Samsung Display has revealed its predictions for the AR device’s display technology. The company believes that the micro LED display technology is the choice for AR (augmented reality), which is much better than OLED.

For those unaware, micro LED is a relatively newer display technology, which Kim Min-woo, head of Samsung Display’s group, believes is the future for AR devices. He stated that “To realize augmented reality (AR), a high-brightness display is necessary.” Thus, the senior official said that this display technology is the most suitable for AR devices.

Samsung Display is currently working on making OLED that will be used for virtual reality based devices’ displays. Although, Kim further added that the implementation of AR, VR, or even mixed reality devices are not the same. He said that “Unlike VR, which is disconnected from reality (external environment), AR must have high luminance, light weight, and small panel size because it has to implement images outdoors.”

AR devices also have to be used outdoors while overlaying the virtual world on top of the real world. However, since OLEDs have lower luminance than LEDs, micro LEDs bring advantages over OLEDs, with their high brightness, higher resolution, longer lifespan, and even form factor as well. Kim stated that “A pixel density of 5000 PPI or higher is required for AR display. should be reduced to 3 μm or less.”

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The second half of this year will see Meta, the largest VR device supplier, and Apple, the leader in smartwatches, release new wearables. We can also expect new products to be released by companies like Xiaomi and Samsung. So, the wearable device market will be a significant new battleground in the second half of the year, in addition to smartphones.

According to one of the industry insiders, Taiwan Economic Daily (via IThome), the market for wearable devices as a whole is still expanding and that major brands won’t give up easily. It’s anticipated that companies like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, and even Meta will keep announcing new products. Its primary goal is to increase brand value and sell more ancillary services rather than hardware per se.

In a report by the research firm IDC, 530 million wearable devices will be shipped worldwide in 2021, a 20 percent increase from the previous year. The majority of the items sent are wristbands and watches. Apple has a significant advantage over its rivals when it comes to smartwatches. Apple Watch had a market share of 35% in the fourth quarter of last year, Xiaomi came in second with 8.6%, and Samsung came in third with 7.9%. About 6.7 percent of the market is taken by Huawei.

According to IDC statistics, 11.23 million AR/VR headsets were shipped globally last year, an increase of 92.1 percent year over year in terms of VR devices. One of them saw the first shipment of VR equipment surpassing 10 million units, coming in at 10.95 million. VR equipment shipments are anticipated to increase by 43.6 percent year over year to 15.73 million units this year. Among them, Meta, a top manufacturer of VR equipment, has an 80 percent market share for Oculus, which is significantly higher than that of other rivals.

Industry experts were quoted in the report as saying that since there weren’t many new wearable devices released in the first half of this year, new products released in the second half of the year are expected to attract buyers. However, if the global inflation problem continues to negatively impact the overall economy, sales of wearable devices may be discounted, and the follow-up market still needs to be closely observed.

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Apple has reportedly been working on a new device named the AR Glass which is a mixed reality headset, expected to go official sometime in the year 2024, although some reports indicate its launch either next year or in 2024.

Now, a new report from analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong Intl Tech Research (via 9to5Mac) claims that the upcoming AR Glass headset has now entered the design development stage.

He also claims that the AR Glass product would be coming in the second half of 2024. The report further adds that Luxshare would remain one of Apple’s main suppliers for devices to come between late 2022 and 2024.

As for the development of the AR Glass, he adds that the product has now entered the design development stage in which the prototype will be ready by the end of this year while the mass production will start in the second half of 2024.

Apart from this AR/VR product, the Cupertino-based technology company is expected to announce a similar product later this year or early next year which is 100% focused on the augmented reality (AR) technology.

If the reports are to be believed, then the mixed reality headset from Apple will focus on media content, gaming, and communication. It could be powered by the Apple Silicon M-series chip and offer a high-resolution displays, along with several sensors and cameras.

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Google’s AR ambitions are not unknown to the world. The tech giant previously acquired the glasses maker North in 2020. Today, Rick Osterloh, SVP, Devices and Services at Google confirmed that the company has successfully acquired Raxium.

Raxium is a 5 years old startup based in Fremont, California. The company develops microLED displays used in AR headsets and similar devices. microLED is an emerging technology that has tremendous potential, but most of its applications are for large, expensive screens, such as wall-mounted signage.

The MicroLED startup is yet to launch any product, but it has reportedly developed a more efficient manufacturing technique for MicroLED that may reduce production costs. MicroLEDs have the potential to be used in devices like smart glasses, as well as in VR.

Google’s acquisition of Raxium indicates that the company is seriously dedicated to developing the components required to make AR devices a reality.

The Information was the first to break the news of this acquisition and reported that Google has paid $1 billion to buy the microLED startup. The Information noted that Raxium is working on “monolithic integration” for microLEDs, which means manufacturing them with the same kind of silicon that is used for most processors to reduce the price down.

Google is not a newcomer to the AR segment. The company was in fact one of the first to develop a commercial AR device with Google Glass. However, Google Glass failed to impress the consumers and received a strong backlash.

It appears that all the big names in the tech industry are focused on entering the AR segment. Meta and Apple have made similar acquisitions, and Microsoft has already delivered an augmented reality device with HoloLens. Snapchat is also reported to be investing heavily to develop its own AR glasses.

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Meta, the newly formed parent company of social media giant Facebook, has been trying to break into the hardware market but hasn’t found any major success so far apart from the Oculus VR headsets.

Now, the company is reportedly developing new AR glasses under the name of Project Nazare. As per the report, Meta aims to launch the product by 2024 and the more advanced models will be available in 2026 and 2028.

The report coming from The Verge also reveals that the company has invested billions of dollars in the development of these new AR glasses, which is a part of Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the metaverse.

The device is also expected to be priced higher than the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset which is currently available at $299. This is likely because of the increased pricing of the materials used in making the AR glasses.

For delivering a true AR experience, it will come with eye-tracking cameras, custom waveguides, and microLED projectors, which apparently cost thousands of dollars. With such costing involved, it appears that the first generation would be a niche product.

As per the report, the device weighs around 100 grams, which is about four times the normal glasses, and has thick black frames. It will apparently have a battery life of just 4 hours and be powered by an included wireless puck that can fit in the pocket.

The report adds that Meta doesn’t have a working wearable prototype of the glasses. This means that even though the company is expected to launch this device by 2024, there could be some changes in the launch timeline.

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Apple has been rumored to be working on its first AR device and the operating system for powering such product is also reportedly being developed by the technology giant.

Now, a new report has surfaced online which claims that the upcoming Apple VR headset will come powered by the Apple Silicon’s M1 processor. It also goes on to add that the device will have a micro OLED display.

Sources aware of the development in the supply chain have said that Apple is entering the second round of pre-production tests on the AR headset.

