Gadget Hacks News
Interview: Nreal Founder Explains Why Smartglasses Tethered to Smartphones Are the Future of Augmented Reality
If you've ever spent any serious time examining the Chinese tech startup world, you know that it moves fast — very fast. The tech startups hailing from Beijing and Shenzhen are moving so fast that they're now in serious competition with Silicon Valley.
News: Niantic Conjures Preview of Harry Potter Augmented Reality Game, Opens Pre-Registration on Google Play
While a release date for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has not yet materialized, co-developers Niantic and WB Games have finally released gameplay footage and an in-depth game description to whet the appetites of eager Harry Potter fans.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.2 Public Beta 5, Includes Minor UI Changes
Public beta testers are in for a treat today. While Apple is extremely inconsistent with the release schedules for the developer and public betas, the company has once again released both versions of iOS 12.2 beta 5 today, March 11. If you're a public tester, you now get to experience all of iOS 12.2's new additions for yourself, instead of needing to read about them for up to 24 hours in advance.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.2 Developer Beta 5 for iPhone with Tiny UI Tweaks
If you're an iOS app developer, your Monday just got better; Apple just released iOS 12.2 developer beta 5 to your Software Updates today, March 11. This fifth beta includes a number of small UI changes and tweaks, and likely some degree of under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes.
News: HBO Crowns Snapchat as King of Its 'Game of Thrones' Augmented Reality Promotion at SXSW
The hype for HBO's Game of Thrones reached proportions as epic as the series itself this week with the latest release of the final season's official trailer, but it's a Snapchat promotion that will truly make fans at SXSW bend the knee.
Market Reality: Microsoft's HoloLens 2 Team Speaks, Apple AR Glasses Update, Matterport Lands $48 Million
While the long awaited HoloLens sequel is scheduled to arrive later this year, Apple may force Microsoft to share the AR wearables spotlight, if reports of the company's first entry into smartglasses territory end up coming to fruition.
News: Apple to Start Augmented Reality Smartglasses Production Later This Year, Report Says
The Apple rumor mill is getting its first real workout of 2019, and this time the whispers are more exciting than usual.
Interview: Microsoft HoloLens 2 Team Speaks — Inside the Specs, Design, & Future of Enterprise Augmented Reality
As I've mentioned in recent days, it was refreshing to discover that Microsoft's HoloLens 2 stage production was every bit as accurate as presented (check out my hands-on test of the device for more on that).
News: Microsoft to Debut HoloLens 2 Livestream Video Series with Demos, Updates, & Developer Info
To build hype for the HoloLens 2 among developers, Microsoft is borrowing a page out of Magic Leap's playbook.
News: Google & Actress Tilda Swinton Help CERN Tell the Story of the Big Bang in Augmented Reality
Every now and then, Hollywood has a moment where two (or more) movies arrive at around the same time, most recently with the release of dueling Fyre Festival documentaries.
News: Matterport Lands $48 Million Investment for 3D Content Capture Technology
The augmented reality industry has an insatiable lust for 3D content, which makes an investment of $48 million into Matterport a no-brainer for investors.
News: Google Turns Annual Android Partner Walk at MWC into Showcase for ARCore
Last week at Mobile World Congress 2019, Google put an augmented reality twist on its annual Android Partner Walk via its ARCore toolkit.
Exclusive: Meta Company Asks Court for More Time in Patent Infringement Lawsuit Case
The legal drama framing the closure of Meta Company continues even after the company's assets have been sold to a new owner.
Hands-On: Hands-On with Google Maps Walking AR Navigation Experiment, a Peek into Our Smartglasses Future
While Google isn't ready to commit to a wide release of the AR walking navigation mode for Google Maps, the company has begun testing the feature with members of its Local Guides crowdsourcing community.
News: Apple Releases iOS 12.2 Public Beta 4 to Software Testers Early, Includes New Icons & Other Small Tweaks
Apple released iOS 12.2 beta 4 to developers on Monday, March 4, then shortly thereafter also pushed it out to everyone on the iOS 12.2 public beta program. All previous public beta updates for iOS 12.2 were released the following day, but this one changes course. In the iOS 12.2 public beta 4, there are new icons, an updated "About" page, and better Now Playing tile.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.2 Developer Beta 4 for iPhone, Includes New Icons, Updated About Page & More
Apple released iOS 12.2 beta 4 to developers on Monday, March 4, and that means public beta testers will likely get the update on Tuesday. The update features a fresh "News" app icon, a new "Apple TV Remote" tile in Control Center, and a tweaked "About" page, in addition to seemingly under-the-hood updates. If you're not yet on the beta, now's your chance to see it for yourself.
News: The Xperia 10 & 10 Plus — Sony's Widescreen Media Powerhouses Are Less Than $500
In 2019, Sony is mixing up its design, attempting to stand out among the sea of familiarity. Instead of emulating Samsung with punch hole cameras, they decided to target a rare section of the market, content consumers. There's the Xperia 1 for those who want the best, and the Xperia 10 and 10 Plus for the budget crowd.
Market Reality: As the HoloLens 2 Arrives, Magic Leap Aligns with SK Telecom & CNN
On Sunday, Microsoft did what everyone expected the company to do by unveiling the long awaited HoloLens 2.
News: Magic Leap & SK Telecom Seal Exclusive Wireless Partnership for South Korean Market
As Magic Leap continues to spread its influence in the US with the help of wireless carrier AT&T, the augmented reality startup is also working its way into East Asia.
