Next Reality

News: European Inventor Award Profiles Microsoft's Alex Kipman as Finalist for HoloLens

Usually, when the public gets to see and hear Microsoft's Alex Kipman expound on the future of immersive computing, it's because the company has a new product to show off. But on Tuesday, April 24, Kipman was in the spotlight for an entirely different reason: an award nomination.

News: In Time for Star Wars Day, Best Buy Slashes Price on Refurbed Lenovo 'Jedi Challenges' AR Headsets

If $200 was too much for you to get in on some Star Wars augmented reality action, Best Buy is now selling refurbished Star Wars Jedi Challenges sets for $79.99.

ARCore 101: How to Create a Mobile AR Application in Unity, Part 3 (Setting Up the App Controller)

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of programming languages and variations of those languages that exist. Currently, in the augmented reality space, it seems the Microsoft-created C# has won out as the overall top language of choice. While there are other options like JavaScript and C++, to name a few, C# seems to be the most worthwhile place to invest one's time and effort.

ARCore 101: How to Create a Mobile AR Application in Unity, Part 2 (Setting Up the Framework)

With the software installation out of the way, it's time to build the framework within which to work when building an augmented reality app for Android devices.

Market Reality: Snapchat Does E-Commerce, Renault Drives into Star Wars AR & Christie's Taps Wealthy Art Buyers via AR

It doesn't matter how cool or groundbreaking a particular technology is, if it doesn't offer the promise of big returns on investments, you'll have trouble drawing interest from both Silicon Valley and Wall Street. That's why we're increasingly seeing existing augmented reality players doing everything they can to focus in on revenue generation, which was the message coming from Snap Inc. this week.

News: Snapchat Sells Advertisers on Augmented Reality with New E-Commerce Features

In an effort to help its advertising partners close sales with its sponsored augmented reality camera effects, Snapchat has launched a set of e-commerce tools designed to encourage users to buy products directly in the app.

News: View the Lands You'll Conquer in 'God of War' with Mimir's Vision AR App

With the heavily anticipated installment of the God of War game series arriving on April 20, PlayStation has taken the opportunity to make its first foray into mobile augmented reality with a companion app.

News: Christie's App Brings the Art of the Rockefellers to Your Living Room via Augmented Reality

The latest update to the Christie's app for iPhones and iPads extends its augmented reality capabilities to the famed private art collection of David and Peggy Rockefeller.

News: Magic Leap to Launch Twitch Channel Featuring Developer Tutorials, Updates & Interviews

Although Magic Leap's founder Rony Abovitz has a lot to say about his product, what people really want are visuals, and it looks like we're about to get a lot more of those in the coming weeks. In a post on Magic Leap's official announcements forum page, the company revealed that it plans to begin a monthly livestream series on Twitch.

News: ARCore Closes Gap with ARKit via Image Recognition from Viro Media

Upon Google's release of ARCore in February, the platform wasn't only playing catch-up with Apple and ARKit in terms of downloads, but it also lagged in capabilities, as Apple already had vertical surface recognition and image recognition on the way with ARKit 1.5 for a March release.

News: U2 Kicks Off Latest Tour with Augmented Reality App Experience

One of the most successful rock bands still making music has just made augmented reality an integral part of its upcoming tour. Irish rock band U2 has announced a new mobile app experience that allows you to preview the group's live performance in your own home in AR.

News: Microsoft Video Shows Off BAE Systems' HoloLens-Powered Manufacturing Training Solution

While some in the augmented reality space are tweeting about future amazing immersive experiences and others are showing off cool experiments, Microsoft continues to move forward with tangible business solutions right now that show how the HoloLens can improve business.

News: Star Wars Holochess Comes to ARKit-Friendly iPhones & iPads

Part of the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges experience that was once exclusive to users of Lenovo's Mirage AR headset is now available to anyone with an ARKit-compatible iOS device.

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.

News: Snapchat Bulks Up Lens Studio with Face Templates, Giphy Integration & More

Snapchat is making it easier for developers and creators to build augmented reality effects in Lens Studio with a slew of new features, including seven face templates.

News: Google Researchers Have Developed an Augmented Reality Microscope for Detecting Cancer

Augmented reality might not be able to cure cancer (yet), but when combined with a machine learning algorithm, it can help doctors diagnose the disease.

News: Coachella & Eminem Hit High Notes with Augmented Reality Mobile Apps

The annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is one of those events that everyone talks about, so an augmented reality experience in the festival's mobile app and from one of its headlining acts, Eminem, basically means the technology is officially cool.

News: Renault Uses Shazam AR to Harness the Latest Star Wars Movie Hype

French automaker Renault is tapping into the promotional machine for Solo: A Star Wars Movie by deploying an AR experience through Shazam that's triggered via synergistic advertising.

Market Reality: Bareburger & Zara Use AR for Marketing, While vTime Gets a Cash Infusion to Move from VR to AR

Modern "mad men" are buying into augmented reality for marketing, with the two latest examples being trendy burger maker Bareburger and department store chain Zara.

News: The 50 Best Augmented Reality Apps for iPhone, iPad & Android Devices

Contrary to popular belief, augmented reality apps have been available for a while now. I remember using the Layar app (still available for iOS and Android) to explore nearby businesses and landmarks with varying success via an early-generation Android handset.

News: Facebook Camera Can Now Change Your World into an AR Paint Canvas

For social media platforms like Facebook, augmented reality represents a whole new art form with which users can express themselves online. Now, Facebook is giving those users a new brush.