Earlier, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had said that the Cupertino-based giant will launch the headset “with the same computing power level as the Mac,” with its chip design being the major difference between the AR headset from other brands.

While the launch date for the Apple AR headset isn’t known at this time, reports indicate that the device could go official sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.

South Korean tech giant Samsung is also working on its first AR headset and the company has reportedly formed a task force that is focused on working with Microsoft to develop further AR headsets.

Samsung’s AR headset is said to use hologram technology and has been developed over an extended period by the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology. It is said to be based on the Exynos processor and will use Google’s Android as the operating system.

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A couple of months ago, OPPO had unveiled its first wearable smart glasses, dubbed as OPPO Air Glass, making the company’s entry in the assisted reality (AR) category.

Now, the company has confirmed that the OPPO Air Glass will be available for purchase in its home country China from 3rd March for the price of 4,999 yuan (~$791). The OPPO Air Glass will be available for purchase in two color options — Silver Wing and Black Mirror, along with two custom frame kits.

OPPO says that the Air Glass has four main characteristics — Beauty, Lightness, Universality, and Utility. The product aims to become the “third screen” for the users apart from smartphones and smartwatches.

It has a single glass design with a proprietary Spark Micro Projector and cutting-edge micro-LED. It adopts a custom optical diffraction waveguide, supporting two display modes – 16-level grayscale and 256-level grayscale – and can deliver up to 1400 nits in average brightness while projecting. It supports four methods of interaction — touch, voice, hand motions, and head movements.

Under the hood, the product is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset and supports functionalities like weather reminders, schedule reminders, a Health app, and a teleprompter which will benefit users with speeches, presentations, and more.

It also comes with a real-time translation feature with support for Chinese-English two-way translation while Chinese-Japanese and Chinese-Korean translations are slated to be offered in the future. Another important feature baked into the smart-glass is the real-time on-display navigation which provides directions via visual queues.

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Technology giant Microsoft and chipset leader Qualcomm have worked together for custom chips for Windows PC and now, during Qualcomm’s keynote at CES 2022, it has been announced that both the companies will be collaborating again for AR chips.

Qualcomm and Microsoft together will develop a new, customized version of Snapdragon chipset for augmented reality and the same will be powering the future AR glasses coming from Microsoft.

Cristiano Amon, Chief Executive Officer at Qualcomm, said: “We’re announcing that we’re developing a custom augmented reality Snapdragon chip for next-generation, power-efficient, very lightweight AR glasses for the Microsoft ecosystem.”

He further added that the company is integrating into the chip platform software from both companies: the Microsoft Mesh platform, and the recently announced Qualcomm Snapdragon Spaces XR development platform. The Snapdragon Spaces will be fully integrated into Microsoft Mesh and will be available for next-generation glasses.

Earlier, Microsoft partnered with Qualcomm to develop custom SQ1 and SQ2 chips for its ARM-based Surface Pro X devices. The Microsoft HoloLens 2 is also powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips. So, the development of both these brands partnering for new chips isn’t surprising.

For those who are unaware, Microsoft Mesh is the company’s mixed-reality platform powered by Azure and is meant to create a sense of shared presence on a variety of devices. Recently, the company announced its plans to bring Mesh to its Teams group collaboration platform.

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OPPO has showcased some interesting technologies and concept devices so far and the company keeps on experimenting with new devices and the latest product coming from the Chinese brand is the OPPO Air Glass.

At the OPPO INNO Day 2021, the company officially unveiled its first assisted reality (AR) smart glass, dubbed OPPO Air Glass. GizmoChina was present at the event and got to briefly use the device. Here’s our hands-on experience and the first impression of the newly unveiled OPPO Air Glass.

It has a futuristic styling and comes with a single-lens design. It’s basically a set of spectacles with an additional glass frame attachment that magnetically snaps onto the right side of the frame. It is extremely lightweight, weighing at just 30 grams.

The glass embeds Spark Micro Projector and a micro-LED and supports two display modes – 16-level grayscale and 256-level grayscale. It also offers up to 1400nits average brightness for a vivid and sharp visual display.

The frame has a magnetic component and it houses the projector, motherboard, Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset, battery, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas, microphones, and a speaker. There are multiple ways the OPPO Air Glass can be used, including touch controls, hand gestures, and head shakes. However, to use the device, you will need Reno 6 Pro or the company’s Watch 2 as it doesn’t support any other Android or iOS device.

There’s a wide range of use cases for this new AR product from OPPO as it comes with support for functionalities like weather reminders, schedule reminders, a Health app, and a teleprompter for speeches, presentations, and many more scenarios.

It also supports real-time translation between Chinese and English languages but the company has promised to add support for more languages. Currently, it is limited to a few functions and users cannot use it to watch videos or play games.

As of now, the OPPO Air Glass will get a limited release in China and should be available for purchase in Q1 2022. The company is yet to reveal details about its pricing.

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Microsoft has announced that they will be integrating Mesh, the next step in the evolution of Microsoft Teams. The Mesh will be an interactive platform for virtual experiences inside the Teams platform. This announcement comes just days after Facebook reincarnated to Meta and revealed its future vision for a metaverse.

Microsoft Mesh appears to be the next step in AR technology. Some new features revealed by Microsoft consist of a ‘Together Mode’ which is designed to create a virtual avatar of a person that will aid in better engagement during meetings. The idea was inspired after seeing so many users experience pandemic fatigue due to excess screen time.

Microsoft Teams will be equipped with new 3D avatars to facilitate a metaverse environment, which won’t require a VR headset. These avatars can represent the user, both in 2D and 3D meetings. This provides the user with the option of not turning on the webcam if he or she doesn’t want to. “It’s not binary, so a person can choose how they want to show up, whether it’s video or an avatar, and there’s a variety of customized options to choose from, as to how one wants to be presented in a meeting,” says Katie Kelly, principal product manager for Microsoft Mesh.

Additionally, according to Katie Kelly, these technologies, or should we say prototypes work better with VR or AR headsets, these features will be accessible by most of the devices. Also, because it is based on realistic experiences, the human presence such as talking, eye contact, and reactions are going to be important. This upgrade also focuses on removing language barriers by including a built-in app translation support, which will be a blessing in the post-pandemic scenario wherein companies have remote workers across the globe. The great news is that Microsoft has promised that these features are going to be accessible as soon as early 2022.

The addition of this feature will enable the corporations to model their own virtual spaces, or metaverses inside Teams. This seems to be Microsoft’s own metaverse.

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It is no longer news that when you search for certain animals on Google, you can view the animal in 3D. There is also an option to “view in your space” which brings the animal to “life“ using AR. Google is now expanding the AR characters you can view in your space with the addition of famous Japanese characters such as PAC-MAN, Hello Kitty, and Gundam.

