Hot Gadget Hacks News Stories
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.
News: Startup Form Launches Underwater Smart Goggles for Swimmers
Sports technology company Form is testing the waters for augmented reality wearables with a product aimed at a very specific user group.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.4 Beta 6 for Developers & Public Testers
Apple's upcoming iOS 12.4 isn't the company's most exciting release on its surface, given iOS 13's impending fall unveiling. However, anyone interested in Apple's in-the-works credit card, Apple Card, will need iOS 12.4 on their iPhone to use the card, and that day seems to be getting closer. The sixth beta for iOS 12.4 was just released today, July 9, for both developers and public software testers.
News: The Best Marvel Movie Scenes Featuring Augmented Reality Concepts That We Might Use in the Near Future
Over the past decade, Marvel Studios has been a dominant force at the box office, raking in more than $21 billion dollars. Averaged out over that span of time, the yearly earnings of those movies outweigh the gross domestic product of some countries.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13 Public Beta 2, Includes FaceTime Attention Correction, Cursor Sizing Options & More
The third developer beta for iOS 13 has been out since July 3, and while devs have had fun exploring all the new features, those of us on the public beta have sat on the sidelines running the public version of dev beta 2. But we don't need to wait any longer, as Apple just released iOS 13 public beta 2 and all the goodies that come with it.
Market Reality: Insiders on Apple's Smartglasses Plans, NASA Bets on HoloLens, RealWear Banks $80 Million in Funding
The future of smartglasses for consumers seems ever dependent on Apple's entry into the market. Coincidentally, the exit of Apple's long-time design chief Jony Ive has shed some light on that eventual entrance.
News: YouTube App Lets You Put Yourself in the World of 'Stranger Things 3' via Augmented Reality
So you're all done binge watching Stranger Things Season 3 and you want to start sharing your personal review with friends.
News: Snapchat Drapes the Statue of Liberty in the American Flag for Fourth of July Augmented Reality Lens
Under the rocket's red glare and the bombs bursting in air, the Statue of Liberty is swaying in celebration this Fourth of July thanks to Snapchat.
News: FaceTime for iOS 13 Uses ARKit to Help Callers Pretend They Are Maintaining Eye Contact
You may soon add feigning eye contact to the list of ways that augmented reality is improving our lives.
News: Apple's iOS 13 Developer Beta 3 Available for iPhone, Packed with New Features & Changes
On July 3, Apple pushed out iOS 13 developer beta 3 for iPhone, and there's a lot found hidden within. A new FaceTime setting, more Arcade details, full-page scrolling screenshots everywhere, a noise cancellation option in the Control Center, and a new markup tool — and that's just a few of the new features.
Hands-On: Hands-On with the Looking Glass Pro, An Easy Alternative to AR for Interacting With Virtual Content
Here at Next Reality, our typical approach to all things augmented reality involves vision combined with remote control, either via a handheld device, gaze control, or hand/finger tracking.
News: NASA Team Headed to Titan in Search of Life Using Microsoft HoloLens As Key Part of the Mission
NASA is going going to Saturn's moon Titan, and the space organization is using augmented reality help them do it.
News: Qualcomm & Bose Back RealWear's Enterprise Augmented Reality Wearables in $80 Million Funding Round
Some investors play the short game, placing their bets on industries that show the quickest return on their investment, and, in the augmented reality space, that means the enterprise sector.
News: Apple Design Chief Jony Ive's Exit Offers Another Clue About Company's Rumored Augmented Reality Smartglasses
A new profile on Apple's exiting design chief Jony Ive, the man behind many of the company's most successful products, paints a fuller picture of what led to his departure.
Market Reality: Vuzix & Vivo Tease New Consumer Smartglasses, Gucci Goes AR, & Nreal Fires Back at Magic Leap
While a viable version of consumer-grade smartglasses has yet to find mainstream success, two more contenders emerged this week, as Vuzix confirmed that a leak of a fashion-forward design is legitmate and Vivo introduced tethered smartglasses designed to pair with its new 5G smartphone.
News: Sony Gives Spider-Man a New Augmented Reality Home via iPhone & Android Apps
Fans of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man have yet another way to experience the web-slinger in augmented reality.
News: Jurassic World Alive Game Update Lets Dinosaurs Eat Goats & Destroy Vehicles in Augmented Reality
Players who have stuck around with location-based game Jurassic World Alive just got a new treat that makes the augmented reality experience even more fun.
News: Papa John's Launches 'Spider-Man: Far from Home' AR Experience via Snapchat
In the Tom Holland era, it appears to be impossible to promote a new Spider-Man movie without an augmented reality experience, a trend that continues with Spider-Man: Far From Home.
News: Apple iPhone Owners Can Now Try Out Gucci's Ace Sneakers via Augmented Reality
While Gucci is among the most recognizable brands in fashion, you would be excused for not realizing that the company makes sneakers as well.
News: Smartphone Maker Vivo Enters Consumer Smartglasses Market with Vivo AR Glass
A company whose sole product line is smartphones might be worried about early proclamations that the smartphone is dead with the advent of augmented reality wearables.
News: Vuzix Confirms New, Smaller Smartglasses Model with Fashion-Friendly Design
The recent industry whispers in augmented reality are mostly about Apple and its rumored fashion-friendly smartglasses, but one company isn't waiting for the iPhone heavyweight to enter the fray.