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HTC recreated the 'Mona Lisa' in 3D for the Louvre's da Vinci exhibition
HTC created Vive Arts back in 2017 to bring museums and the public together in VR, but you may not have thought about it since then. It's definitely grabbed our attention now, though, with its latest, very high-profile experience, Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass. It launches at the Louvre on October 24th in conjunction with Leonardo Da Vinci, the largest exhibition of the great master's works ever assembled.
Oppo will revive its Find smartphone line on June 19th
Just recently, Oppo launched a dedicated website for the Find series, hinting at its return after four years of hibernation. Now, the Chinese phonemaker has confirmed that the line is coming back: Oppo will launch its new flagship, the Find X, at the Louvre Museum in Paris on June 19th. It's keeping details under wraps until the event, but in the press materials it sent out, the company listed all the technologies it launched since it launched the last Find phone back in 2014. It mentioned the 5x dual camera zoom it debuted at MWC 2017, its fast charging tech that can fully charge a 2,500 mAH battery in 15 minutes, as well that time it demoed a 5G video call using 3D structured light technology.
Major museums start banning selfie sticks
Selfie sticks, the logical "extension" of an already irksome activity, were recently banned in Premier League soccer stadiums. Now museums around the world are starting to do the same over worries of accidental damage to artwork. The Smithsonian barred their use effective last week as a "preventative measure to protect visitors and museum objects," especially on crowded days. Meanwhile, a formal ban is pending at Versailles palace and Centre Pompidou in France, and visitors are now being told to stow their sticks by guards at the Louvre. Both Pompidou and the Louvre will continue to allow regular photography and selfies.
Games are art: 3DS Louvre Guide coming to eShop next week
Last year, Nintendo and The Louvre partnered on a scheme that let visitors to the museum rent 3DS handhelds to access audio tour guides of the Parisian landmark. That was a bit unusual, but it's much less surprising to see Nintendo roll out an enhanced retail version of the guide, which will be released on the eShop in North America on December 2, priced $20. As for Europe, it's available starting today on the eShop, priced £18 in the UK. As Nintendo President Satoru Iwata detailed in a typically oddball Direct video, the guide's been adapted for use outside of the Louvre, since most of us don't happen to be in the the museum's neighborhood. There are a few additions, like a slideshow mode, and it'll update to feature new rooms and exhibitions that come to the Louvre. If you want to distill art into cold, hard numbers: You can browse the museum's rooms across 400 or so 3D photos, listen to nearly 300 hours of audio commentary, and check more than out 600 pieces of artwork close up. Surreal Passerby Miyamoto sold separately.
Miyamoto sees potential for museum guides to be a 'core business' for Nintendo
Nintendo's Audioguide Louvre, 3DS software designed to assist self-guided tours of the Louvre museum, may seem like a weird, random lark, but Shigeru Miyamoto is much more serious about the software than we thought."One big thing I recently handled is the Audioguide Louvre - Nintendo 3DS, referred to earlier in this meeting," Miyamoto told investors during a recent Q&A. "This has not made money yet, but it has the potential to be one of our core businesses in the future."Later, in a nod to the announcement, reaction to, and eventual retraction of the announcement of Miyamoto's eventual retirement, Miyamoto admonished the assembled shareholders. " I should be careful about telling you about these things and I would like to add that we are not announcing any concrete business plans here. I would also be glad if you carefully tell someone else about my remarks."
Nintendo patent application tech tracks your DS from above, serves as tour guide
Nintendo is already guiding you through the Louvre with a 3DS, but a newly published US patent application takes that kind of tourism to a very literal new level. Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto's concept describes a way to direct lost tourists by beaming position information through an overhead grid of infrared transmitters to a mobile device (portrayed as a DS Lite) held by the confused visitor below. The handheld then talks wirelessly to a server that lights up floor displays with maps and directions, and a helpful app on the device lets visitors pick their route while they read up on sightseeing tips. Like with any patent, there's no certainty that Nintendo will act on the idea and start wiring up museums with IR blasters, but the January 2012 patent may still be fresh in a frequently inventive mind like Miyamoto's.
