Gadget Hacks News
News: Google Challenges Apple's iPhone X Series with Face Unlock & Air Gestures on Pixel 4
It's been almost two years since Apple added the TrueDepth depth-sensing camera of the iPhone X for Face ID and Animojis, but now Google is ready to upgrade the front-facing camera on its Pixel series.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13 Public Beta 4 for iPhone
Apple just seeded the fourth public beta for iOS 13 to software testers today, Tuesday, July 30. AppleSeed participants saw this beta one day early, alongside the release of developer beta 5. Now, developer and public testers alike are up-to-speed with the latest in iOS 13.
News: US Navy Using Magic Leap AR Technology to Improve Warfare Training
In recent years, the US military has been utilizing augmented reality as a training tool, giving officers and soldiers an opportunity to train and hone their decision-making, tactical efforts, and weapons accuracy via virtual scenarios.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13 Developer Beta 5 for iPhone
Beta testing for Apple's big upcoming iPhone update, iOS 13, is well underway. So far, each of the four beta versions we've seen brought new features and changes to the table, many of which were never even mentioned by Apple during WWDC in June. Now, it's time to do it all over again, as Apple just released the fifth developer beta for iOS 13.
News: Adobe Previews Stationary Augmented Reality Display Called Project Glasswing
It appears that the Project Aero 3D content development tool isn't the only augmented reality project that Adobe has in the works.
Market Reality: Magic Leap One Tested as Office Companion, Nreal Releases SDK, & Apple Files for AR Navigation Patent
Now that we've had our hands on the Magic Leap One for almost a year and early adopter developers have had the opportunity to publish apps for the AR headset, it's time to see how it stands up against the rigors of a day at the office. We did just that, and we wrote about it!
News: AR Puzzle Game PuzzlAR Makes Jump from Smartphone to Magic Leap One
Augmented reality jigsaw puzzle game PuzzlAR: World Tour, formerly only available on mobile devices, has been given a major upgrade via a new version for the Magic Leap One.
Coming Soon: Choose Your Own AR Backdrops for Instagram Stories
Remember Photo Booth on Mac and iOS? It still exists, but there was a of time where everyone was using it. And why not? It was so cool to take photos with any background imaginable. Underwater? Check. On the moon? Of course. Now, Instagram wants to bring back the fun by introducing AR backgrounds for stories.
News: Magic Leap's New Overture App & Background Music Service Hope to Bring Music into Your AR Workspace
The mystery surrounding Overture, an app that showed up in the Magic Leap World app store along with the latest Lumin software release, has been cleared up.
News: Apple's Latest Patent Proposes Augmented Reality Navigation for Cars via Mobile Device
With Google taking on the sidewalks with augmented reality walking navigation for Google Maps, Apple has its sights set on the road.
News: I Spent a Full Day Working in the Magic Leap One & Discovered the AR Office of the Future
Why do you need augmented reality? Because enterprise, they say. And while that's certainly true for several disciplines, there's still that mainstream use case hanging out there waiting for users to discover beyond the realm of enterprise and gaming.
News: Occipital Updates Structure Sensor with Active IR Stereo Depth Sensing in Mark II Version
Years ago, in 2013, Occipital introduced its original Structure Sensor for iOS, a mobile 3D scanning device for measuring three-dimensional objects. Soon after, in an unrelated deal, Apple acquired PrimeSense, the company that made one of the components for Occipital's scanning device.
News: Magic Leap Expands Multiplayer Support & Adds Hand Mesh Tracking in Latest Lumin OS Update
While Magic Leap has remained mostly silent regarding its plans for its Magic Leap One successor, the software team continues to makes strides with improvements to the device's Lumin OS and SDK.
News: Magic Leap Reveals Peek at New 'Undersea' Augmented Reality Experience
The Association for Computing Machinery's annual Siggraph conference, taking place next week in Los Angeles, will bring researchers from around the to show off their latest innovations in imaging and display technology.