According to Google, PAC-MAN is the most searched animated icon on its search engine. The search interest in the dot-eating character is even more than double that of Hello Kitty which is the second most-searced character. Google now lets you bring these characters into your space.

There are other popular characters too that have been included. There is Gundam (Odysseus and Penelope), Evangelion, Gomora, and Ultraman (including Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Belial). The full list of 14 characters is on the Japanese Google blog.

To view these characters, search for any of them in the search bar of any Android browser or in the Google app. Tap to view in 3D and if your device is ARCore-enabled, tap the button that says “View in your space“. iOS users can search for any of the characters in the Google app or on Google.com in Chrome or Safari. AR content can be viewed by devices running iOS 11+ or later.

You can take photos or record videos of the AR experience which saves to your gallery and can be shared online.

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Google has announced several new features coming to the Google Maps application. One of the interesting features coming to the app is the ability to help you find your way through indoor spaces like airports, malls, and train stations using augmented reality.

The new Google Maps feature, called Live View AR, overlays digital guides on top of the real world to provide directions as you look through your phone’s display. So, if you are in an airport, just search for what you’re looking for in Google Maps, and the markers will guide you with arrows and other digital indicators.

The Live View feature was first launched for Android and iPhone in 2019 but was initially limited outdoors directions. The feature can be accessed by searching for something in Google maps on your phone, tapping “Directions” and then, when available, tapping the “Live View” option next to “Start.”

This new feature called Live View AR is first rolling out in some malls in Chicago, Long Island, New York, Los Angeles, Newark, New Jersey, San Francisco, San Jose, California, and Seattle. In the coming months, it will also launch in airports, malls, and transit stations in Tokyo and Zurich. Other cities and locations will also eventually support the feature.

The company says that it will roll out other features in an update to Google Maps in the coming months, which includes air quality information, integration with grocery stores for curbside pickup, and an option to select the most eco-friendly route when driving.

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Last year, it was revealed that Samsung was granted a patent for its augmented reality (AR) glasses technology. With previous efforts at developing AR and VR (virtual reality) technologies in the past not yielding the desired results, it was expected that the new patent was indicative of tremendous progress made by the company in developing an improved and easier navigation system.

A couple of leaked videos may have further shown that indeed the South Korean tech giant may have perfected the design of its AR glasses, as we now know how they may look and some of their exciting features. From the videos themselves and the reviews from other tipsters, the Samsung Glasses Lite, as the AR glasses are called, are capable of projecting a virtual screen in front of the user’s eyes, making it possible to watch videos or play games while putting on the AR glasses. The incorporation of Samsung’s Dex Mode will also help users to carry out some of these tasks without a monitor or a PC.

The company has tinkered with a number of AR and VR patents and products in recent years, like the Gear VR headsets. The AR glasses come at a time when global rival Apple had been rumored with a soon-to-be-released AR headset.

The leaked concept videos also showed that the AR glasses will not be controlled by mid-air gestures but rather the control will come from a Samsung smartwatch. This is similar to the principles underlying Apple’s AR headsets and even a similar device being conceptualized by Facebook.

The possibilities of deploying the AR glasses for other applications hold a lot of promise. The glasses could be deployed in drones to provide a better view from the drone’s camera. They can also serve as sunglasses with the Sunglasses Mode and a host of augmented reality features for a compelling viewing experience.

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(via)

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China’s one of the leading display makers, BOE, is reportedly planning to commercially launch a MicroOLED display in the second half of this year. This will be used to support Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality viewing.

For those who are unaware, BOE has been developing MicroOLED panels since 2018 through Kunming BOE Display Technology, which is a joint venture with Yunnan province.

MicroOLED attaches OLED panels on a silicon wafer instead of a glass substrate, allowing it to realize super high resolution. While the OLED panel pixel sizes in smartphones and TVs are around 40-300 micrometers, MicroOLED panel pixel size is a tenth of this at around 4-20 micrometers. Also, it is ideal for AR and VR use-case because of its response time.

Sunic Systems, a South Korea-based company has supplied BOE with deposition equipment for the manufacturing of MicroOLED panels, and last year, the company had signed a deal worth $225 million for the same.

Apart from BOE, LG Display is also working on this new type of panels aims at AR/VR devices. Samsung Display, one of the leading in the world, has not yet unveiled any of the MicroOLED products so far.

Recently, a report claimed that Apple is planning on developing ultra-advanced MicroOLED display technology at a secret facility in Taiwan in partnership with TSMC. This will be used in the company’s upcoming AR/VR device, development of which is being headed by former hardware engineering chief Dan Riccio.

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For many months, Apple has been rumored to be working on AirTags — a device that can allow users to track any object it is attached to using the company’s Find My system. While it has been leaked a few times, we now have more information.

Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known and reputable Apple analyst, claims that the Apple AirTags could get launched this year, along with a number of other products, including an unnamed Augmented Reality (AR) device. This was reported by MacRumors.

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The Apple AirTags first reported in April 2019 and since then several reports have claimed different launch schedules. Even Apple itself had confirmed that the company is working on it. However, the product still remains unannounced and there’s no information available about its launch date.

Recently, an alleged Apple AirTag carrying accessory was leaked online, which looks like a small leather sleeve for the device that can allow users to easily place it within the leather cover, which is attached to the stainless steel keyring.

Kuo has revealed that apart from AirTags and AR devices, Apple is also set to launch new AirPods, more Apple Silicon-powered MacBooks, along with the fist Mini-LED display panel featuring iPads and MacBooks.

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OPPO is scheduled to hold the 2020 OPPO Future Technology Conference in Shenzhen on November 17. The Future Technology Conference is an annual event where the tech giant showcases its latest discoveries, thoughts and results on future technology from its R&D arm.

Previously, it was revealed that OPPO will showcase an FDF full-dimensional portrait video technology system, a full-link colour management system, and three concept products.

OPPO has revealed on Weibo that the second generation of the OPPO AR glasses will be unveiled at the Future Technology Conference. The teaser poster shows the device will bring a comfortable wearing experience. The AR glass is also lightweight and will have two cameras in the corners of the two lenses. One of the cameras will likely be used for AR detection.

In December last year, at the last OPPO Future Technology Conference, the company announced its involvement in the AR glasses category and demonstrated its first AR glasses. The first generation of OPPO AR glasses is equipped with four lenses, of which a ToF lens is used for distance measurement, an RGB lens is used for shooting object shapes, and two fisheye lenses are used for imaging.

According to reports, OPPO AR glasses will be equipped with depth sensors and spatial MIC arrays. It will also use diffractive optical waveguide technology, support voice interaction and 3D surround sound. It is also equipped with a microphone and physical buttons, which can be operated by gestures and voice.

