Apple’s billion devices give augmented reality edge over Google
Apple last month lifted the lid on ARKit, the company’s first foray into this field. The tool lets developers build applications for iPhones and iPads.
Google revealed Tango, its AR software system, back in 2014, with the latest iteration showed off this January. Unlike ARKit, it requires infrared depth perception sensors, and there are currently only two mobile phones available with the technology: Lenovo Group’s Phab 2 Pro and Asustek Computer’s ZenFone AR. Apple’s ARKit uses the iPhone’s existing hardware, such as the camera and gyroscope, to achieve similar ends.
The crux of the problem for Google is fragmentation. When it updates its Android mobile operating system, hardware makers and cellular network operators are often slow to send the new software to phones. That means the latest features, like Tango, reach only a fraction of Android’s more than 2 billion monthly active devices. Eighty-six percent of Apple’s mobile devices run the latest iOS software, compared with 11.5 percent of Android devices that run the newest Android OS.
“The reason Android can’t compete with ARKit is that the original equipment manufacturers would need to effectively standardize their camera” systems, Miesnieks said.
For Apple, ARKit is the foundation for a later, but larger push into AR-infused devices. The company has a team of engineers working on smart glasses, and the next iPhone will likely include front- and rear-facing 3-D sensors when it’s released this year, analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and others have predicted.
See the full story here: http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Apple-s-billion-devices-give-augmented-reality-11287598.php#photo-13240631
You can now drink augmented reality cocktails at City Social bar in London
Just when you thought mixology couldn't get any more preposterous, we give you... augmented reality cocktails. (Not to be confused with virtual reality.) But actually, gimmicks aside, the new "Mirage" cocktail menu at Jason Atherton's City Social bar in London, which has been two years in the making, is well worth a try. Rather than make the animations the focal point of the cocktail experience, which might have been rather tiresome after drink two, the team at City Social has kept them ornamental, like a garnish. Most importantly, the tech doesn't compromise the quality of the drinks. They're still stellar.
See the full story here: http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/augmented-reality-cocktails
Every Major Seattle Accelerator and Incubator, Listed
Reactor
This initiative is focused on interactive media, whether games or tech. Startups in the VR or AR field can benefit from the greater Seattle area’s interactive media industry, and Reactor functions as a great community hub for any stage in the sector, from concept to launch.
The Seattle accelerator is now accepting applications over here.
GoPro selects ten brands to be first to use the Fusion spherical camera
The company selected nine organizations and one travel blogger to be the first to receive the camera company’s spherical camera. This pilot program clearly shows that GoPro expects the Fusion to be mainly used by professional content creators and brands instead of moms and dads at waterparks. And that’s probably the best.
This list includes Golden State Warriors, USA TODAY NETWORK, FOX Sports, AccuWeather, Digital Domain, Getty Images, Legend 3D, Inc., Rapid VR, RYOT, and travel vlogger Louis Cole (FunForLouis).
The sales pitch is editors can then select the most interesting bits around the track using just one camera. Traditionally, multiple cameras would have to be aimed at each direction, but with the Fusion, it captures everything.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/11/gopro-selects-ten-brands-to-be-first-to-use-the-fusion-spherical-camera/
Slate Launches Weekly Facebook Live Talk Show Produced in Virtual Reality (EXCLUSIVE)
Slate is launching a new weekly Facebook Live show, with a twist: “Conundrums” is being produced entirely in virtual reality, with actors and other celebrities joining Slate Culture Editor Dan Kois in the virtual world with the help of more-or-less lifelike avatars.
First up Thursday is Carrie Preston, who is known for her roles in “True Blood” and “The Good Wife.” Kois will spend some 25 minutes quizzing her on a series of conundrums. Is it better to have loved and lost, or not loved at all? Should one fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?
Preston will have one minute for each of these questions, and the Facebook Live audience will be able to chime in with real-time comments. Oh, and there may be virtual beer drinking in a nod to series sponsor Sixpoint Brewery.
Of course, one could conceivably also produce a show like “Conundrum” with a Skype or Facetime chat. But Turner argued that the result wouldn’t be the same without VR. “It creates a kind of intimacy that feels very different from a video call,” she said. “It feels like you are in a new space together.”
See the full story here: http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/slate-conundrums-facebook-live-vr-1202493894/
Amazon patents at-home augmented reality technology (Images)
Amazon.com Inc. has patented augmented reality technology that can be controlled with gestures.
The patent describes cameras, computers and projectors that display an interactive scene on a physical surface.
"The projected content may include electronic books, videos, images, interactive menus, or any other sort of visual content," Amazon said in its patent filing. "Various types of cameras and sensors may be used to capture images representing the scene and a person's hand within the scene."
The patent builds on two related patents awarded to Amazon in December 2015.
See the full story here: https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/07/11/amazon-patents-at-home-augmented-reality.html
Augmented reality transports classic art into the 21st century
ReBlink is the kind of art/technology mash-up that will be decried as awful and blasphemous by some or exciting and innovative by others. Toronto-based digital artist Alex's Mayhew's modern reinterpretations of classic paintings allows viewers to witness a work of art come to life through their phone or tablet.
See the full story here: http://newatlas.com/reblink-augmented-reality-art/50450/
NPR wins award to experiment with virtual-reality audio
A team at NPR is the winner of a grant to develop virtual-reality stories that will transport listeners to audio-rich soundscapes.
NPR’s team is receiving $15,000 to develop “best practices for immersive storytelling audio by producing two virtual reality stories with a particular focus on sound-rich scenes,” according to a statement from the grantors.
NPR has already been dabbling in 360 experiments. Last year, NPR Music partnered with immersive media company RYOT to produce a 360-degree Tiny Desk concert featuring the band Wilco.
NPR’s team isn’t the first to experiment with dual audio fields, Michael said, but it aims to figure out how to easily gather audio and process it via dual fields. The team plans to share its findings through NPR training team sites and other mediums.
NPR’s team also wants to discover and standardize production practices so the work feels less experimental.
Grantees will build on their ideas over the next six to 12 months, attend the ONA conference in Washington, D.C., in October and share their findings at a demo day early next year.
See the full story here: https://current.org/2017/07/npr-wins-award-to-experiment-with-virtual-reality-audio/?wallit_nosession=1
Auckland retiree tries art in virtual reality, after a lifetime designing on paper
Plugged into virtual reality, retiree Trisha Downie believed her life-sized 3D creation so real she might trip over it.
"I'm petrified I'm going to fall over or break it, because it seems to be a piece of glass – but it isn't, it's just space."
The septuagenarian, who lives at the Metlifecare Retirement Village in east Auckland's Highland Park, has spent a lifetime designing garments, art and sails with pencil and paper.
"I'm not thinking about what I'm trying to design, I'm just playing, and I think that's where design comes from – you have to play and see what works.
See the full story here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/93896983/Auckland-retiree-tries-art-in-virtual-reality-after-a-lifetime-designing-on-paper