Touring the Louvre with a 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS debuted in its latest occupation last week, as tour guide at the biggest and best museum in the world, Paris' legendary Musée du Louvre. I just happened to be in the neighborhood this week while on a month-long trek across Europe, so I paid my 5 € along with the 10 € museum admission for the audio guide, and was handed a Korean Air-branded black 3DS and a pair of headphones on the way to go see some of the world's finest art. The 3DS isn't the only portable device in use as a museum tour guide. While visiting the Musée d'Orsay last week, I was handed an iPod touch in a special security case, and walked around among the works of French impressionists while using Apple's device to hear insights in English. And I've used quite a few other audio guides on this trip – in London, Westminster Abbey and the Royal Observatory both used custom-made audio guide systems, with a keypad and a play button to choose certain audio tracks for various sights on the tour. But the 3DS was definitely the only gaming-specific device I've seen in use so far. And because of all of the various technologies included, specifically the wireless features, it actually did a great job. %Gallery-153608%
The Louvre now offering 3DS guides
We're going to level with you -- this post is about more than the fact that the Louvre is now offering visitors 3DS-enabled guides. We've known that was coming since it was first announced last year. It's great that visitors can take guided tours, listen to commentary, find their location and browse detailed 3D models of various works, but none of those things compare to the above photograph, in which Nintendo's beloved Shigeru Miyamoto takes in some art.Feel free to come up with a hilarious caption, or just drink in the childlike wonder.
Nintendo puts 3DS in the Louvre, France remains generally indifferent
Sharing a birthplace with Arséne Wenger, Jean-Paul Satre and Jules Verne, the Louvre is France's most prized national treasure. In partnership with Nintendo, the museum finally replaced those cumbersome handheld guides with 3DS units a fortnight after the anticipated March launch. The consoles will provide a variety of tours, offering detailed lectures around the entire museum, or the Cliff's Notes edition for the lazy connoisseur. Shigeru Miyamoto popped up to demonstrate that you can examine HD snaps and 3D images of the sculptures on show, just in case looking up and seeing it in the flesh stone would be too traumatic.
Shigeru Miyamoto admits he's a fan of Angry Birds, just like the rest of us
Mario and Zelda (amongst others) creator Shigeru Miyamoto was in Paris to promote the launch of the Nintendo 3DS as a guide in the Louvre. While company executives have previously dismissed and decried smartphone gaming, Miyamoto was asked about his favorite non-Nintendo game and for the first time, admitted that Angry Birds is his favorite. He said that he can tell Rovio is "having fun developing the game" and that it has a "very creative side," that was "inspiring us to try even harder, and create even more unexpected new things." Except for those moments when he steps into the hallway for a spot of pig-smashing, as you do.
3DS guides to replace audio guides at the Louvre next year
The AFP reports that France's famous Louvre museum will begin replacing its traditional audio guides with 3DS consoles in March of 2012. Nintendo will give the museum 5,000 of its handhelds, which will run special software developed by the company. The software will allow visitors to locate their position in the (very, very large) museum, as well as offering itineraries and, of course, traditional audio commentaries. The museum told the AFP that the move was made in order to better accommodate today's museum goers, who are more accustomed to interacting with touch screens. Frankly, we're just hoping we can finally nab Leonardo da Vinci for our Mii Plaza.
Nintendo 3DS tour guides might make the Mona Lisa less underwhelming
Other than wine, cheese and overwhelming apathy, the Louvre stands alone as France's most prized national treasure. It's enormous, it's teeming with art, and it's really old. Starting in March, though, the museum will get an infusion of comparatively new technology, thanks to the Nintendo 3DS. As the AFP reports, Nintendo has agreed to provide the Louvre with some 5,000 pocket consoles, to be offered as digital tour guides for museum patrons. With these devices tucked securely inside their fanny packs, wandering tourists will be able to pinpoint their location within the museum, select themed itineraries, and listen to audio commentary available in seven different languages. The consoles will eventually replace the museum's more traditional audio guides, as part of a wider campaign to bring 21st century technology to the Louvre's 12th century confines. "We are the first museum in the world to do this," Agnes Alfandari, the Louvre's head of multimedia, told the AFP, adding that a slate of dedicated smartphone and tablet apps is also in the works. [Image courtesy of TrendHunter]
Apple Store Carrousel du Louvre opens today
Apple typically opens retail stores in high-end shopping areas, and this one is as high-end as it gets. Beneath the great glass pyramid that marks the entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris is Carrousel du Louvre, home to shops, a gourmet food court, exhibition space and, as of this Saturday, an Apple Store. This will be the first Apple Store in Paris and in France. Another Apple Store is poised to open in the seaside town of Montpellier next Saturday. This location has the now iconic glass spiral staircase that's featured in other flagship stores and two levels total. If you can't visit Apple Store Carrousel du Louvre this weekend, check out the photos and coverage from ifoAppleStore as well as these photos on Flickr. C'est Magnifique! Also notable this week is the new Musee du Louvre app that's available for free from the App Store [iTunes link]. Coincidentally, of course.