OPPO founder and CEO Chen Mingyong once said that in the next three years, he will invest 50 billion yuan in R&D, continue to focus on cutting-edge technologies such as 5G/6G, artificial intelligence, AR, and big data. The company will also build core hardware technologies and software engineering and system capabilities.

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The Apple Glass, an AR headset, may offer a few interesting features. To make the whole experience more immersive it could offer an accurate reproduction of sounds on a 3D plane, according to a report from AppleInsider.

Virtual reality in gaming and augmented reality has become increasingly more popular in recent times, and the people behind such technology are constantly trying to make the world you see more believable. The latter in particular has revolved around bringing more to the mundane world around the user. Thus, the added realism from the accurate audio could make digitally created structures seem more genuine.

This could also help improve interactions with said artificially produced objects in the users’ vision. While most stereo headphones offer basic left and right differentiation, a virtual sound system can reproduce audio positioning on a 3D plane by altering the properties of the sound effects to mimic the distortions caused by different factors.

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The Apple patent titled “Head related transfer function selection for binaural sound reproduction,” points at such a system. In simpler terms, the Cupertino based giant seeks to improve 3D sound positioning by having Head related transfer function (HRTF), which is basically a pair of acoustic filters for each ear. These help in differentiating the transmission of sounds from various positions in the environment around the user.

Unfortunately, the Apple patent does show the company’s interest in this field. Although, it does not provide any guarantee that the company would work on such a system. Rather, it could be their efforts in covering various bases for future possibilities which are again unlikely.

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Coolpad Group hosted a new product launch conference with the theme of “Unlimited Horizons” and at the event, the Chinese company launched its smart wearable AR glasses, dubbed as Coolpad Xview.

The company claims this newly launched smart device as the first wireless all-in-one AR glasses in China. It is also claimed to be the first such device in the market to come powered by a wearable chipset.

Coming to design, it seems very similar to the regular sunglasses and has lens measuring just 3mm. The product comes with an optical display which is equipped with optical waveguide technology. Coolpad claims that it offers industry-leading light transmittance, contrast, and color.

As for the interactions, it offers high-precision fusion positioning, space marking, target recognition, and tracking along with other features powered by algorithms based on the wearable chipset. This is achieved through a 5-year collaboration of Coolpad and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

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The company has launched two variants of this new Coolpad Xview Smart Wearable AR Glasses. The consumer version is focused on lightweight AR apps such as navigation, shopping guide, communication, etc. It can be used in a standalone mode or can be connected to smartphones through Bluetooth.

There’s another variant of the same which comes with support for 4G connectivity, which is also claimed to be the first. The company is now planning to introduce support for 5G connectivity as early as next year.

As for the pricing, the Coolpad Xview consumer version is priced at 2,999 yuan which roughly converts to $428. The company is yet to reveal availability details, but it will definitely be limited to the Chinese market for now.

UP NEXT: India could ban more Chinese apps, including PUBG Mobile and AliExpress

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The OnePlus Nord is OnePlus’ most anticipated product. There is a lot of hype around the device, no thanks to OnePlus’s awesome marketing strategy. Early leaks have revealed the phone will launch this month, and now we have a launch date.

According to a now-deleted tweet by Ishan Agarwal, the OnePlus Nord will be announced on July 21. The OnePlus launch will also be unlike any we have ever seen before.

Rather than an online-only launch which has become the norm since the pandemic, OnePlus will be setting a record with an AR launch which it says is the world’s first AR smartphone launch.

AR is short for Augmented Reality which in the simplest terms means bringing the digital world into the real world. This means you will most likely see the launch take place in your living room or anywhere you will be during the launch in a similar fashion to what you already do with Google’s AR animals. Details for setting up your device for the launch will be available at this link, but the page is not live yet.

The OnePlus Nord will have an AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The display will also have a pill-shaped notch for dual selfie cameras. It has been confirmed that the OnePlus Nord will have support for 5G thanks to the Snapdragon 765G processor inside it. Other features are quad rear cameras, 30W charging, and a price tag under $500.

UP NEXT: OnePlus listens to feedback: Launches new TV remotes with a better design and more buttons

(Via)

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5G mobile networks are relatively new but the increased spread and bandwidth bring untapped potential. As per a report by Digitimes, 5G will surge the demand for display technologies across various sectors.

The fifth-generation mobile technology, commonly known as 5G is capable of offering high-speed internet to the masses when it is commercialized across the world. Faster internet enables innovative applications like cloud gaming, even better media streaming, virtual reality, augmented reality, and others. Further, these functions require better screens to enjoy the content and therefore display industry is expected to flourish more in the coming years.

The four display trends that will boom on account of 5G are AMOLED panels, high-refresh-rate panels, large-size integrated automotive panels, and high-resolution panels for AR / VR. Smartphone OEMs have already started using AMOLED screens on most of their devices and it is expected to grow more. Around 40% of total smartphone shipments in 2020 is expected to use AMOLED panels due to their increased availability. Apart from Samsung and Apple, we will see devices from Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo to feature these panels in more numbers than before.

Editor’s Pick: OnePlus 8 to feature 2K OLED Display with 120Hz refresh rate

Although high-refresh-rate displays have been around for a while, it was OnePlus that popularized its usage on smartphones. As mobile gaming is becoming the norm these days, the demand for such displays is more than ever. With 5G, we might see more games to support high-refresh-rate which in turn will lead OEMs to launch more devices (even budget ones) with such panels. In fact, we already have Realme 6 and Realme 6 Pro, a budget smartphone duo from the house of BBK with 90Hz refresh rate displays for the masses.

5G also enables various automotive applications that require large-size integrated display panels in the front instead of traditional dashboards. Also, VR and AR devices leverage 5G to offer a seamless experience. They too require high-resolution display panels to let users experience a more true to life environment. Hence, we can even expect the demand for innovative displays to surge higher as carriers launch 5G services across the world.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi’s Surge Chip development reportedly abandoned, shifting focus to Low Power BL, RF chips

(Source)

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At its on-going Oppo Inno Day 2019 conference, the Chinese company has today announced its first AR Glasses. The announcement comes at a time when the smartphone company has said that it is now focusing on diversifying its portfolio of product categories.

The Oppo AR Glasses is a step forward for the Chinese company to expand its presence in the augmented reality space, which remains widely untapped even though VR and AR were touted to be the next big thing.

As per the reports, the Oppo AR Glasses offers three-dimensional reproduction and is also equipped to offer 3D surround sound. It is reportedly using diffractive optical waveguide technology to achieve thinness and high transmittance.

It also comes with various modes of interaction, including gestures and voice recognition. Coming to the software part, the device comes packed with various AR content, including games and services.

EDITOR’S PICK: Redmi K30 expected to soon launch in India as the phone passes through the country’s certification agency BIS

The Oppo AR Glasses features dual fisheye cameras on the front along with an HD camera. On the side, it appears that there are two buttons styled in green. The company claims that the Oppo AR Glasses are thinner in size and lighter in weight compared to the Hololens.

