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Apple shuffles hardware execs to make room for a mysterious new project
Apple hardware engineering SVP Dan Riccio will move over to a new project, while still reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook.
Amazon's latest AR shopping tool fills your space with virtual furniture
Amazon's new AR shopping tool lets you view multiple pieces of furniture and home decor simultaneously.
Sony AR app shows if a new TV will fit your room
Sony has unveiled an Envision TV AR app that can show how a new TV will fit into your environment.
‘Pokémon Go’ will let you play with your monster pals 'soon'
Pokémon Go developer Niantic is close to putting the finishing touches on a feature that will likely fulfill a longstanding wish for a lot of the game's fans. By 2020, Ninatic says you'll be able to play with and feed your favorite Pokémon in augmented reality thanks to the "Buddy Adventure" feature the studio plans to add to the game.
Leaked screenshots show how Apple's tracker tags might work
New screen shots have revealed more evidence of Apple's possible tracking tag system and how it might work. iOS 13 might feature a tab called "Items" within the "Find My" app that will display a map and list of items you've set up to track, according to MacRumors. When opened, the tab declares you can use the app to "Tag your everyday items with B389 and never lose them again."
Apple could make the iPhone's NFC more useful at WWDC
Apple has a lot in the cards for WWDC, and that might include improvements for... well, cards. The 9to5Mac team and Steve Troughton-Smith claim to have details of developer-friendly updates that will be unveiled in early June, and NFC support would be in line for a serious upgrade. App developers will finally have the option to read NFC tags based on ISO 7816 (usually ID and access cards), FeliCa (Japan's tap-based system) and MiFare (a popular mass transit format). In other words, you might use your iPhone to enter your office or hop aboard a bus in many cities.
Apple's new augmented reality exec shows how important the tech is
Bloomberg points out that an executive formerly in charge of iPhone marketing for carriers, Frank Casanova, has a new title: "Senior Director, Worldwide Product Marketing at Apple Augmented Reality." While Google is dipping its toe into using AR to enhance Google Maps, Apple also has major plans for the technology that could impact its rollout of future iPhones and iPads. In a world where profits from iPhones, iPads and Watches may have already peaked, adding the flair of reality-enhancing features could encourage people to upgrade their phones earlier, if not buy all-new hardware like headsets. Over the last couple of years Apple has tipped its vision of AR as something made for use in a shared world with people operating virtual objects as easily as real ones via ARKit-powered experiences. While LG is promising a front-facing "time of flight" camera in its next flagship phone that could enhance AR, the latest rumor from Bloomberg suggests a similar laser-assisted approach could come to the iPhone's rear-facing cameras by 2020. Putting someone like Casanova in place now is a hint at the importance of AR going forward. Stuff like Pokémon Go or simple face filters are just the beginning, once things go all Dennou Coil it will just be another battlefield for tech giants, and Apple is already preparing.
Lego's augmented reality iOS app is ready for adventure
Lego's augmented reality Playgrounds app was arguably the highlight of the demos at Apple's yearly developer conference, and now you can try it for yourself -- the iOS app is available today. Point your iPad or iPhone at a compatible Lego set (more on that in a bit) while you're using the app and you'll see bricks liven up with animations, interactive moments and full-fledged games. You'll have a strong incentive to complete a set besides the usual opportunities for imaginative play.
Apple bought real-time video editing startup to boost its AR push
Apple has doubled down on AR by acquiring Danish machine learning company Spektral, whose software erases backgrounds from videos instantly. The purchase remained quiet until Danish newspaper Børsen broke the news today. Fortune notes that the deal closed in December 2017 for a cool $30 million.
Shopify offers iOS 12's AR features to its 600,000 stores
iOS 12 made a lot of strides in terms of augmented reality, thanks to the addition of features like AR Quick Look. This allows users to place 3D objects using AR, and now ecommerce platform Shopify is taking advantage of the feature for everyday shoppers.
eBay uses iPhone head tracking to help you shop hands-free
Online shopping can be difficult if you don't have full use of your hands, since it frequently assumes that you can tap or click your way through a sale. eBay could make internet purchasing more accessible to just about anyone who can use a phone, though. It developed an open source project, HeadGaze, that uses head tracking on the iPhone X (and, we presume, future iPhones) to enable hands-free shopping. It uses Apple's ARKit framework to create a "virtual stylus" that follows your head movements. When you combine it with an interface designed for shopping, you just have to look at the right part of the screen to scroll, add items to your cart and check out.