News: Magic Leap's Website Has an Immersive Reality Experience Hidden in Plain Sight, if You Know Where to Look

Magic Leap loves to stoke mystery around its still unreleased product, the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition, and now we've found yet another piece of the puzzle in the form of an Easter egg on the company's website.

News: Nickelodeon Reels in AR Mode for Popular Mobile Game Sky Whale

One of the most popular mobile games out there for kids has added an augmented reality mode that brings the titular character into the real world.

News: Bareburger's Recipe for Future Menus Includes a Heaping Portion of Augmented Reality via Snapchat

Fast-casual burger restaurant Bareburger expects to soon replace all of its paper menus with 3D models of its burgers and other items rendered in augmented reality, but for now, the company is preparing some rather interesting limited AR interactions.

News: ODG's Newest Wearable Allows FedEx Pilots to Use Augmented Reality to Navigate Emergency Situations

On Thursday, Osterhout Design Group (ODG) revealed a new, specially-crafted oxygen mask that uses the same augmented reality technology from its smartglasses to assist FedEx Express pilots navigating dangerous conditions.

News: Zara AR App Brings Virtual Models to Life in Stores

Department store chain Zara is temporarily ditching its mannequins and dressing up its stores with augmented reality experiences featuring virtual versions of real fashion models.

News: PhotoBloom AR Brings Your Framed Photos to Life as Augmented Reality Videos

Taking photos that are actually printed and hung on a real wall, versus being shot and shared via a social wall, is a seemingly lost art, but PhotoBloom AR wants to change that with augmented reality.

News: Social VR Startup vTime Lands $7.6M to Launch Augmented Reality Version Later This Year

One of the earliest players in the social virtual reality space, vTime, has just landed $7.6 million in new funding, which the company says is partially earmarked for developing and releasing an augmented reality version of its platform later this year.

News: Lampix Exec Gordon Meyer Podcast Interview, Says the Future of AR Isn't in Wearables

The future of augmented reality isn't on your smartphone or face, it's in the everyday items all around us. At least that's the belief of Gordon Meyer, the vice president of marketing at New York-based startup Lampix.

News: Microsoft Japan Concept Video Demos How HoloLens Will Help Pilot the Drone Ships of the Future

Although the HoloLens is still primarily the domain of developers and researchers, the device is nevertheless on the cutting edge of showing us what will be possible with augmented reality in the coming years. The latest example comes via Microsoft Japan and a new concept video that shows off how the HoloLens will be used in the relatively near future to pilot autonomous ships.

News: The Weather Channel Forecasts More Augmented Reality for Its Live Broadcasts with Unreal Engine

Just weeks after being acquired by comedian turned producer Byron Allen for $300 million, The Weather Channel has tapped augmented reality studio The Future Group to integrate immersive augmented reality experiences into its broadcast content.

News: Verizon's Envrmnt Team Opens Early Access to AR Design Easy App Creation Tool

The augmented reality and VR arm of Verizon, Envrmnt, wants to make it really easy for anyone to create AR apps.

News: Leap Motion Reveals Open-Source AR Headset Called Project North Star

If it had come out just a week earlier, around April 1, no one would have believed it. But it's true, Leap Motion has developed its own prototype augmented reality headset, and it looks pretty wild.

Market Reality: Vuzix Defends Blade, Magic Leap Shows Off ML1 & Snapchat Reintroduces Consumers to Its AR Camera

The augmented reality business was all about audiences this week. Vuzix looked for an audience with the Supreme Court of New York regarding a defamation lawsuit against an investor. Magic Leap held an audience with royalty, showing off the Magic Leap One in a rare public appearance. And Snapchat wanted to remind its consumer audience of all the things its camera can do.

News: Startup YOUAR Demos Persistent, Cross-Platform AR Experiences via ARKit & ARCore

Another AR cloud candidate has emerged in YOUAR, a startup that has developed a new system that enables persistent augmented reality experiences on iPhones and Android devices.

News: Vuzix Seeks $80 Million in Defamation Lawsuit Over Unflattering Blade Smartglasses Report

Augmented reality device maker Vuzix has filed a defamation lawsuit asking for $80 million in punitive damages, money damages, and interest against a short seller who has publicly claimed that the Amazon Alexa functionality of the company's Blade smartglasses is fraudulent.

News: Apple iPhone X Owners Get a Trio of Super-Realistic Snapchat Lenses Aided by the TrueDepth Camera

Snapchat has released three new augmented reality Lenses that boast uber-accurate face tracking courtesy of the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X and ARKit.

ARCore 101: How to Create a Mobile AR Application in Unity, Part 1 (Setting Up the Software)

If you've contemplated what's possible with augmented reality on mobile devices, and your interest has been piqued enough to start building your own Android-based AR app, then this is a great place to to acquire the basic beginner skills to complete it. Once we get everything installed, we'll create a simple project that allows us to detect surfaces and place custom objects on those surfaces.

News: Pretend You're Playing Golf in The Masters Tournament with Snapchat's Latest AR Lens

With the Masters, one of professional golfing's four most prestigious annual tournaments, now in full swing, Snapchat is giving users the ability to commemorate the moment in augmented reality.

News: App from Japan Uses Apple's iPhone X to Transform Your Face & Voice into the Cutest Anime Character

Apple's iPhone X now has the power to turn anyone into a Japanese anime character, thanks to a new app that harnesses the device's TrueDepth camera.