Oppo has not revealed much details about this new product it has announced but the company has said that it will be launched in the first quarter of next year, i.e. Q1 2020 but has not revealed specific details.

UP NEXT: Realme XT 730G Star Wars Edition teased to launch in India on December 17

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Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality were said to be the next big thing, however, they haven’t lived up to the hype and is moving forward at their own slow pace. There are few companies which are doing good for the next-gen platforms, including HTC Vive and Oculus.

Now, Qualcomm has announced the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 platform, which is the successor to last year’s XR1 platform and brings several upgrades. For those who are unaware XR platform is for extended reality which combines augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality.

The Snapdragon XR2 comes with the brand’s latest-and-greatest Snapdragon 865 processor which the company claims can enable performance and graphics benefits of up to two times. This is not surprising considering the Snapdragon XR1 made use of the Snapdragon 835 chip.

The graphics engine also gets 1.5 times the pixel rate and 3 times the texel rate for offering lifelike visuals. It also has four times the video bandwidth, and 11 times faster AI processing. It can also support up to seven concurrent cameras thanks to a dedicated processor for handling computer vision.

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei faces public outrage after ex-employee detained for eight months over false charges

With support for more cameras, the platform gets the ability to accurately track head, lips, and eyes in real-time as well as 26-point skeletal hand tracking. The platform also enables low-latency camera pass through, ensuring that users continue enjoying the virtual world while being connected to the real world at the same time.

The Snapdragon XR2 can support displays of up to 3k x 3k resolution for each of the eyes at 90fps. Qualcomm also touted that the XR2 is the first platform to be able to see 8k 360-degree videos at 60fps, with the 4k video offering a refresh rate of 120fps. For audio, it features a custom-built always-on, low-power Hexagon DSP for offering 3D spatial sound, and better voice activation.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 also comes with support for 5G and the company believes that this will make XR headsets more affordable, unlike standalone headsets. It adds that the processing can be split between the device and edge cloud and 5G will ensure high-speed, low-latency experiences.

UP NEXT: Qualcomm Adreno GPU updates will now arrive via Google Play Store

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Beginning today, a handful of brands that sell their products directly on Instagram will be able to add a new AR try-on feature to product pages. Initially, the new AR feature will be limited to cosmetics (Mac and Nars are early partners) and eyewear (Warby Parker and Ray-Ban), but Instagram plans to make it available for more products over time.

The feature is essentially an extension of Facebook’s version of the same, which was also launched with selected brands last year. Instagram’s version, built on Facebook’s Spark AR platform, looks a bit more refined, which likely comes from the extra time in development, but is also probably more of a requirement to fit into Instagram’s aesthetic focus.

EDITOR’S PICK: OnePlus 8 3D renders reveal punch-hole display; will have wireless charging too

There’s a few ways Instagram users might encounter the new shopping feature. The first is while checking out specific products a brand has tagged in a post. You’ll have the option to try out the product via an augmented reality filter before adding it to your cart, but Instagram is also hoping users will be inspired to share these AR experiences in Stories, which will also link back to the original product.

It’s an interesting addition, particularly on Instagram, given the audience’s interest in Stories and the heavier focus on visual tools. That could make it a great option for Instagram campaigns. It will require additional platform expertise to create such experiences, but they’re quite interesting and brimming with potential.

“Instagram is such an important platform for product discovery, particularly in beauty,” says Dina Fierro, VP of Global Digital Strategy at Nars Cosmetics, one of Instagram’s initial shopping partners. “It is very clear that Instagram impacts purchases whether that’s happening online or offline.”

UP NEXT: Huawei P30 Pro units are failing SafetyNet, Huawei confirms

(Via)

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Apple has reportedly acquired motion capture company named IKinema. The report comes from MacRumors which is based on evidence from company filings and information shared with the website by its reader.

A document filed with the UK government, Peter Deanwood, who is Apple‘s lawyer and responsible for the company’s international dealings, has been named as a Director of IKinema and the company’s service address has been listed as One Apple Park Way.

For the uninitiated, IKenima is a motion capture company based out of the United Kingdom that captures animation technology which are used for games, virtual reality and more. It also developed technology that captures real-time motion animation of virtual characters.

Currently, the IKinema website is not operational and shows a support email address and a link to documentation covering the company’s various motion capture technologies. Also, the company’s Facebook and Twitter profiles haven’t been updated since 19th August.

EDITOR’S PICK: 3D concept renders of the upcoming OnePlus 8 reveals punch-hole display; the device will have wireless charging support as well

The report indicates that customers of the company were not warned of a possible shutdown or sale and have been kept in the dark since early August. A person with inside information revealed that the acquisition was confirmed in Facebook Motion Capture group.

A few months ago, in July, the company had announced a partnership to provide Ubisoft access to its RunTime middleware. That same press release noted some existing collaborations of the company with Bandai Namco, Koch Media, NetEase Network, Rare, and 343 Industries.

With the acquisition of IKinema, Apple could use the technology in its various AR and VR projects as well as the company could enlist its help for improving True Depth camera technology which captures movements of the face.

UP NEXT: Huawei launches Shining Star Program in Malaysia with incentives for local app developers

(Source)

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A few months ago, at the launch event of Huawei P30 series smartphones, the company had also announced a partnership between Huawei and Gentle Monster, a Korea-based fashion brand.

Both the companies have been working on developing the first smart glasses for Huawei. The said AR/VR smart glasses are expected to be stylish and will look like normal sunglasses at first glance.

Now, new trademark applications filed by the company hints that the device has gone through the development process and is all set to get unveiled at IFA 2019.

A couple of days ago, on 14th August, Huawei Technologies filed two trademarks application to the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) and at the UK IPO (Intellectual Property Office) for the names Huawei VR Glass and Huawei AR Glass.

Both the applications have been categorized as Class 9 with description mentioning smartglasses, smartwatches, smartphones, 3D spectacles, and eyeglasses. The applications for the same were submitted by Forresters from Munich, Germany.

This is the same company that filed applications earlier this month for the names Huawei SuperSensing Camera and Cine Lens, both are probably meant for the Huawei Mate 30 series phones, which are expected to get launched around October.

Earlier this year, the company had shared details of its developing AR glasses, which would be the first to come with a built-in Voice Assistant. Thanks to a built-in microphone and speakers, it is also possible to to make telephone calls via the smart glasses. The glasses are IP67 certified, making it water and dust resistant.

In addition, it’s also possible to charge them through Wireless charging as well as through the included leather case with USB Type-C connection. The Huawei smart glasses will come powered by a big 2,200mAh battery.