Magic Leap’s lackluster AR demo proves hardware is still hard
Magic Leap announced last week that its mixed reality glasses -- which have been shrouded in mystery and hype for almost four years -- will be available later this summer. What should've been exciting news unfortunately fell flat. In a developer chat on Twitch that same day, the company showed off a less-than-impressive prerecorded demo of a small rock golem throwing some rubble around. Compared to earlier videos of a crashing whale in the middle of a gym and a floating solar system, this just came off as disappointing. Was this all there was?
Lego is basically building AR ‘Sims’ for its playsets
Lego is infusing its bricks with digital magic in a series of new augmented reality experiences using Apple's updated ARKit 2. The Lego AR experiences, due out later this year, combine real-world Lego buildings with digital landscapes. Build a physical Lego structure, such as the Assembly Square building that appeared on-stage at Apple's WWDC 2018 conference, and hold up a tablet or phone running the AR app to see the entire thing come to life. Streets appear at its base, alongside trees, grass, digital buildings, little Lego people and cars.
Apple’s augmented reality is shared and persistent
Apple has been flirting with augmented reality for a bit. Now, the company is ready to take it to the next level. ARKit 2.0 is just that. Apple even tapped Pixar for a special file format, USDZ. Cupertino's plans for AR go beyond just file formats, though. Using the new Measure app, you can take full measurements of an object using nothing but your iPhone's camera. Lowe's and Mercedes are probably frothing at the mouth for this update. Senior Vice President Craig Federighi used it to measure his college suitcase and a photo of him as a baby.
USA Today’s first AR app brings a rocket launch to your table
After a series of VR apps like The Wall and USS Eisenhower VR, USA Today Network is now exploring storytelling on another new (ish) platform: AR. 321 Launch is the network's first AR app, and it's designed to deliver what it says is the "industry's first, multi-layered interactive experience for space news and content." It's a collaboration between USA Today and one of the company's local news brands Florida Today, which makes sense since the Kennedy Space Center is in that state. The app releases today, and you can try it out if you're using an iPhone 6S or later with at least iOS 11, or a handset running Android 7.0 or newer. If you're a space buff or enthusiast, you'll probably enjoy it.
An AR app returns stolen Gardner paintings to their frames
In the early hours of March 18th, 1990, two men dressed as police officers pulled up to a side entrance of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. They claimed that they were responding to a report of a disturbance. A guard let them in, and 81 minutes later, the two thieves had absconded with thirteen works of art valued at over $500 million, cutting priceless paintings out of their frames.
The New York Times brings Bowie exhibit to your phone with AR
Now that Google has released its first take on an Android augmented reality framework, ARCore 1.0, quite a few AR apps are taking advantage of it. The New York Times, who has already released an AR experience around Olympic athletes for iOS, is now launching a new AR feature that focuses on David Bowie's "visual legacy." This is also one of the few AR experiences that supports both ARKit and ARCore, making it available on both iOS and Android.
'Silent Streets' sequel beefs up the AR sleuthing on iOS
Silent Streets was an odd mix of walking simulator and AR-based Victorian detective story, but clearly the mix of genres was a hit. Funbakers, the studio behind the game, has already cooked up a sequel, Silent Streets: The Mocking Bird, that'll see players return to the murky world of Snowport. There, they'll be tasked with solving a series of grisly murders in, and around, the world of backroom boxing.
iOS 11.3 will introduce new battery features and AR improvements
Apple is bringing iOS 11.3 to iPhones and iPads this spring, and today the company released a preview of what we can expect from the upgrade. The most notable improvements are the battery health indicator, upgrades to ARKit and the introduction of Health Records.
Merge is the closest thing we have to an AR Nerf gun
The folks at Merge picked a fitting name for their augmented-reality company, considering that their latest product combines the fun of Nerf guns with the fantasy of first-person shooters. The 6DoF Blaster is a lightweight plastic gun with four clickable buttons, including the trigger, and a space for a smartphone to rest horizontally across its top. The game plays out on the screen, with players ducking, walking and shooting as if the action were taking place in the real world.
