Feb 01, 12:03 AM EST Newsletter Signup BusinessTechnologyWorldNationalMedia & CultureOpinionSportsLuxury Business By Ashraf Eassa 01/31/19 AT 11:56 PM Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been talking up augmented reality (AR) for a while. More than that, the company has done a significant amount of hardware and software work to optimize some of its more recent iPhone and iPad devices for augmented reality use cases.Apple CEO Tim Cook was quoted in 2017 as saying that AR is poised to "change everything."For instance, Apple released the second version of a software development kit called ARKit 2.0 back in June and is likely to launch a third-generation version at its Worldwide Developers Conference later this year. ARKit allows developers to more easily build AR applications for Apple's iPhones and iPads. An Android 3D app could utilize its GPS and location hardware to track users using augmented reality. The facial recognition sensory can visually display … [Read more...] about Apple Is Set To Supercharge Its Augmented Reality Ambitions For iPhones, iPads
Augmented reality use
DigiLens shows its Crystal design for lightweight augmented reality glasses
DigiLens recently raised a bunch of money, and now, it’s starting to reveal some of the holographic waveguide display technology for augmented reality applications. The Sunnyvale, California-based startup is showing its new Crystal AR glasses prototype and its heads-up display for smart cars at CES 2019, the big tech trade show in Las Vegas this week. I saw the demo at the company’s headquarters last week, and it involves a pretty light pair of transparent glasses, connected by a USB-C cable to a smartphone in your pocket. It works indoors or outdoors. DigiLens makes holographic waveguide displays. It stands apart because its displays are nearly transparent, and they’re light. Chris Pickett, CEO of DigiLens, said in an interview with VentureBeat that the glasses using DigiLens products could sell for $500 — or as much as five to 10 times less than rival products on the market like the Magic Leap One Creator Edition or Microsoft HoloLens. Above: DigiLens AR … [Read more...] about DigiLens shows its Crystal design for lightweight augmented reality glasses
Big Issue magazine launches ‘augmented reality’ technology to share stories of homelessness in Britain
The Big Issue magazine has launched “augmented reality” technology to bring their vendors’ stories to life because the public are failing to understand the scale of homelessness in the UK. The street magazine, which was founded in 1991, believes technology will allow them to “hammer home the message” of Britain’s unprecedented homelessness issue which people need to “better understand”. The innovative new approach, which launches today, includes augmented reality (AR) interactions throughout the publication. Readers can download an app onto their mobile phones, scan it over AR icons in the magazine and watch traditional print articles come to life in video. This includes the cover story of vendor Ann Warke, 53, who turned to The Big Issue when she couldn’t afford to pay her rent due to losing her job. Ben Sullivan, digital editor at The Big Issue, told the Telegraph: “We are doing this mainly for the vendors. “We … [Read more...] about Big Issue magazine launches ‘augmented reality’ technology to share stories of homelessness in Britain
Would you buy these £999 augmented reality glasses?
Augmented reality is gaining more ground as a usable technology and it's only set to get bigger this year. The next frontier is all about moving away from smartphone screens and bringing AR into wearables. Take the new Vuzix Blade AR glasses for instance. For £999 and a four to six-week wait, you can have the ultimate connected device. The glasses boast a wearable smart display so the wearer has a tiny screen in the lenses with which to see things like directions, weather information or alerts. You can communicate with the device via voice control, thanks to its Amazon Alexa capability, with Google Assistant support coming in the future. The Blade glasses run on Android and supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, so you can be connected to your smartphone without having to use it. The high-resolution display screen is designed to work both indoors and out, even in sunlight, and there’s an 8-megapixel camera. If you need to wear glasses already no … [Read more...] about Would you buy these £999 augmented reality glasses?
New augmented reality technology could help firefighters save lives
There were nearly half a million structure fires in the U.S. last year, killing more than 2,700 people. Now, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur believes augmented reality (or AR) technology can help firefighters save more lives. At the Menlo Park Fire District training facility in California, firefighters use drills to get better at saving lives. Their biggest challenge: operating in pitch-black, smoke-filled rooms. Special thermal cameras are needed just to be able to watch them train. "You can't see your hand in front of your face," Menlo Park Batallion Chief Tom Calvert told CBS News correspondent Carter Evans. "When you lose eyesight, you take out a big chunk of your ability to gather information, and know where you're at." Calvert says thermal cameras can only help so much. "Handheld thermal cameras was a huge leap forward in technology, but it has some limitations," he said. "If you can't see your hand in front of your face, how well can you see the image on a screen in front of … [Read more...] about New augmented reality technology could help firefighters save lives