This week, at its developer's conference, Samsung took the wraps off a new tool from Wacom that bestows the S-Pen with AR powers, as well as its own entry to the AR cloud market called Project Whare.
But while Samsung is just starting to float its AR cloud to developers, Niantic's version of the AR cloud, the Niantic Real World Platform, is already off the ground, as the first app built on the platform, Ingress Prime, launched this week.
Meanwhile, Domino's Pizza served up the latest AR experience designed to attract customers, while ABC News debuted its broadcast AR experience intent on increasing viewership.
Samsung Powers Up Its AR Game with AR Cloud & AR Ink Platforms
With barely a whisper of augmented reality during the first day of its developer's conference, Samsung came out swinging on day two with the introduction of its version of the AR cloud and a partnership with Wacom that turns Samsung's S-Pen into an augmented reality magic wand.
During the Spotlight Session on Thursday, Wacom president and CEO Nobutaka Ide took the stage to show off Wacom Ink Layer Language, or WILL 3.0. The SDK gives apps "semantic understanding" and depth perception through the mobile device's camera view, allowing users to not only draw on the real world but also insert 3D content based on the app's interpretation of its surroundings.
On the same day, attendees also got a first-hand look at the Project Whare AR cloud platform from the Samsung Next emerging technologies incubator. Project Whare offers many of the AR cloud qualities that platforms like the Niantic Real World Platform and 6D.ai bring to the table, while adding, but Samsung's platform also adds a fairly unique capability.
Keep reading to learn more about these new platforms and the AR opportunities they present for developers and app publishers...
REALITY BITES: According to a report from TechCrunch, Facebook has realigned the organizational structure of Oculus. The company, which is focused on AR in addition to VR, is moving from a structure based on product groups to one focused on technology expertise. Historically, executives rarely reorganize when they are happy with how things are going, so expect more changes there in the coming months.
Niantic Real World Platform Debuts in Ingress Reboot
Ingress, the godfather of location based-AR games developed by Pokémon GO creator Niantic Labs, is getting a new lease on life via Ingress Prime, a reboot of the game built on the Niantic Real World Platform.
After teasing the reboot late last year, Niantic launched the new game on Monday on the App Store and Google Play. The premise remains the same — "hack" portals at real-world locations to claim territory for your chosen faction — but the game receives some user interface improvements.
Read more about the app and what the Niantic Real World Platform actually contributes to the experience...
REALITY BITES: Emerging from Netflix's most recent Hack Day is an eye-tracking navigation system built with ARKit and enabled by the TrueDepth camera of the iPhone X series. While these hacks rarely make it into production, there's actually an app called the Hawkeye Access web browser that employs the same approach. Developer Matt Moss originally presented the concept in June.
Domino's Australia Tops Its Mobile App with AR
If you're hungry for pizza and ordering from Domino's in Australia, you can now see what your pie will look like in augmented reality before placing your order.
Available through the App Store and Google Play, the updated Domino's mobile app includes New Pizza Chef, an entertaining tool that lets customers build a virtual version of their pizza and their chosen toppings.
Continue reading to find out more about the experience and how AR marketing can help Domino's stand out in the competitive world of fast food...
ABC News Votes for AR to Enhance Its Election Day Coverage
Election Day is like the Super Bowl for network and cable TV news, so ABC News is breaking out the big guns with a new augmented reality experience to win over eyeballs of viewers.
With all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 seats in the Senate, and 36 governor offices in contest, ABC News designed a new augmented reality news set in order to visual the data viewers crave on Election Day.
Read on to find out more about the AR experience and how the technology is fast becoming a favorite for broadcast news...
Every Friday, Next Reality reviews the latest headlines from the financial side of augmented and mixed reality. This weekly Market Reality column covers funding announcements, mergers and acquisitions, market analysis, and the like. Check out previous editions of Market Reality for more news you may have missed.
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Cover image via Samsung/YouTube
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