While the company didn’t reveal the launch date of its smart glasses, there were reports about them getting launched in July 2019. Since they are not official yet, it’s possible that the company could launch them at the upcoming IFA 2019, which kcks-off on 6th September in Berlin, Germany.

(Via)

Up Next: Android Enterprise lists Huawei Nova 5T, reveals the phone’s key specifications

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Snap has launched its third-generation of its augmented reality sunglasses, named Spectacles 3. The redesigned AR glasses now come with a sleek new design and dual HD cameras that create depth perception.

The Snap Spectacles 3, priced a $380, will go on sale on Spectacles.com from November 2019. The glasses, which are claimed by the company to be a limited release, are twice as expensive as its predecessor which costs $150.

The Spectacles 3 comes with a new design having circular lenses in a squared-off frame. They come in two color options — Carbon and Mineral. The frame is made out of steel and as before the glasses are tinted, making them impractical after sunset.

This newly introduced glasses can capture images in a resolution of 1642 x 1642 and videos in a resolution of 1216 x 1216. As before, the content can be viewed within the Snapchat app in either portrait or landscape and the perspective remains the same regardless of how you hold the phone.

It comes with a 4GB onboard storage that can hold around 100 videos or 1200 photos. However, you have to transfer the files manually over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi as there’s still no automatic transfer. This seems like a missed opportunity to improve the user experience when the company is charging more than twice compared to its predecessor.

The battery lets you record up to 70 videos or capture over 200 photos on a single charge and takes 75 minutes to recharge. The glasses charge within their carrying case, which has a USB-C charging connector.

The major highlight of this new glasses is the presence of the second camera, which enables Spectacles to capture depth. The company has built a suite of new 3D effects that take advantage of the device’s new depth perception ability. The new 3D effects will be exclusive to Spectacles, and the company plans to let third-party developers design depth effects starting later this year.

(Source)

Up Next: Fresh Motorola One Zoom details reveal its not an Android One phone

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SwiftKey, a keyboard app which is now owned by Microsoft, has introduced a new animated emoji feature directly into its mobile keyboard app that uses the artificial intelligence (AI) technology to replicate a person’s detailed facial expressions inside a 3D animal character.

The feature is called Swiftkey Puppet and is similar to Animoji on iOS or Samsung‘s AR Emoji. Users can record themselves as a dinosaur, cat, owl, dog, or panda and have their phone’s camera track their face so the app can animate their facial movements.

In order to create this feature, SwiftKey says that it tapped thousands of images and videos from volunteers to train a deep neural network capable of identifying each person’s expressions and movements in real time.

Since the Swiftkey Puppet is embedded in the keyboard app itself, it works with just about any app, though the ease of use varies. For instance, sending a video through Slack, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram requires you to select the recipient again even if you’re already in a message thread with them.

As per some user reports, the Puppets feature is still very rough as it doesn’t track mouth movements very well and sometimes it seems out of sync. Currently, the feature is in beta, so this will likely improve over time.

Microsoft had acquired SwiftKey for around $250 million more than three years ago, and since then, the company has brought a number of new features to the app, including in-keyboard web search. The keyboard is notable for its extensibility, with users able to customize and add features — including GIFs, new theme options, translations, and a clipboard — to the keyboard’s top menu bar.

(Source)

Up Next: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) goes official with an 8-inch display and 5,100 mAh battery

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According to the report published by the International Data Corporation (IDC), China’s market spending on augmented reality and virtual reality (VR/AR) is forecast to exceed $65.21 billion in 2023. The amount mentioned in the report is far beyond the forecast of spending $6.53 billion dollars of the market spending in the year 2019.

As per the report, between the years 2018 and 2023, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the spending in the VR/AR sector will reach 84.6 percent, which is higher than the 78.3 percent CAGR of the global market.

In terms of commercial applications of AR/VR, the three fields include training, retail showcasing, and industrial maintenance. In terms of consumer spending, VR games, AR games, and VR videos take up the top three spot, with the spending volume scaling up to $9.59 billion by 2023.

It says that China will see the largest AR/VR spending totals throughout the forecast, followed by the United States. The two countries will account for nearly three-quarters of all spending worldwide by 2023. The report also adds that AR software will be the second fastest growing category, enabling it to overtake VR software spending by 2022.

Globally, the AR/VR market is projected to witness stellar growth because of the booming gaming industry as well as the rising need for head-mounted displays. A report from MRFR suggests 73.3% CAGR in the augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) market between 2018 and 2025.

The AR/VR market is projected to gain traction mainly due to a massive wave of demand from multiple sectors. Healthcare, life & sciences, education, gaming, entertainment, e-commerce, and retail are fueling significant demand for this technology.

The verticals of e-commerce and retail are expected to push the AR & VR market substantially due to rising competition among industry giants. E-commerce companies such as Amazon and Flipkart are using AR & VR technology to revolutionize the online shopping landscape by providing a virtual reality shopping experience.

Furthermore, with prompt developments witnessed by the 5G technology, integration of the same in the augmented and virtual reality technology is likely to push the market. Many organizations are adopting augmented reality and virtual reality technology to enhance the consumer experience of their products and services.

Up Next: China’s domestic smartphone market data for March shows a 6% decline in shipment YoY

(Source)

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US fabless chipmaker Qualcomm has showcased a new Snapdragon XR Smart Viewer reference design that will provide an easier way for hardware companies to manufacture lightweight augmented reality glasses. The tech giant made the announcement on the heels of the Augmented World Expo (AWE) event that would be held in Santa Clara, California. The company will also be exhibiting a prototype product at its stand during the expo.

The design will make AR glasses to also double as smart viewers for AR content that is stored on a smartphone. The lightweight glasses come with high-resolution displays and has sensors that can track movement, hands, and eyes. But the glasses are connected via a wire to a smartphone or a computing puck as there are very little to no processing is happening inside the glasses. The processing takes place in a device that is connected to the glasses, according to Hugo Swart, head of XR at Qualcomm.

The Qualcomm exec also added that there were benefits to distributing the load on what is carried in the body and what is worn on the head. “So you can put a smaller Snapdragon chip on the headset to do 6DoF tracking and eye tracking and 3D reconstruction and movement and hand tracking,” he said.

He also disclosed that the reference design is built with the help of GoerTek and will enable a lot of manufacturers of smart glasses to jump into space with AR and a VR smart viewers.

The Snapdragon Smart Viewer Reference Design features six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) movement for room scale XR experiences. With two dedicated 6DoF cameras for body tracking, users can walk around without the need for external motion sensors. It also has full support for hand tracking and gesture trackings such as tap, zoom, pinch, and scroll features, which could be used for interactions with virtual objects. There is also eye tracking.

To reduce power consumption using foveated rendering, Qualcomm worked with eye-tracking firm Tobii to have integrated eye tracking. This provides superior intuitive interfaces and enables gaze direction for fast interactions within the virtual environment.

