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Google's Measure app comes to all ARCore-compatible Android phones
Google Measure, the digital substitute app for anyone who doesn't own a physical tape measure, has just received a much needed update. In contrast to the earlier version -- which was limited to Google's augmented reality (AR) platform Tango -- the new and improved Measure works with any smartphone supporting ARCore (running Android 7.0 and up).
Niantic is hosting a 'Pokémon Go' AR photography contest
How good are your Pokémon Go photography skills? We're asking, because Niantic is holding an in-app augmented reality photography contest for all players where Pokémon Go has been officially released. Yep, it's not limited to US residents only, and the winner will get a sweet swag bag containing a poster autographed by the team, a pair of wireless Bluetooth earbuds and -- this is the best part if you still avidly play the mobile game -- a Go Plus accessory.
Driving with AR glasses may be information overload
The bridge of my nose is starting to collapse under the weight of the augmented reality glasses I'm wearing. I'm sitting in an Infiniti SUV being taken on a short tour near San Francisco's AT&T Park (home of the Giants. Go, local sports team), peering into what could possibly be the future of driving: a world where your glasses highlight landmarks and places of business while "following" a virtual Porsche along a route. I can't say if it's amazing or just another piece of technology being shoved into the automobile because it's in vogue. I do know that if anyone is expected to enjoy the wonders of AR, the glasses are going to have to lose about five pounds.
AR glasses will quench your ride-stat thirst
The bike I was riding to test a new set of AR glasses was probably a bit too small for me. Also, it was a typical San Francisco summer day, so it was cold and windy, and, like an idiot, I left my jacket upstairs. But none of that mattered, because I was peering into the future of biking. The best part was that the Everysight Raptor AR glasses I was wearing didn't feel bulky and didn't require me to strain my eye socket to look into a tiny screen -- all the information was being projected right in front of me.
Realtor.com uses augmented reality to help you find a new home
When it comes to looking for a new house, the process of browsing listings, visiting properties and more can become quite the chore. Realtor.com is looking to make things a bit easier on prospective home buyers with two new features for its Android app: Street Peek and Sign Snap. Street Peek uses augmented reality to display details about a home when you point your phone's camera at it. Even if the house isn't for sale, you'll still see all the important details from the real estate website's database.
Mixed reality comes to your iPhone thanks to the Bridge headset
There's something more than a little magical about seeing the world in front of you being devastated by dragons or augmented with arrows pointing you to your next meeting. Alas, while mixing realities like that with our smartphones is already possible, the tech still is a long way off from reaching its potential — just look at early, disappointing efforts like Lenovo's enormous Tango phone. Luckily, startups are chasing the mixed reality dream too, including one — Occipital — that has a solid track record of solving the tricky problems that pop up when blurring boundaries between worlds. That's why the team's new mixed reality, the Bridge, seems so impressive right out of the gate.
CAKE AR platform puts virtual makeup on your face in real time
Last year, one of my fellow Engadget editors got to try some jewelry without actually putting them on through FaceCake's augmented reality platform. Turns out the company also created a variant for makeup, and Cargo, one of its brand partners, is already putting it to good use. Unlike most virtual makeover apps, you don't have to upload a pic to use it. You don't even have to download any add-on. It was built with HTML5 and JavaScript, and so long as you have a webcam, you can try on virtual makeup in real time right on your browser.
Microsoft's HoloLens is now ready for developers
If you're a developer, today's the day Microsoft is making good on its mixed-reality promise. Pre-orders for HoloLens, the company's augmented-reality Windows 10 headset, are now live. Invites to purchase the $3,000 device will begin to hit the inboxes of those who've already applied, while others can sign up today for a shot at building out HoloLen's ecosystem of apps. And the wait won't be that long either, as Microsoft plans to begin shipping units in the US and Canada beginning March 30th.
Android-powered smart hard hat comes with augmented reality features
In Los Angeles, a startup called Daqri has designed a different kind of hard hat: an Android-powered one that's capable of augmented reality. As such, it really looks more like a bike helmet than a hard hat, equipped with sensors, cameras and a transparent visor that functions as a head-up display. Unlike Google Glass that was designed with all kinds of consumers in mind, though, this high-tech hat was meant for industrial environments, to be used by engineers or blue-collar workers. It can show instructions and other digital elements superimposed against real-world equipment and objects without having to be manually operated. The hat can also give out early warning signals in case it catches anything that could be dangerous, or perform thorough quality checks on expensive machinery like satellites. If needed, it can pair up with smartwatches, phones and other devices, as well.
Microsoft may turn to mobile gaming for crowdsourced mapping data
Keeping map data relevant's a full-time job -- just ask Nokia, Google and, yes, even Apple. Which is why Microsoft may be gearing up to offload some of that heavy lifting to users in the augmented reality guise of mobile gaming. Or at least that's one possible future outlined by a recently surfaced patent application. The USPTO doc, filed back in June of 2011, clearly lays out a crowdsourced "data collection system" whereby users sent on virtual missions to specific real-world targets would aid in the gathering of up-to-date geo-location data. With its thriving Xbox gaming arm and reinvigorated inroads into the mobile space, it wouldn't be much of a stretch for Microsoft to leverage a bit of corporate synergy to make its own mapping service more accurate, or simply license the data. Whatever the case may be, it's all up in legal limbo for the time being. So, for now, you'll have to content yourselves with AR missions of the Ingress kind.