Hands-On: Hands-On with the Nreal Light, Smartphone-Powered Augmented Reality Immersion
While Microsoft dominated the augmented reality news at this year's Mobile World Congress, a small AR startup we've covered in the past arrived in Barcelona, Spain, to unveil the next phase of its mission.
News: Magic Leap Reveals First of Developer Grant Winners & Promises More Recipients Amid Developer Complaints
Ten days after Magic Leap declared that it had selected the winners of its Independent Creators Program, the company has officially released an almost full list of grant recipients.
News: CNN Brings Its News Networks to Magic Leap One
News junkies who own the Magic Leap One received some good news on Thursday, as CNN has published an app for the headset to display the network's news coverage in augmented reality.
News: The LG V50 ThinQ 5G Is Rocking a Massive Battery, New Cooling System & Next-Gen Connectivity
Similar to last year, LG is mixing up its releases. Instead of the G series in the first half of the year and the V series in the second half, LG is releasing both heavy hitters together. However, unlike last year, this is a true upgrade from its predecessor, the LG V50 ThinQ 5G.
Hands-On: Hands-On with the HoloLens 2, the New Best Augmented Reality Experience You Can Get
In the last couple of days there's been a lot of speculation about the powers of Microsoft's HoloLens 2, but few have had a chance to get their hands on one to see if the company's claims live up to what HoloLens inventor Alex Kipman showed off on stage.
News: Meet the Nokia 9 PureView — the Pixel 3 XL You Wanted
After months of waiting, it looks like HMD has finally answered the call. Nokia's parent company is finally releasing a true flagship phone — one that isn't just an enhanced version of a previous phone and actually brings something new to the table. That phone is the Nokia 9 PureView.
News: Everything You Need to Know About the Sony Xperia 1
For 2019, Sony is trying to shake its failures of the past and start fresh. Following the unsuccessful Xperia XZ series, Sony is changing the name of their flagship to a single number: Xperia 1. With the name change comes a few upgrades, one of which is its new look. Secondly, its new display is unmatched in the mobile space.
News: In-Screen Sound & Hand Unlock? Here's What You Should Know About the LG G8 ThinQ
Once again, LG is mixing up its launch. Instead of the announcing the latest entry in G series later in the year, the LG G8 ThinQ was announced at Mobile World Congress 2019, shortly after Samsung's Galaxy S10 event. And instead of trying to match what other OEMs are doing, LG is once again trying to be different.
News: Microsoft's Azure Kinect Standalone Depth Sensor Powers Major Augmented Reality Improvements for $399
As the opening act to the grand unveiling of the long-awaited HoloLens 2 at Mobile World Congress Barcelona on Sunday, Microsoft showed off the standalone Azure Kinect time of flight sensor, which also happens to supply the improved human and environmental understanding capabilities of the next-generation augmented reality headset.
News: HoloLens 2, All the Specs — These Are the Technical Details Driving Microsoft's Next Foray into Augmented Reality
Now that we've officially seen the HoloLens 2 and Microsoft has shown off the improvements and new superpowers of the augmented reality headset, what about the specs?
News: Vuzix Reveals First Smartglasses Running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR1 with the M400
Smartglasses maker Vuzix has emerged with the first hardware powered by the Snapdragon XR1 chip, roughly nine months after Qualcomm introduced the chipset designed to drive augmented reality wearables at the Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara.
News: Microsoft's HoloLens 2 Is an Enterprise Workhorse, but It's Sexy, Too, Here's a Close-Up Look
It's confession time. Through a couple of sources, I managed to get an early look at the HoloLens 2. But I was sworn to secrecy, and I take my tech oaths seriously (shame on you, leakers).
News: How to Pre-Order the HoloLens 2
The debut of Microsoft's HoloLens 2 went off without a hitch, and now it's time to figure out if you want to hop aboard the updated augmented reality train.
News: Microsoft Unveils the HoloLens 2
After years of waiting, Microsoft has finally updated its industry-leading augmented reality device, the HoloLens.
Market Reality: Samsung & Microsoft Dip into the Mobile AR Galaxy, with (Respectively) New Hardware & AR Apps
The augmented reality industry had enough twists this week to surprise even M. Night Shyamalan.
News: Here's How Much Money Samsung Will Give You for Trading in Your Current Phone for an S10
Great news if you're looking to upgrade to either the S10e, S10, or S10+. Samsung has a trade-in program that's offering potentially massive discounts of up to $550 if you preorder one of their flagships right now — but only for certain phones.
News: Google Leads Another $28 Million Funding Round into Neuron-Reading Technology at CTRL-Labs
It may sound like deja vu, but neural interface startup CTRL-labs has closed a $28 million funding round led by GV, Google's funding arm, for technology that reads user's nerve signals to interpret hand gestures.
News: North Cuts Employees After Slicing Price of Focals Smartglasses
A week after reducing the base price of its Focals smartglasses by nearly 50 percent, wearables maker North is now reducing its workforce.
News: What Is Augmented Reality?
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that augmented reality (or, AR for short) will "change everything." But what, exactly, is augmented reality?
News: Microsoft Expands Its Augmented Reality App Portfolio from HoloLens to Android & iOS
Although all signs points to Microsoft releasing a new HoloLens in the coming days, the company is nevertheless looking to distribute its augmented reality apps to other operating systems.
News: The Galaxy S10 Is IP68 Water-Resistant — Here's What That Really Means
When it comes to resistance to the elements, Samsung seems to believe in the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." They've carried over the IP68 rating under IEC 60529 that was first found on the S8 all the way to their tenth-anniversary flagship, the Galaxy S10. While this certainly sounds great on paper, it's natural to want to dig a little deeper and find out what the rating means.