Everything Else
News: This Virtual Home Sold for $500K as an NFT, Now the Artist Wants to Move It into Augmented Reality
The NFT space is moving so fast that if you're not already engaged, you've probably already missed several history-making events.
News: Samsung Just Gave Us the First Snapchat AR Smartphone, Sort Of
During this week's unveiling of the new Samsung A Series of smartphones, much of the focus was on the high-end features at a more affordable price as the South Korean tech giant looks to regain its status as the world's top smartphone maker versus Apple's iPhone.
News: NexTech AR's Paul Duffy on How Mobile AR & Holographic Performances Are Changing How We Work & Play
As augmented reality space continues to move into the mainstream, the competition to offer immersive services is ramping up as well.
News: Facebook Plans to Enhance Hand Gestures for Future AR Smartglasses with Wristband That Can Read Nerve Signals
While Apple has been rather secretive about its work on AR wearables (despite the abundance of leaks revealing details about their unannounced devices), Facebook has been rather chatty about its plans for smartglasses.
News: This Atari 3D Sneaker NFT Auction Is Using Snapchat to Let You Try Before You Buy on the Blockchain
When you're talking about collectibles, in 2021 it's heresy not to include the world of sneakerheads. Nowadays, a single, limited batch of newly designed sneakers from Nike can quickly sell out and then go on to be resold for many thousands more than they were purchased for at launch.
News: Augmented Reality Masks from MF Doom Auctioned as NFTs Fetch $1.6 Million
The hype surrounding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has reached astronomical levels over the past few weeks, and now the technology has intersected with augmented reality's orbit in a fantastic way.
Market Reality: Reggie Watts & Looking Glass NFT Auction, Sketchfab Courts Google Poly Users & Apple Smartglass Rumors
The augmented reality industry has grown steadily over the past four years, but now it is on a collision course with uber-popular non-fungible tokens technology, with Looking Glass and music artist Reggie Watts among the latest to strike while the iron is hot.
AR Snapshots: Your Cats & Dogs Can Join in Your AR Antics with These Pet-Friendly Snapchat Lenses
The face tracking of cats and dogs are probably my favorite AR innovations that have come to Snapchat Lenses over the past few years.
News: Sketchfab Rescues Google Poly Creators with New Transfer Tool
Google Poly, a repository of 3D objects for use in AR and VR experiences, is the latest Google offering to fall victim to the company's habit of axing products and services, regardless of popularity.
News: Looking Glass Teams with Reggie Watts to Auction Holographic NFT Art, Paving Way for Popularizing AR Art You Can Hold
The moment many of the crypto savvy insiders in augmented reality and VR have been waiting for is here: we're finally getting our first big auction of NFT art that exists purely as a hologram.
News: Apple's AR Wearables Roadmap Includes Mixed Reality Headset in 2022, Smartglasses in 2025 & More by 2040, Report Says
Based on recent reports, we've got a pretty clear picture of what to expect from Apple's rumored augmented reality headset expected to arrive next year, but the outlook is more opaque concerning its consumer-grade AR smartglasses.
Market Reality: 'WandaVision' in AR, Cleanbox CEO Fights Pandemic for AR/VR & Behind Seek's AR Patent Power Move
The year is still off to a roaring start, with augmented reality at the center of nearly everything, from enterprise solutions, to entertainment, to safety.
News: Cleanbox CEO Amy Hedrick Is Saving the AR & VR World One Headset at a Time Through Virus-Fighting Tech
The process of trying out new augmented reality and virtual reality hardware is as personal as it gets. Bottom line, if you can't directly try these immersive devices on, it's difficult to really understand the benefits they can bring to your life and work.
News: Seek's CEO Reveals How Its New AR Patent Could Change the Entire 3D Space & Looks into the Future of Smartglasses
Among the various components of the emerging augmented reality space, the most lucrative is the advertising market. The prospect of turning every object, every location, ever signpost in the real world into a discount code or virtual transaction interface is why AR will ultimately be more profitable than VR.
News: Microsoft Unveils Mesh Platform for Collaborative HoloLens Apps, Previews Pokemon GO Proof of Concept
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for virtual and remote collaboration, and Microsoft has a solution that may serve as the catalyst for more such apps for augmented and virtual reality in the near future.
Market Reality: Snap Attracts AR Storytellers, Samsung AR Dreams Revealed & Qualcomm + Nreal Unveil New AR Hardware
The Lens Studio creators have published more than 1.5 million AR effects to Snapchat. One of them is Audrey Spencer, who shared her story with us and provided her insights into Lens Studio as a storytelling device. Meanwhile, Snap has added new capabilities to the platform to stoke more creativity from its creators.
AR Spotlight: How Snapchat Lens Creator Audrey Spencer Is Bending Reality on Your Smartphone
The rapid advance of Lens Studio as a platform for easily developing augmented reality experiences is just one indicator that immersive computing is becoming the norm.
News: Snap's Lens Studio 3.4 Update Improves Hand & Body Tracking for Snapchat AR Effects & Adds Asset Library
The Lens Studio app has become a cornerstone of Snap and its augmented reality technology portfolio by giving developers, creatives, and novices the ability to create augmented reality camera effects for Snapchat.
News: Scope AR Streamlines Its WorkLink AR Content Creation Platform into Browser-Based Tool
San Francisco-based augmented reality company Scope AR has made building AR instructional content for mobile devices and AR wearables as easy as throwing together a PowerPoint deck, primarily via its WorkLink platform.
AR Snapshots: Become a Cat for Video Calls, Rock Out as an Elephant, Then Have Fun with Poems & Emojis in AR
Outside of plastic surgery disasters or costumes, augmented reality is the closest we can get to morphing our likenesses into those of animals.
