Hot Gadget Hacks News Stories
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: 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: 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.
News: Terrifying Swarms of Mosquitoes Help David Beckham Fight Malaria with Facebook AR Effect & Billboards
Former soccer star and current celebrity David Beckham has the augmented reality abilities of Facebook and Instagram as allies in the effort to eradicate malaria from the world.
Market Reality: North & Snapchat Use iPhone's TrueDepth Camera for Mobile AR & Magic Leap Adds Concepts as App Category
Apple might not be ready to unveil its rumored-yet-unconfirmed smartglasses. But the iPhone's current depth-sensing hardware is proving to be useful for both smartglasses makers and mobile AR apps.
News: Startup DronOSS Sets Its Sights on Fewer Drone Crashes with Augmented Reality Pilot Training
Drone mishaps, such as the collision that scratched a military helicopter in New York, are becoming something of an everyday hazard.
News: Reasons Why You Shouldn't Update Your iPhone to iOS 13 Right Away
Every year, Apple releases a new version of iOS. Each iteration promises new features to make using your iPhone that much better. This year, iOS 13 introduces over 200 new features and changes, including system-wide Dark Mode for the first time on iPhone. That said, you might want to pump the brakes before dashing to download and install the new update right away.
News: Independent Developers Can Now Get Feedback on Their Work by Sharing Their Creations in Magic Leap World
Magic Leap is making it easier for developers to share their spatial computing experiments with other Magic Leap One users.
News: All the Apps That Work with iOS 13's Dark Mode
Out of the more than 200 new features Apple included with iOS 13, perhaps none is more anticipated than system-wide dark mode. Finally, we no longer need to blind ourselves when responding to an iMessage late at night or checking Reminders to see the following day's tasks. But this benefit also applies to third-party apps, so long as they are updated accordingly.
News: iOS 13's Notes App Is Packing 15 Cool New Features & Changes
For years, Apple's Notes app has been a reliable way to jot down important ideas, tasks, plans, and more. While there are apps on the market that advertise themselves as being more feature-filled than the stock iOS option, Apple is now giving them a run for their money. Here are 14 new features and changes you'll see with Notes in iOS 13.
News: The Best New Siri Features & Commands in iOS 13 for iPhone
Apple's latest update for iPhones, iOS 13, introduces over 200 new and exciting features. Many of those changes come to Siri, resulting in a better, more useful version of the digital assistant we've known for years. If you simply look at iOS 13's webpage, however, you wouldn't realize just how much Siri has changed this time around. We're here to fill in the blanks.
News: 31 New Features for Camera & Photos in iOS 13
While iOS 13 introduces over 200 new features for your iPhone, one of the biggest focuses this year is Photos and Camera. The update completely overhauls the Photos app, creating a more organized and natural way to interact with your pictures and videos. You'll also find a few new tricks in the Camera app. In all, Apple has added over 30 new features to your shooting, editing, and viewing experience.
News: 20+ Features in iOS 13's Safari You Don't Want to Miss
Apple's iOS 13 for iPhone includes new features in Safari that make browsing the web a little bit better when compared to iOS 12. Some changes are small while others add functionality that just wasn't there before. Plus, there are more security enhancements.
News: 14 Apple Maps Features & Changes in iOS 13 You Need to Know About
Apple Maps has had a rough lifecycle. After completely dropping the ball during its inception, Apple has been slowly improving its usability and feature set. After six and a half years, users still prefer third-party apps in iOS 12 over Apple Maps, with Google Maps stealing a large 67% market share. But iOS 13 for iPhone may finally close the gap.
News: Apple's iOS 13.1 Public Beta 4 Available for iPhone
It's a strange time for us iOS beta testers. While Apple prepares for the general release of iOS 13 on Thursday, it's also beta testing that software's successor, iOS 13.1. An iPhone updated to iOS 13 on Sept. 19 will only have 11 days before seeing 13.1 in its Software Update page on Sept. 30. To prepare for this release, Apple released the fourth iOS 13.1 public beta, just about the same time as its developer counterpart.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13.1 Developer Beta 4 for iPhone
Apple's iOS 13 is nearly here. After four months of beta testing, the latest iPhone software update promises over 200 brand new features, like system-wide dark mode and an overhauled Reminders app. That said, it'll be shortlived, as Apple plans to release iOS 13.1 as a supplemental update just 11 days later. In fact, the company just seeded developers the fourth beta for iOS 13.1 today, Sept. 18.