Gadget Hacks News
News: Startup GWD's HiiDii Blink-Activated Wearable Offers Alternative Way to Control Your Devices
We have seen Kickstarter-launched wearables before, but this one is particularly unique and may even have you blinking a bit in wonder when you see how it functions.
News: iOS 13.2 Fixes the Biggest Issue with iPhone's Video Camera
When it comes to shooting video, the iPhone is often considered the best in the biz. That certainly didn't change with the release of the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, who each sport the best video cameras the smartphone industry has to offer. That said, there's always been something truly irritating about Apple's camera app, something the company finally fixed in iOS 13.2 and later.
News: The Second iOS 13.2 Public Beta Is Out, Includes New Emoji, In-App Camera Settings & More
We public testers are in luck. Today, Apple released the second developer beta for iOS 13.2. As is the case with most beta releases, developers get theirs first, while public testers are left waiting. Will we get our update the same day, or will we need to wait? As it turns out, Apple decided to throw us a bone. The second public beta for iOS 13.2 is officially here.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13.2 Developer Beta 2 for iPhone, Introduces New Emoji
While most users are on iOS 13.1.2, you have the option to run something a bit newer. We're talking about beta testing, specifically iOS 13.2. Apple released the first developer and public betas for 13.2 last Thursday, Oct. 3. Now, the company is doing it all over again, with the release of iOS 13.2 developer beta 2.
News: Spider-Man & Tony Stark's Smartglasses May Become Reality Thanks to DIY YouTuber
Sure, Tony Stark was able to build the original Iron Man suit in a cave with a box of scraps, but can the average do-it-yourselfer replicate the EDITH smartglasses from Spider-Man: Far From Home in a similar fashion?
News: The 5 Best Free Email Apps for Your iPhone
You're a busy, on-the-go professional, so you deserve an email client that keeps up with you. "Mail" on iPhone wasn't always the best option, but thanks to iOS 13, it feels like a completely different app. That said, there are plenty of alternatives that offer a different experience. Better yet, these apps are free. You won't need to spend a dime to try them out for yourself.
News: Apple Augmented Reality Wearable & iPad Pro with Rear Depth Sensor Arriving First Half of 2020, Report Says
Augmented reality enthusiasts who expected an AR hardware unveiling at Apple's annual iPhone launch event might not have to wait much longer.
News: You're Not Crazy, Your iPhone Is Making Strange Noises
Apple hasn't really changed notification sounds on the iPhone since iOS 7. So how come you hear strange pings, plunks, and doots coming from your iOS device? No, it's not an app you downloaded (although third-party apps can have their own notification sounds). Instead, what you're experiencing is likely the result of updating your iPhone to iOS 13.
News: 8th Wall Escalates Race for Volumetric Video Content with Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture Support
As demonstrated by holographic experiences for the Microsoft HoloLens and the Magic Leap One, volumetric video capture is a key component of enabling the more realistic augmented reality experiences of the future.
News: Sony Is Launching a Location-Based Ghostbusters Training Experience in Augmented Reality
We've got almost a full year until the next installment of Ghostbusters arrives, but in the meantime, it turns out that Sony is about to launch an augmented reality experience that will let fans use immersive computing to combat the franchise's whimsical apparitions.
News: Make Your Smart Home Smarter with a Truly Universal Remote
True home automation doesn't require interaction from the user. But let's be real, no system is going to be 100% autonomous. You'll always need a manual override for situations programming can't account for. So what's the best manual override system? I'll tell you right now, it doesn't involve yelling at Alexa or Google.
News: 'Stranger Things' Star Millie Bobby Brown Launches Makeup Brand Powered by Snapchat Augmented Reality
The 15-year-old star of the 1980s-inspired hit series Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown, may have (spoiler alert) lost all her powers as the character "Eleven," but in the real world, she still has augmented reality in her arsenal.
Market Reality: Verizon Buys Jaunt, Zuckerberg Faces Off with Musk for BCI Tech, & Magic Leap Assists with 5G Revolution
Augmented reality plays a key role in the evolution of adjacent technologies, such as 5G connectivity and brain-control interfaces (BCI), and the business news of the week serves up proof points for both examples.
News: Apple Acquires Motion Capture Firm iKinema, Adding Another Piece to Its Augmented Reality Toolbox
Apple remains shrouded in mystery while continuing to sweep up small companies ahead of a rumored augmented reality headset launch.