ASUS ROG Phone II: The Gaming Phone for Everyone
Since the Razer Phone's announcement in 2017, we've seen a new subgroup of phones emerge. Gaming phones are now a thing, leading to companies like ASUS creating phones that are thoroughly optimized for the mobile gaming experience. And with their second iteration, they perfected it.
News: Apple Releases iOS 12.4 for iPhone with Migration Tool, Apple News+ Improvements & More
While the eyes and ears of the iPhone world are singularly fixated on iOS 13 and its suite of over 200 new features, Apple was actively piloting iOS 12.4 in tandem with the big iPhone update, in preparation for the release Apple Card. Today, Apple has finally seeded iOS 12.4 stable, 116 days after its first beta version, and there's still no concrete evidence that Apple Card itself will show its face.
News: Nreal Pushes On in Face of Magic Leap Lawsuit with SDK Launch for Nreal Light Smartglasses
In the midst of fending off legal challenges from Magic Leap and Epic Games, startup Nreal isn't retreating. Instead, the company is digging in its heels and pushing forward with its launch plan for its Nreal Light smartglasses.
Best Music Streaming Services: Spotify vs. Apple vs. Pandora vs. Tidal vs. Deezer vs. Amazon
Trying to figure out which music streaming service to subscribe to can be a difficult task when the playing field is so crowded. Each has its benefits, as well as downsides, so finding the right one for your needs and wants can take a lot of overwhelming research. But we've done all the research for you to help you find the best music subscription your money can buy.
Market Reality: Microsoft Debuts HoloLens 2 AR Clones, Samsung Posts Smartglasses Patent, & Intel Depth Cams Get Cheaper
The longer it takes Apple, Snapchat, Facebook, and other tech giants to build their own version of augmented reality headsets and smartglasses, the longer runway of practical experience Microsoft gains with the HoloLens and its sequel. The latest example: AR cloning.
News: Microsoft HoloLens 2 Video Transports Us to Tokyo & into Mind of Developer Dreaming of Augmented Reality Companions
When you're trying to pioneer a brand new category of technology, sometimes it's not enough to just have great tech. You also need to be able to tell a great story. You need to be able to capture the imagination.
News: The Smartphones of Austin's Underground Musicians
Smartphone technology has become as ubiquitous as automobiles. In Austin, Texas, a city that is widely known as the "Live Music Capital of the World," smartphones have been embraced by the music community not just as a way to document and promote, but to create music.
News: These Apollo 11 Augmented Reality Experiences from Google, USA Today, Time, & Smithsonian Will Fly You to the Moon
Unless you've been hiding under a (moon) rock for the past month, you already know that Saturday, July 20 is the 50th anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing.
News: Google Arts & Culture Offers 'Pocket Gallery' Augmented Reality Museum Featuring Picasso, Van Gogh, & More
After debuting its virtual Pocket Gallery last year with the works of Johannes Vermeer, Google Arts & Culture has released a sequel that brings even more artists into your home via augmented reality.
News: GarageBand Changed How My Autistic Son Interacts with the World
My autistic son loves music. One afternoon, when he was nine, I downloaded GarageBand to his iPhone to help with the boredom of a long wait at a doctor's office. Instead of pacing or escalating into a meltdown, he spent the entire hour and a half practicing, learning, and composing. When we finally left that day, the rest of us exhausted and irritated, he shared his first composition with a big smile.
News: Apple iOS 13 Public Beta 3 Available, Includes Updates to 3D Touch, Photos, Icons & More
The wait wasn't so long this time. Apple released public beta 3 for iOS 13 on Thursday, July 18, just one day after the release of developer beta 4. For context, Apple took five days to seed public beta 2 after releasing dev beta 3, so it's a pleasant surprise that the latest public beta dropped so soon.
News: Microsoft Uses HoloLens 2 to Demo Multi-Language Speaking Avatar That Looks Just Like You
It's always great to see a company pull off a bit of augmented reality magic, but what we see is not always what it's cracked up to be.
