face, 2D & 3D Image Tracking to AR Foundation

Fresh off of shipping version 2019.1 in April, Unity has already dropped the beta of 2019.2, and it has a bunch of new AR Foundation toys to test.

News: Lenovo's New Android-Based AR Headset Hits the HoloLens Where It Hurts — Enterprise Applications

Now that Microsoft has squarely focused on the enterprise market with the HoloLens 2, it appears Lenovo is content to play follow-the-leader with its new augmented reality headset.

Market Reality: Google Adds AR to Search, AWE Turns 10, & Nike Makes AR Part of Its Sales Strategy

As the Augmented World Expo (AWE) prepares to open its doors to AR developers and enthusiasts, we sat down with founder Ori Inbar to talk about AR's growth over the past decade, and what the future may hold.

News: After Nearly a Decade of AWE, Founder Ori Inbar Unpacks the Past, Present, & Future of Augmented Reality

In just a few weeks, on May 29, the annual AWE (Augmented World Expo) conference will take place once again in Silicon Valley (Santa Clara, California, to be exact).

News: Why Facebook Co-Founder's Call for a Breakup Is Focused on the Wrong Target — AR Is Zuckerberg's Next Big Data Bonanza

Next to Apple, Snap is currently one of the most important companies on the planet in terms of delivering products that are moving augmented reality into the mainstream. That's why it's no surprise that Facebook, which is also focused on AR and tried to acquire the company for $3 billion several years ago, duplicates many of the smaller company's features.

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: Snapchat & Facebook Messenger Deliver Augmented Reality Camera Effects for Mother's Day

If you need some help expressing how you feel to your mom for Mother's Day, Snapchat and Facebook are here with some augmented reality help.

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.