News: Oculus Quest Is the Best Way to Experience VR on the Go
At Next Reality we mostly focus on augmented reality, but that doesn't mean we're not also absolutely obsessed with virtual reality, too. If the thing that's been keeping you from diving into the deep end of VR has been clunky tethered headsets or the expensive but necessary gaming PCs, then it's time for you to try the Oculus Quest, which is currently available to buy here for less than most gaming systems on the market.
News: 22 New Features in iOS 13's Mail App to Help You Master the Art of the Email
To be honest, the Mail app for iPhone had always been somewhat forgettable. It lacked many of the features that made third-party clients like Spark and Edison better, but with iOS 13, the gap between Mail and its competitors is much smaller. Apple updated the layout and added many new features to its native emailing app, and that may be just enough to get you to switch back.
News: Harry Potter Fans Can Now Summon a Wizarding World Sorting Hat in Augmented Reality
If you need to know whether you are really a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor, then it's time to get yourself an augmented reality sorting hat.
News: This Futuristic Wearable Keyboard & Mouse Combo May Be a Perfect Companion for Your Smartphone
Android phones have supported keyboards and mice for a long time, and you've even been able to use physical keyboards with iPhone and iPad models. But iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 finally include official mouse support. That means you can use a wireless or wired mouse and keyboard with your iPhone or iPad, though, a futuristic peripheral that combines the two may be even better.
News: ThirdEye Gen X2 Smartglasses Take Aim at Military Applications with AR-Enhanced Weapons Sight
Following on the heels of the announcement that ThirdEye's Gen X2 MR glasses began shipping in September, ThirdEye has revealed it has developed an app that helps soldiers aim their weapons during battle situations.
News: Dimension NXG's New Headset Brings Rural Indian Schools into the Future of Augmented Reality
Indian startup Dimension NXG is launching augmented reality headsets into India's consumer market with a bold idea: focusing on immersive computing in education on the high-end. The plan is to give a new kind of AR headset to schoolchildren in remote Indian villages, starting from class 5 (age 10) until graduation.
News: Team Behind Popular Photo App FaceTune2 Jumps on the AR Bandwagon with Cosmetics Try-On Filters
Following in the steps of Snapchat, Instagram, and YouCam, another popular photo app has gotten into the virtual try-on augmented reality game.
News: Get Rodriguez's '70s Rock Albums Remastered on Vinyl or CD
A relatively unknown musician from the early-'70s that's gained popularity stateside over the last ten years just got the remastered treatment with two new reissues available on CD and 180-gram vinyl. And they're available right now.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13.2 Public Beta 1, Includes 'Deep Fusion' Update & 'Announce with Siri' for AirPods
Your iPhone has seen a lot of new features in a very short amount of time. For starters, iOS 13 introduced over 200 of them, including, among many others, system-wide Dark Mode. Before you even had a chance to breathe, however, iOS 13.1 came along and dumped an additional 22 features in your lap. For us beta testers, now its time to explore new features all over again with the first public beta for iOS 13.2.
News: Apple's ARKit 3 Casts Next-Level Illusions via Meisai AR App
Now that iOS 13 is in the wild, developers are starting to show off the magical augmented reality powers ARKit 3 can deliver.
News: Apple Releases iOS 13.2 Developer Beta, Includes 'Deep Fusion' Camera Update for iPhone 11, 11 Pro & 11 Pro Max
Beta testing Apple's mobile OS has never been more interesting. After eight seeds of iOS 13.0, Apple unexpectedly released the first beta for iOS 13.1, a whopping 23 days before iOS 13.0 made its public debut. Since 13.1, however, we haven't had any betas to sink our teeth into. That is, until now, as Apple just released the first developer beta for iOS 13.2 today, Wednesday, Oct. 2.
News: Microsoft Unveils How-To Videos for Dynamics 365 Guides App Ahead of HoloLens 2 Arrival
With the imminent arrival of the HoloLens 2 expected any day now, Microsoft is preparing new users to take advantage of its software from day one.
News: Locations Where 'Look Around' Works Right Now in iOS 13's Apple Maps
Look Around in Apple Maps gives you a high-resolution 3D view of roads, buildings, and other imagery in an interactive 360-degree layout. We haven't had anything like this in Apple Maps since iOS 5 when Google's Street View was incorporated. Now, in iOS 13, seven years later, we have street-level views again, only better. But Look Around isn't available everywhere yet.
