Mixed Reality
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Nreal Light mixed reality glasses launch in Korea with the Galaxy Note 20
Starting today, folks in Korea can pre-order the Nreal Light as part of a mobile phone plan on the LG Uplus network, so long as you pick the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 or the LG Velvet as your handset.
Recommended Reading: The Magic Leap project the world may never see
Like a lot of companies this year, Magic Leap faced massive layoffs. The company was able to avoid those after it raised $350 million, but it did shift to enterprise projects for the foreseeable future. Lost in the shuffle is a mixed reality story that deals with the death of a grandparent.
US court rejects Magic Leap claim that Nreal founder stole mixed-reality secrets
A federal judge has thrown out Magic Leap's claim that Nreal founder Chi Xu stole company secrets.
Rony Abovitz confirms Magic Leap's new funding, will step down as CEO
Magic Leap has secured new funding to back its plan in building augmented reality tech for business use, but it will eventually move forward with a new CEO as Rony Abovitz is stepping down.
HoloLens 2 heads to South Korea, Taiwan and more countries
Microsoft's HoloLens 2 AR headset is headed to more countries later this year, including Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea.
Magic Leap shifts focus to business with an updated AR headset
Magic Leap's augmented reality headset reportedly hasn't sold well so far, but the company might have a way to turn its fortunes around: pitch the device as a business tool. It's launching an Enterprise Suite that includes a Magic Leap 1 headset (an update to the One Creator Edition) as well as two years each for dedicated support, device management tools, fast device replacements and extended warranties. You'll also have access to a host of AR-friendly work apps from third parties that cover areas like collaboration, "location-based experiences" (think museums and product tours) and 3D visualization for design and medicine.
Magic Leap reportedly only sold 6,000 AR headsets in six months
After years of hype, it looks like reality is starting to catch up with Magic Leap. According to a report from The Information, the augmented reality startup and Silicon Valley darling only sold approximately 6,000 units of its $2,300 Magic Leap One Creator Edition mixed-reality headset through the first six months that it was available.
Spotify's Magic Leap app lets you virtually pin music on the wall
By this point, most people have used Spotify on almost every platform where it's available and there's not a lot about the experience that's surprising. So it's interesting then to see how, with the help of augmented reality startup Magic Leap, Spotify has managed to think of a new way to organize your music library. With the company's new Magic Leap app, you can pin albums, artists and tracks to specific locations in your home. In this way, you can create a different soundscape for each room.
Apple's AR headset might not arrive until 2022
You might not want to get your hopes up for an Apple augmented reality headset in 2020 despite evidence of progress. The Information sources claim Apple held an internal presentation in October where it expected to release the AR headset (really a mixed AR/VR headset) in 2022, and AR glasses in 2023. There would be reasons for the wait, however. If the leak is accurate, Apple will try to push the boundaries of AR technology.
Sony's self-driving 'Sociable Cart' delivers mixed-reality inside, ads outside
Sony's Sociable Cart SC-1 -- the autonomous vehicle-cum-party bus designed for theme parks and golf courses -- has finally landed. Launching in Japan's Kanucha Bay Resort in Nago City, and the Botanical Garden in Okinawa City, the pilot scheme kicks off with a night-time "Moonlight Cruise", where passengers will be treated to magical night-time scenery and supernatural starry skies, all shown on the cart's internal high-resolution display. Another experience, "Night Aquarium," is set to follow soon.
Time's mixed reality app takes you inside the Amazon rainforest
Time's Immersive app brought you to the moon a couple of months ago -- now, it's taking you on a timely trip to the Amazon forest. The publication has rolled out a new augmented reality experience for its application -- now available for both iOS and Android devices -- entitled "Inside the Amazon: The Dying Forest," which promises to take users deep into the disappearing jungle. Time sent two producers and reporter Matt Sandy into the Amazon to visit some of its remotest areas threatened by deforestation, arming them with cameras mounted on drones to create 3D scans of the environment.
Magic Leap says Nreal founder stole its mixed reality secrets
The founder of Nreal -- the company which debuted its $499 mixed reality glasses at this year's CES -- has been accused of stealing AR secrets from former employer, US-based Magic Leap. The Florida startup, which has been working on a mixed reality device for years, says that ex-engineer Chi Xu exploited confidential information to "quickly develop a prototype of lightweight, ergonomically designed, mixed reality glasses for use with smart phones and other devices that are strikingly similar" to the Magic Leap One device.
