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Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Details Its Dream for AR Glasses, and Honestly, I Don’t Hate It
It’s well-known that Facebook’s partnering with Ray-Ban to develop a pair of augmented reality glasses. What’s less clear is how Facebook envisions these glasses will function, and how the company imagines people will interact with the device. A new Facebook Reality Labs blog sheds a little light on that front—and it possibly involves haptic gloves … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
New Report States Apple Will Release Mixed Reality Headset in 2022 and AR Glasses by 2025
While the rumblings over Apple’s planned venture into augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality have been getting louder recently, we now have a series of dates for these devices by prognosticator Ming Chi-Kuo, a good source with a reliable track record on all things Apple. In a research note with TF International Securities obtained … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsMicrosoft
Mesh Is Microsoft’s Vision for Sending Your Hologram Back to the Office
Today at Microsoft’s annual Ignite conference, the tech giant revealed a bold glimpse at the future of digital collaboration with Mesh, a new mixed reality experience set to shape how people work and socialize online. Powered by Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and designed to run on a range of devices, including Microsoft’s Hololens headsets, traditional … Continued
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Tech NewsStartups
This Startup Can Deepfake Household Products Into Your Home
The e-commerce industry spends a lot of time and energy trying to keep the public interested in its wares and traditionally this has involved spending cash on photography: taking nice pictures of your products has typically been the best way to keep users scrolling to your page on the likes of Amazon or Shopify. But … Continued
By Lucas Ropek -
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook’s Making a Good Case Why You Should Never Wear Its Smart Glasses
Everyone and their mother is supposedly building a pair of smart glasses now, Facebook included. However, a BuzzFeed News report notes that apparently, Facebook is thinking about building facial recognition into its forthcoming pair of AR glasses. Um, no thank you. In an internal meeting, Andrew Bosworth, Facebook’s vice president of augmented and virtual reality, … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
Qualcomm’s New AR Headset Design Might Make Smart Glasses More of a Thing
It seems like every tech company is working to launch some kind of augmented reality app or headset. Now Qualcomm is releasing a reference design for smart glasses to hopefully speed up development of future AR gadgets. Based on the Snapdragon XR1 platform, the Qualcomm AR Smart Viewer features dual 0.71-inch micro displays with a … Continued
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Tech NewsSamsung
Leaked Videos Hint Samsung Smart Glasses Might Also Be in the Works
It looks like Apple and Facebook aren’t the only tech giants developing a pair of augmented reality smart glasses. Over the weekend, Twitter user @WalkingCat leaked two videos allegedly from Samsung showcasing a pair of AR glasses dubbed “Glasses Lite” and what appears to be the company’s vision for “Next Wearable Computing.” In the first … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Apple Is Reportedly Developing Micro OLED Displays for Its AR Glasses
As rumors about Apple’s augmented reality efforts continue to heat up, a new report claims Apple has partnered with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to develop and produce sophisticated micro OLED displays for use in a future AR headset. According to Nikkei Asia, Apple is deepening its relationship with TSMC—the manufacturer responsible for fabricating the A-series … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Apple’s Rumored VR Headset Might Have 8K Displays and Cost How Much??
Last month, the Apple rumor mill was buzzing that the company’s long-whispered-about mixed-reality headset would be powered by the new M1 chip and, unsurprisingly, would have an outrageous price tag. A new report from the Information seems to corroborate those juicy tidbits, as well as reveal some new jaw-dropping morsels. The headset could cost as … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Apple Reportedly Making a VR Headset Few Will Actually Buy
It’s an open secret that Apple is working on some kind of augmented reality or virtual reality headset. Some, have been so bold as to predict sleek Steve Jobs-style smart glasses as soon as summer 2021. But now Bloomberg is reporting that before we get smart glasses, Apple is attempting a niche VR headset that … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
Now You Too Can Look Like a Fool While Trying to Solve the AR New York Times Crossword Puzzle
For 25 years, I’ve held a long, deep-seated grudge against the New York Times Crossword puzzle. It started when a family friend gifted me a daily calendar of NYT Crossword puzzles because I was a “smart kid.” I don’t know what possessed this woman to think a 7-year-old would enjoy the NYT Crossword—a puzzle famed … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
This Working Marauder’s Map Built Using AR and GPS Brings Magic to Our World
Many of the things we see on TV or movies can often only be explained with the word “magic” (or, your know, visual effects.) What would it be like if the magical inventions we see on our screens existed in real life? Now, at least one does, and you apparently don’t have to be a … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsGoogle
Brighten Up Your Pandemic Life With One of Google Search’s 50 New AR Animals
Ever since I was young, I’ve always been a cat fan (although dogs are lovely, too). Nonetheless, my current landlord doesn’t allow me to have a cat, so I just settle for following cute ones on Instagram. Considering that I live alone, there have been many times during the pandemic where I’ve thought, “Wouldn’t this … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsGadgets
Oppo Is Jumping On the Smart Glasses Bandwagon, and They Don’t Look Terrible
Plenty of big-name tech giants have tried their hand at augmented reality headsets or smart glasses. Most have failed. That’s not stopping Oppo, however, which announced at its Oppo Inno Day conference today that it plans to release its own pair of smart glasses next year. The glasses certainly look futuristic, or kind of like … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle
Google Is Shuttering the Expeditions App, but Its VR Field Trips Aren’t Going Away For Good
Another one of Google’s virtual reality ventures is biting the dust. The company says it’s ending support for its VR educational app, Expeditions, next year, though it’ll fare far better than Google’s shuttered Daydream VR platform. Instead of discontinuing Expeditions completely, Google’s folding many of the app’s functions into its Arts & Culture app. It … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
L’Oreal’s Digital Makeup Line Turned Me Into a Monster Unfit for Zoom Calls
Virtual makeup is not a particularly new use of augmented reality. There are plenty of those kinds of filters on Snapchat (remember that app?) and Instagram. Sephora also launched an AR mirror and app ages ago. But L’Oreal’s new series of filters is part of its first “digital makeup line,” the idea being that, during … Continued
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Tech NewsUndead Tech Week
I Have Unresolved Feelings About Kim Kardashian’s Holo-Dad
I do not keep up with the Kardashians. I know they exist. I know they’re rich and have a reality TV show. I know they get made fun of a lot on Twitter, particularly over extravagant birthday parties. I’m aware there is more than one, but I don’t know the exact number. I do know … Continued
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Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Is Trying to Make ‘Smart Audio’ a Thing So You’ll Want to Buy a Pair of Facebook AR Glasses
It’s no secret that Facebook has an interest in virtual and augmented reality, but today, the company published a deep dive into the audio component of this emerging tech. Put simply, Facebook’s trying real hard to make “smart audio” a thing. At the heart of Facebook’s research is a concept called “social presence.” The problem … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Apple Reportedly Swallows Up VR Startup Spaces
Apple has quietly acquired VR startup Spaces, according to a Monday report by Protocol, though it’s not entirely clear role the company has to play in Apple’s AR and VR ambitions. Spaces spun out of Dreamworks Animation in early 2016, quickly earning contracts with companies ranging from Microsoft to NBCUniversal to develop a variety of … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsApple
Apple Glasses Rumors Have Me Stressed About AR’s Biggest Unsolved Problems
The hype behind Apple’s rumored augmented reality headset and glasses just won’t die. Every few weeks, almost like clockwork, some sort of Apple AR rumor or news makes its way through the tech blogosphere, even as other smart glasses and AR companies are capsizing left and right. This has always irked me, but it wasn’t … Continued