The glasses also feature a display panel, built with JDI, to enable consumers to be immersed in their favorite content by supporting smooth experiences with 72KHz refresh rate and 2K resolution per eye. It works for both AR and virtual reality.

The reference design also supports standalone mode, where, in addition to tethering the headset via USB-C to a host device, the Snapdragon Smart Viewer Reference Design also delivers high-quality experiences in a mode where all the computing is done directly on the device.

(source)

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Last year, in November, Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Technologies, revealed in an interview to CNBC that the company is working on developing augmented reality (AR) glasses that could be connected to a smartphone.

While Richard Yu didn’t reveal more information about the device, a newly published patent application of Huawei suggests that the Chinese company is also exploring the development of AR glasses that can be connected to a smartwatch, which will be connected to a smartphone.

The patent, filed by Huawei Technologies, was published in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on 7th February. Titled ‘Eyeglass Frame’, the patent describes a lightweight, discrete and relatively inexpensive AR headset.

Going by the patent, it seems that the slim glasses can be used as an Augmented Reality headset. Interestingly, the glasses do not have a camera, display or microphone and the user will need to have a smartwatch.

The Huawei AR glasses are further equipped with an adapter and a mirror. While the adapter is placed close to the smartwatch, the content is displayed on the smartwatch display via the mirror. The device also supports audio playback.

The patent shows two different frames in the illustrations, but the placement of the smartwatch is the same. However, there’s a slight difference in the spectacle feet. For the glasses, both a transparent and semi-transparent optical element can be used.

Before the Huawei AR glasses launches in the market, the company will probably launch a smartwatch with a camera module first given that none of Huawei’s current smartwatches come with support for camera sensors.

Earlier, in an interview with CNBC, Richard Yu had suggested the timeline for the launch of this Huawei AR glasses. It could get launched by the end of this year or early next year. However, there’s no confirmation if the device will be similar to the one shown in this patent or something different.

Read More: Huawei’s semiconductor spending witnessed a staggering 45 percent growth in 2018, reports Gartner

Apart from Huawei, another smartphone manufacturer — Apple is also reportedly working on an augmented reality-based glasses that can be connected to iPhone and are speculated to launch in a year or two.

(Source)

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The Mate 20 series smartphone from Huawei comes with Leica-branded lenses. Along with that, the major highlight of the camera is that the phone supports several AI-based and AR-based functions and features, aiming to provide an impressive camera performance.

Powered by the company’s own Kirin 980 chipset, which comes with two NPU chips, where one is dedicated to “vast AI computing,” while the other tackles “specific tasks.” As per the company, the setup boosts image recognition performance 120 percent.

Now, Huawei has officially launched its ‘3D Moderator’ application for the users of Mate 20 20 and Mate 20 RS Porsche Edition, which enables creating own AR interactive 3D elements, known as “AI Live Model” or “3D Live Object”.

This is possible because of the array of front-facing sensors, which includes a 24MP RGB camera sensor, a dot projector, flood illuminator, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, an IR camera. Using those sensors and some artificial intelligence-based algorithms, the device can quickly scan the toy object — such as a doll — and can also simulate the limb movements.

The company says that the object selected for scanning should be 15-25cm in length and parts of it should be at least 5cm in diameter. For animation effects, users can choose from a range of actions, including happy jumping, ballet, happy walking, cross-stepping, easy running, Chinese kung fu, among others.

The object can then move and dance in augmented reality, providing an immersive AR interactive experience. It can also be shared on social media platforms. Users can also use the software to create their own custom interaction. Similar to Google’s Playground AR app, users can also take photos with the virtual toy.

Read More: Huawei Preparing its Own Voice Assistant to Pitch Against Google Assistant

As we said earlier, the newly launched ‘3D Moderator’ application on the Huawei’s application market, is only supported by two smartphones — Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20 RS Porsche Edition.

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In order to deal with future prospects, Huawei is already working quite hard to bring AR, VR to their devices. Previously, they have added AI, AR in their latest flagship Mate 20 Pro. Although it seems Huawei doesn’t want to remain in just apps or smartphones market, they want to enter AR glasses market in the next couple of years. In an interview speaking to CNBC, Richard Yu, CEO of the company’s consumer group said that they are working on AR glasses and it would be ready for commercialization in the next few years.

On a broader perspective, Richard Yu confirmed that Huawei is working to bring AR experience to the next level by introducing wearable spectacles. It will directly resemble AR Google Glasses and Microsoft HoloLens giving a similar experience, but there will be a considerable advancement this time. Many new things have been refined over the past, and we hope Huawei to come up with more useful AR glasses.

Talking about it, Yu said, “With this AR, you can have AR glasses working with phone, maybe you can watch more of a large area.”

Richard Yu added that the AR would not see much use in the beginning but in future, you will see more value for it. It is the sole reason that Huawei has started to implement the new AR, VR techniques in its latest smartphones. Huawei wants users to become accustomed to it before scratching further into the AR.

Further, Yu Richard added that “In the beginning you may feel AR … is nothing. But in the future you will see more and more the value of that.”

• Read More: Huawei AI Speaker debuts in China with its own virtual assistant, priced 399 Yuan (~$60)

Well, the renewed interests by major giants have again initiated talks about AR in the market. Along with Huawei, Apple is also in works on the AR glasses. Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about it at different events. Even, the Cupertino giant has acquired Akonia Holographic. Although, Facebook is also in works on AR glasses as last month  Ficus Kirkpatrick has confirmed about the AR hardware product to TechCrunch.

Some experts over IDC expects 200,000 AR headset shipments this year, which will rise to 21 million in 2022. It means AR market is going to see a bump in the next few years. So, guys get ready for the next level of AR experience along with the 5G evolution.

(Source)

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Xiaomi’s latest crowdfunded product has been announced and our guess was right. The XPRINT Pocket AR Photo Printer is its 153rd crowdfunded item and it does more than just print pictures.

Lately we have seen manufacturers release pocket printers as a way to bring back the instant cameras that reigned decades ago since most people now take pictures with their phones.

The XPRINT Pocket AR Photo Printer adds a mix to its own pictures. When you take a picture (with the dedicated app I presume), you can also record a short video. The app then “integrates” the video into the photo before printing.

When you want to view the printed photo later, all you have to do is point your phone’s camera at the picture and it will play the recorded video. Xiaomi says the app recognizes the photo in just 0.28 seconds and has a tracking speed of 120 frames per seconds.