News: Apple's iOS 13 Developer Beta 4 Available for iPhones with Small Changes to Home Screen, Icons, Photos & More
We're pumped for iOS 13 and all of the fresh features and changes that come with it. Developer beta 3 came with new features in the double digits, including AR eye contact in FaceTime and mouse cursor size customization. Developer beta 4, released today, has a few more additions and changes as well.
News: Stanford Children's Hospital Experiments with Magic Leap One to Reinvent Medical Training Simulations
In the last few years, the HoloLens has become a popular tool for use in medical procedures and training. But recently, the Magic Leap One has gained momentum in the space as well when it comes to medical use cases.
News: Vuzix Blade Augmented Reality Smartglasses Add Real-Time Language Translation via Zoi Meet App
Next to map data overlays, one of the most often discussed concepts for apps that could propel augmented reality smartglasses into the mainstream is a real-time language translation app.
News: Intel Makes Augmented Reality Production More Accessible with Affordable New RealSense Standalone Depth Camera
For developers and makers getting started with augmented reality, Intel is lowering the barrier to entry for its RealSense line of sensors.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.4 Beta 7 for iPhone, Indicating Apple Card Is Near
Apple Card, Apple's foray into credit cards, is to be released this summer. There's no exact date set yet for when you can apply for one or when iOS will support it, but it's getting close. Apple just released iOS 12.4 developer and public beta 7, meaning we're almost there since iOS 12.4 is mainly intended to add Apple Card support for iPhone.
News: Nvidia Uncovers Breakthroughs with Dynamic Focus & Prescription Lenses for Augmented Reality Displays
The research team from Nvidia is returning to SIGGRAPH, an annual hotbed of innovation, with two new advancements in augmented reality displays.
News: Samsung Patent Documents Reveal Augmented Reality Smartglasses That Might Challenge Apple's Rumored Wearable
Historically, patents have never been a rock-solid source for uncovering the future of a company's product pipeline. However, sometimes, the images you find in the patent application search archives are so convincing you have to pay attention.
Market Reality: Apple Cultivates Chinese AR Devs, Minecraft Earth Beta Arrives, & a Brief History of AR in Marvel Movies
This week, while Apple was the subject of thinly sourced reports that it had canceled development of its oft-rumored smartglasses, the Cupertino was actually laying the foundation for its AR hardware future with a new initiative focused on mentoring Chinese developers in mobile AR development.
News: The Best Smartphone Deals on Amazon Prime Day 2019 — Save Big on Samsung, Google, LG, Motorola & Nokia
Amazon Prime Day is nearly here, but that doesn't mean the deals are a mystery. Sure, most of Amazon's best sales and discounts won't be announced until Prime Day itself, but we already know some awesome smartphone deals thanks to a handful of early sneak-peeks.
News: Early Augmented Reality Concept Film That Envisioned the Future Gets a Sequel Powered by Kickstarter
Long before the HoloLens or the Magic Leap One, a California-based team of independent filmmakers envisioned what the future of augmented reality might look like.
News: Microsoft Launches Closed Beta Sign-Ups for Minecraft Earth Mobile Augmented Reality Game
The long tease that is the release of Minecraft Earth continues, this time with an opportunity to start playing what might be one of the hottest augmented reality games ever, before the general public.
News: Snapchat Smile Rater Lens Helps You Work on the Perfect Selfie Smile
For Snapchat users wondering if that selfie is ready to send to their crush, independent Lens Studio creator Andrew Mendez created a handy tool called the Smile Rater.
News: Google Teams with New York Times to Deliver 'Stranger Things' Augmented Reality Easter Egg in Newspapers
The promotions around last week's release of Stranger Things 3 have been numerous, with Netflix at one point even taking over an entire baseball field via augmented reality.
News: Apple Opens App Accelerator in China, Move Could Sway AR Developers Focused on Android Smartglasses
With the latest version of ARKit and a new set augmented reality development tools set to arrive this Fall with iOS 13, Apple has taken an unprecedented step in recruiting Chinese developers to fill the App Store with mobile AR apps now, likely with an eye to the future.