Men in kilts: video from the Aberdeen, Scotland Apple Store opening
TUAW fan George sent us a link to some video he shot earlier today at the grand opening of the Apple Store Union Square in Aberdeen, Scotland. The video is fun; not only is there the usual high-fiving and applause as customers enter the new store, but one of the Apple employees is wearing a kilt and there was a kilted piper entertaining the folks in line. In other Apple Store news, reader Christophe pointed us to exclusive photos on Macgeneration of the interior of the new Louvre store in Paris, France, which is scheduled to open on November 7th, 2009. That store will be the first Apple Store in France. Apple's plans to dominate the European computer and consumer electronics market continue to bear watching, as these new Apple Stores are bound to increase international sales to impressive new levels.
LG's 12 megapixel GC990 Louvre flagship with Schneider-Kreuznach optics records our puzzlement in HD
If you're the type who values specs above all else then lean in close, LG's GC990 Louvre is about as spec heavy as it gets. Taking its industrial design and UI cues from the GC900 it will replace later this year, LG's newest flagship brings yet another 12 megapixel camera to market. LG's promising "zero shutter lag" while using respectable Schneider-Kreuznach optics with auto- or touchscreen-focus, a xenon flash, claimed ISO 3200 sensitivity (from a tiny cellphone image sensor?), and the ability to record 720p video at 30 fps. It'll also geotag your snaps thanks to on-board GPS. Fine, just remember that 12 megapixel images shot at full quality will result in massive (up to 18MB) files that must then be stored and transmitted to your favorite image sharing sites -- a waste of time and treasure unless you plan to blow up and crop those well-lit images. Anywho, rounding out the specs are LG's S-Class featurephone UI running atop an auto-rotating 3.2-inch (16:9 aspect) touchscreen display, WiFi, Bluetooth, DivX and Xvid video support, a TV-out jack, and support for media sharing with DLNA standard devices. Picture of the backside camera just beyond the read link.
Samsung Omnia Pro to be the Louvre B7610?
We're actually surprised we didn't make the connection earlier, but word on the street today is the rumored Samsung Omnia Pro will actually be a renamed Louvre B7610, a set that's been popping up a lot lately. Makes sense -- the Louvre's 3.5-inch WVGA AMOLED screen, 800MHz processor, and 5.1 megapixel camera match up nicely with the Omnia line. It's running Windows Mobile 6.1 right now, but we wouldn't be too surprised if the rumored August release date is held back to September or October to coincide with WinMo 6.5. One more pic after the break, couple more at the read links.[Via Unwired View]Read - Connect-UTB postRead - Beyond3D forum post
Samsung B7610 Louvre rematerializes, spec'd and caught on camera
It's been some time since we've heard a word about Samsung's enigmatic QWERTY slider, the B7610 Louvre. Now it looks like we've got on our hands a new, decidedly more clear pic of the phone care of GPSAndCo, along with a list of technical details. According to the site, we're looking at a quad-band Windows Mobile 6.1 device (upgradable to 6.5) with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 3.5-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, FM radio, miniUSB, 1GB built-in memory, and a microSDHC slot. Still not official, but should this pan out, Orange and SFR business customers can look to it sometime in July with the price lining up somewhere between €250 and €500. [Via WMPoweruser]
Leak sauce: Expansys rides again, three Samsung sets outed?
Seems the good people at Expansys are up to their shenanigans again, but this time we're seeing a few Samsung sets dribbling out of the leaky tap -- mind you, we won't holler legitimate 'til we hear it from Samsung. The Samsung B2100 -- apparently a follow up to the M110 and B2700 -- which actually appeared back in October 2008, The Samsung Louve (perhaps a typo of Louvre? It'll make sense in a minute) and the Samsung Pivot. The Pivot is apparently set to be one of Samsung's first handsets with Windows Mobile 6.5 and will come loaded with a 5 megapixel camera, QWERTY keypad, LED flash, aGPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and is touted as coming in a package similar to the Samsung i780. Samsung's Louve is said to be designed like the TyTN II and shares its sliding and tilting screen -- see where the Louvre name fits in? -- runs Windows Mobile 6.1, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and shares the i900 Omnia's tweak-ready interface. The Expansys "Insider" mentioned filling in the details and posting some pics soon, we'll get those up if we see them or fill you in when we hear more.[Via Cellpassion]
Ubidays 2008 coming May 28-29 in Paris
European gaming giant Ubisoft has settled on a fairly classy location for its second annual trade show - the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Ubidays 2008 will run two days, starting Wednesday, May 28. Invitations have begun to arrive at European press and business partners, according to MCV.Ubisoft has not revealed a lineup or event program for the event. Last year's Ubidays showed off Assassin's Creed, Tom Clancy's EndWar, and Splinter Cell: Conviction, and teased gamers with a Wii holographic projector.