The printer connects to your device via Bluetooth or NFC and works with devices running Android 5.0 and above or iOS 9.0 and up. It comes in white and measures 133 x 80 x 27mm and weighs 237g without the photo tray and 268g with the photo tray. It has a 650mAh battery capacity and thankfully can be recharged with a power bank.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Launches Circle Kitchen 4L Multifunctional Hot Pot Priced At 239 Yuan (~$38)

The XPRINT Pocket AR Photo Printer prints 54 x 86 mm photos with a 291 x 294 resolution. The printer is priced at ¥399 (~$63) and the photo paper is priced at ¥39.9 (~$6) with 20pcs/pack. The printer itself can take 10 paper films at a time.

The printer has already surpassed its crowdfunding target and is scheduled to start shipping on March 12, 2018.

(Via)

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Xiaomi’s Mi Home will on Thursday, February 1, launch its 153rd crowd-funded product. Little is known about the product save for a few hints from the teaser poster and Weibo posts.

The teaser poster hints at a camera related product as a rough translation of the text on it has the phrases “human eye” and “120 frames/second”. The Weibo post also has the same words in addition to “AR” and “photos”. The hints do not end there.

The teaser poster was also shared by Shanghai Hantu Technology (XPRINT), a top company in China’s VR industry. From their own posts we able to make out the words “AR technology”, “photo”, “mobile phone” and “video”.

READ MORE: Users Complain Latest Xiaomi Mi A1 Update Causing Battery Drain

Our guess is that the product is a sort of portable printer that uses AR technology to let you embed a video inside the printed photograph. Once you point your phone at the photograph, it plays a short video of the events leading to when the photo was taken.

We guess we have to wait till Thursday to know if we are right.

(Sources: 1, 2; Via)

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In 2016 and 2017, many smartphone OEMs have launched dual rear camera enabled smartphones in various price points. It seems that in 2018, Android smartphones will be coming with some new camera related features like iris authentication through front-facing camera and depth sensing. Qualcomm is working on in its next-generation Snapdragon mobile chipset. It has confirmed on the new features that it will be adding to its second-generation image signal processor named Spectra that will arrive along with the next mobile chipset.

Qualcomm had introduced the Spectra Module Program with Snapdragon 835 that provided manufacturers with pre-configured camera modules for smartphone OEMs that could be conveniently slotted into the smartphones using a Snapdragon chipset. The second-generation Spectra image processor will be bringing along three new features such as iris scanning, passive and active depth sensing.

The Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note Fan Edition are some of the smartphones that are equipped with iris scanners. The retina scanning technology on these smartphones were implemented by Samsung. Qualcomm’s iris scanning feature that will be available with the second-gen Spectra Module Program will be more accurate and it will be able to avoid spoofing techniques like using images or molds of people’s eyes.

Read More: Qualcomm Enters Under-Display Fingerprint Scanner Race, Launch in Q1 2018

Passive depth sensing will make use of two camera sensors with some gap between them. The two images shot by the respective camera sensors can be compared by the smartphone for disparity. When the object is closer, disparity will be larger. The depth can be determined by calculating how far the object is. It is the same way the human eyes function to determine how far an object is.

Active depth sensing comprises of an IR (infrared) illuminator, IR camera sensor and a 16-megapixel (or 20-megapixel) RGB sensor depending on the configuration. The IR illuminator will fire a light that makes use of a filter to create a dot pattern. The IR camera will detect and read the created pattern. The smartphone can measure the accurate depth by determining distortions in the dotted pattern. The regular camera can then pitch in to shoot a 3D image instantly.

The active depth sensing works more accurately than the passive system. Since it is uses infrared light, it functions accurately even in the dark.

The above video demonstrates shows the active depth sensing coming with second-gen Spectra Module Program in action. The video was shot from above, but it managed to accurately the measure the depth of the hands of a person playing the piano. The use of the next-gen Spectra image processor will offer accurate AR and VR experiences and secure facial scanning than what’s more available on existing smartphones. We may see smartphones enabled with new depth sensing feature from Qualcomm early next year.

(source)

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It appears that Apple is joining the ranks of the few manufacturers interested in AR (Augmented Reality) and it is doing so with the help of German optical company, Carl Zeiss AG.

The information stems from a social media post by Robert Scoble, a tech evangelist. In his post, he said that Apple and Carl Zeiss are working together to produce an Augmented Reality Glasses. Currently the big names invested in AR are Google (Tango) and Microsoft (Hololens) and with Apple joining the competition now, things are going to get interesting.

While we do not want to go on arguing about which is better between AR and VR (virtual reality) as both of them have their uses, Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks AR is the future and has more potential than VR. In his words, the market for AR “is the larger of the two, probably by far”.

Last year, quite a number of manufacturers released VR Glasses. Just to mention a few: Xiaomi released the Xiaomi VR Play and the Xiaomi Mi VR Headset and Google launched its Daydream VR headset. But AR didn’t do badly either, while the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Tango phone is the major AR device that launched last year, AR-based game Pokemon Go took the world by storm.

READ MORE: TSMC Says 10nm Chip Production for Apple, Huawei and Mediatek is on Track

This year, ASUS kicked off AR by launching the ASUS Zenfone AR smartphone and according to Mr. Scoble’s post, the Apple AR Glasses will also be released this year.

(Source)

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2K resolution on a smartphone display has always been the topic of discussion, with some believing that there’s no real need for such high-resolution panel, while others stating that 2K is really the future. Huawei’s CEO, Richard Yu has always been a strong criticizer of 2K resolution on smartphones, that is, until recently. A few weeks back, he revealed that although 2K resolution would be unnecessary on a smartphone display of size less than 6.5-inches, it was needed for VR. Hence, even Huawei was going to release a 2K smartphone this year.

Now, ZTE’s CEO Zeng Xuezhong revealed his views on the matter and his comments indicate that the upcoming ZTE Axon 2 flagship is all set to come with a 2K resolution display that’s better than rivals. He revealed late yesterday that ZTE’s Axon flagship is using the top-end panel from Sharp with 2K resolution which makes it amazing. He further revealed that 2K displays were necessary for VR since in a VR headset the screen was too close to the eyes and the image looks enlarged. This is why smartphones need to have at least 2K resolution displays to deliver a good VR experience.

The CEO also revealed a picture of VR (added above), which hints that the company will release some VR related products soon. A VR headset from ZTE won’t be a surprise given that major tech players are all invested in this emerging market. But according to Xuezhong, a good VR experience is not just about 2K resolution screen, as there are a number of other factors involved as well. The experience will also depend on the screen’s color gamut, contrast ratio, response time and power consumption.

Considering these comments from the company CEO, it looks like the upcoming ZTE Axon 2 will give these factors due attention to ensure a great VR experience. ZTE is said to be working on VR / AR since 2009 and by 2015, it is said that the company has hundreds of patents under its belt.

Since the CEO has started commenting about VR and Axon flagship, it is possible that we will meet the new device soon. We had already spotted the Axon 2 model recently, you can read more about that from here.

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