News: Qualcomm Unleashes Its Own Snapdragon XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design to Support AR Smartglasses Makers
The augmented reality smartglasses race is getting a major new entrant that could significantly change the entire landscape.
News: Nreal Announces Move to Expand AR Smartglasses Sales to US, Europe & Launch Enterprise Edition in 2021
After piloting the Nreal Light in South Korea and Japan via carrier partnerships and securing another round of funding, Nreal is now ready to begin selling the consumer edition of the smartglasses to the western world as well as introduce a version for enterprise customers.
News: FinchRing Controller Handles Gesture Control & Hand-Tracking for Nreal Light & Other AR Headsets
High-end augmented reality devices like the HoloLens and the Magic Leap 1, as well as the Ultraleap motion tracking modules, have demonstrated robust hand-tracking capabilities. However, many AR wearables (including Magic Leap) still rely on handheld controllers for interactions in AR space.
News: Samsung Reveals Its Vision for Smartglasses & Wearable Computing in Leaked Videos
Roughly a year ago, Samsung demoed its AR smartglasses prototype on stage at CES 2020. Now, videos showing off a new smartglasses model along with the company's imaginings of future AR experiences have surfaced through unofficial yet reliable channels.
Market Reality: Magic Leap & Epson Cater to Enterprise Customers, Lego & Smithsonian Launch New AR Apps
When it comes to augmented reality wearables, it's currently an enterprise world. As such, Magic Leap's latest Lumin updates are centered on features that appeal to enterprise customers. And Epson and Spinar are joining forces with a solution for distributed workforces.
News: Epson & Spinar Bundle Smartglasses & Remote AR Assistance via Zoom for Enterprise Customers
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses into remote work models, whether they were ready or not, making Zoom a household (or home office) name for its video conferencing service.
Market Reality: Apple Launches AR App, Brands Blitz Super Bowl with AR Ads & AR Content Arrives for Zoom via Arvizio
After weeks of reports about their first augmented reality device, Apple actually shipped a real AR product this week in the form of a TV tie-in AR app.
News: Apple Harnesses the Power of the iPhone 12 Pro LiDAR Scanner for Its New 'For All Mankind' AR App
The realm of science fiction isn't all lasers and cute green toddlers, sometimes alternate science history is sci-fi, too, as exampled by the Apple TV Plus series For All Mankind.
AR Snapshots: Celebrate Black History Month & Get Ready for Valentine's Day with These Snapchat Lenses
February is the shortest month, but it's marked by the celebration of Black history and the celebration of romantic love.
News: Apple Has Secured Micro OLED Supply Partner for Future AR Devices, Says Report
Like the layers of an onion, 2021 continues to peel back new hints of Apple's kinda-secretive augmented reality device development.
News: Footage of Mario Kart AR Ride at Super Nintendo World Hits the Web
Even the biggest fan of Mario Kart may have reservations about traveling to Super Nintendo World in Japan in the middle of a worldwide pandemic to experience the augmented reality-enhanced roller coaster ride that recreates the game in real life.
News: Arvizio Brings AR Collaboration to Zoom Meetings with Immerse 3D App for Smartphones, HoloLens & Magic Leap
As businesses flocked to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and other video conferencing platforms to bridge the gap, we wondered aloud -- why aren't more companies leaning even more heavily on augmented reality?
News: Verizon, Pepsi & Cheetos Run AR Plays for Their Super Bowl LV Advertising Efforts
The Super Bowl isn't just the most important NFL game of the year, it's also the biggest night for brands to bring their most creative advertisements to a vast television audience.
Market Reality: Microsoft Intros HoloLens 2 Variant, Canon Sets High Price for AR Headset & Apple AR Rumors Re-Emerge
If there is one constant in currently available AR headsets, it's that, for a quality experience, they'll carry a high price tag. Price is one of the reasons these devices are mostly marketed towards enterprise customers for now.
News: Apple AR/VR Headset Will Sport 8K Displays & LiDAR with Q1 2022 Arrival Timeframe, Report Says
Rumors around Apple's not-so-secret development of an AR/VR headset have been prevalent throughout the young year, but the latest round of reports move speculation of the device into a clearer view.
Market Reality: Magic Leap Founder Launches New Company, Snap Acquires AI Tech, & Facebook Offers Spark AR Classes
Just as the augmented reality industry grows, so too does the segment dedicated to creating experiences for the tools becoming available.
News: Volvo Teams with Unity to Let You Test Out the XC40 SUV in AR, Launches Developer Innovation Portal
To assist developers and researchers in their efforts to create apps and services for automobiles, Volvo Cars has launched a new Innovation Portal with useful new tools and assets.
News: Canon's MREAL S1 Eye-Popping Price Tag Makes HoloLens 2 Look Like a Bargain, Here's the Japanese Device in Action
You only 'thought' the HoloLens 2 was the most expensive augmented reality device on the market. As with many things tech, Japan is here to up the ante with what may indeed be the most expensive AR-dedicated wearable we've seen—the Canon MREAL S1.
News: Ultraleap Improves Tracking of Two-Handed Interactions with Gemini Software Update
Hand tracking is a key component in making natural interactions with augmented reality content, and one of the leading technology makers in this discipline has just improved on its tracking engine.
News: Facebook Opens Enrollment for Spark AR Curriculum to Grow AR Creation Community
As Apple, Google, Snap, and Facebook wrestle for positioning to lure developers and creators to build augmented reality experiences for their respective tools, Facebook is looking at a learning approach for its Spark AR platform.