News: Facebook Leak Reveals Zuckerberg's Plans for Brain-Controlled AR & VR in Wake of Elon Musk's Neuralink Development
The recent Oculus conference in California revealed just a bit more about Facebook's secretive plans to compete in the augmented reality space with its own wearable devices.
News: Sportscasters Can Bring the Game into the Studio with Vizrt's Viz Engine 4
Norway-based production tools company Vizrt is putting the real into augmented reality with its broadcast AR solution that's designed to keep sports fans (and other audiences) watching.
News: Verizon Acquires Jaunt After Startup Moves from VR Services to Augmented Reality Focus
It looks like Jaunt's pivot from VR to volumetric captures services for augmented reality experiences has paid off.
News: Magic Leap App SeeSignal Uses AR to Help You Find & Touch the Strongest Cellular, Wi-Fi, & Bluetooth Signals
While Magic Leap World gets its share of fun apps for playing with Porgs, watching TV, and exploring the ocean's depths, developers are making a strong business case for the Magic Leap One as well.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13.1.2, Includes Fixes for Camera, Flashlight, iCloud Backup & More
Apple might be a secretive company, but it's showing its hand these past few weeks. The release of iOS 13 was met with much excitement for its hundreds of new features but also frustration over the numerous bugs. Apple soon released iOS 13.1, then iOS 13.1.1, as a patch for some of those bugs, but clearly they weren't enough. How do we know? The company just released iOS 13.1.2 today, Monday, Sept. 30.
News: Snapchat Is Helping the Music Industry Reinvent Music Videos via Lens Studio
There have been enough music artists releasing Snapchat AR experiences over the past week to fill a small festival. Count them with me: Bruno Mars. Gucci Mane. Kodak Black. Missy Elliot. Imagine Dragons. Panic! At the Disco.
Market Reality: Facebook Confirms Smartglasses & AR Cloud Platform as Unity Expands Its AR Capabilities
Facebook had a pretty big week in terms of augmented reality, with much of its news coming from the Oculus 6 keynote presentation. But Mark Zuckerberg's social media company found other areas of impact outside of Oculus 6 as well.
News: Apple's iOS 13.1.1 for iPhone Now Available, Includes Patches for Keyboard Security Flaw, Battery Drain Bug & More
Is Apple trying to set a record for the highest number of updates within a two-week period? You wouldn't be blamed for thinking so. Just eight days ago, Apple publicly released iOS 13.0 for all compatible iPhones. Then, just five days later, Apple seeded iOS 13.1 with 22 new features to boot. Now, just three days into 13.1's tenure, Apple has released yet another update, iOS 13.1.1.
News: Oculus Confirms Reports of Coming AR Glasses & Cloud — but Will You Really Trust Facebook to Map Inside Your House?
Facebook and its Oculus subsidiary have been open about their intentions to bring AR wearables into the mainstream for some time now.
News: Still Using an Older iPhone? This iOS 13 Feature Gives You Back Some Screen Real Estate
With over 200 brand new features, iOS 13 is a worthy update for all compatible devices. That said, not all iPhone models are created equal. There is a new feature only older iPhones will see, one that skips over Apple's Face ID devices entirely. So if you have a traditional Home button iPhone capable of running iOS 13 but haven't updated yet, this is one benefit you're missing out on.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13.1 for iPhone, Includes ETA for Maps, Shortcut Automations & More
If you're still working your way through the hundreds of features and changes that iOS 13 brings to your iPhone, you might be a bit surprised to learn that your device is now out of date. While Apple only dropped the big update for iPhones on Thursday, Sept. 19, the company has already released its successor. All iOS 13-compatible iPhones can now update to iOS 13.1, out today, Tuesday, Sept. 24.
News: 22 New Features in iOS 13.1 for iPhone You Won't Want to Miss
Apple released iOS 13.0 on Sept. 19 and announced on the same day the release of iOS 13.1 on Sept. 30. But that deadline was pushed up to Sept. 24, and that's why we have 13.1 just five days after 13.0. But that's good news since we don't have to wait any longer for some of the features promised in iOS 13 that didn't make the first cut.
News: Unity Previews Project MARS Mobile App, Extends AR Foundation to HoloLens & Magic Leap, Intros XR Interaction Toolkit
With its 3D engine being responsible for approximately 60% of augmented and virtual reality experiences, Unity is continuing to place a premium on tools that not only keep developers working in its development environment but also make their workflows easier.