Nreal's mixed reality glasses will cost $499 and ship this year
First unveiled at CES 2019, Nreal's Light mixed reality glasses are almost ready for their commercial debut. According to the Chinese startup behind the glasses, they'll cost $499 and a limited quantity will ship to customers sometime this year. They'll enter mass production in 2020, and starting today, developers can place orders for the $1,199 developer kit, which will ship in September. Nreal announced the news at the AWE 2019 conference.
Volvo designers are driving around in mixed-reality headsets
I'm sitting in a Volvo XC60 in Italy when a moose appears from out of a doorway. Except that none of this is real. I'm actually sat in an office chair in a San Francisco office building, wearing Varjo's XR-1 mixed-reality headset. It's a ridiculous scenario, but both virtual reality and augmented reality are adding a new twist on the car design process.
LA museum's sci-fi car exhibit includes HoloLens tours
There's a chance you've seen a movie car or two if you've visited a convention, but the Petersen Automotive Museum's offering should be more... elaborate. It's opening a "Hollywood Dream Machines" exhibit that will showcase 40 vehicles from sci-fi games and movies. Some of them are practically expected, like the DeLorean from Back to the Future, Deckard's sedan from Blade Runner and a lightcycle from Tron: Legacy. Others, however, are harder-to-see items like the GM Ultralight from Demolition Man as well as Lexuses from Black Panther and Minority Report. And how many times are you going to see life-size recreations of a Warthog from Halo or a Sparrow from Destiny?
US Army shows how it will use HoloLens in the field
When Microsoft employees balked at the company's $479 million HoloLens contract with the US Army, it raised a question: just what would this system look like? You now have a better idea. The Army has given CNBC an early demo of its Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which uses a modified HoloLens 2 to provide both combat assistance and training. It reportedly feels like a "real-life game of Call of Duty" -- you can see your squad's positions on a map, a compass, and even your weapon's reticle. Thermal imaging would help you see in the dark without as much of a telltale glow as existing night vision headsets.
HP's 'Reverb' is the sharpest Windows VR headset yet
HP is ready to outdo the HTC Vive Pro and Samsung Odyssey with its latest VR headset, the Reverb. Confirming a February leak, it features an astoundingly sharp resolution of 2,160 by 2,160 pixels per eye, while those other headsets have around half as much. It's sometimes tough to see the benefits of more pixels on monitors and TVs, but VR headsets are another story, since your eyes are practically right up against the displays. That's something commercial customers will likely appreciate, since it makes things like workplace simulators even more realistic.
Nreal's mixed reality glasses can be powered by a 5G phone
Can 'mixed reality' glasses ever go mainstream? Nreal certainly thinks so. The company is pushing ahead with Light, a pair of "ready-to-wear" spectacles that project immersive videos, games and characters into your field of vision. Back at CES, we used the glasses while they were attached to a small, clip-on computing unit called 'Toast' (apparently it looks like a toaster?) Now, the company is showing how the smart glasses can work with a 5G-enabled, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855-powered smartphone instead. That means, in theory, the company can offer a cheaper Light at launch that doesn't require you to carry an extra gadget in your pocket.
We're live from Microsoft's press event at MWC 2019!
Microsoft may have surprised us when it sent out invites for an MWC event in mid-January, but now it's time to find out what the company wants to discuss. Based on the invitation, we know that HoloLens creator and Microsoft technical fellow Alex Kipman will be part of the festivities, as will CEO Satya Nadella and CVP Julie White. Nothing is set in stone, but Kipman's participation seems to indicate some HoloLens news is on the agenda -- perhaps even the official reveal of the HoloLens 2 or some Windows Mixed Reality news. No matter what Microsoft has to show us, we're on the ground in Barcelona, ready to bring you all of the news as it's announced. Keep your browser locked here when the event kicks off at 12PM ET/6PM CET.
Star Wars' porgs can be your virtual pets on Magic Leap One
Back in October, we got a chance to play with some adorable (some may say annoying) porgs of Star Wars: The Last Jedi fame in mixed reality at Magic Leap's developer conference, LeapCon. Now, those with a Magic Leap One headset can raise their own family of the birds with a free download of Star Wars: Project Porg.
