News
Holographic startup Envisics partners with Panasonic to fast-track in-car AR tech
Heads up displays have been around for a few years now, but this deal with Panasonic and Envisics is the start of the next generation of Augmented Reality within automobiles. I also really love that the technology behind this came from the Ph.D. work done by the company's CEO more than a decade ago. For as advanced as we tend to think things are we're always years behind true technological advances.
Verizon picks Unity as 5G MEC partner for 3D enterprise apps and games
Anyone familiar with gaming consoles is very familiar with having the latest and greatest in technology with no games to play. Verizon is slowly rolling out 5G and has partnered with Unity 3D to ensure that games, apps, and VR/AR ready content will be available for its network. This is a big play to keep in competition with Unreal Engine, and for enterprises on the fence on which to use for their cutting edge future experiences provides a not-so-subtle advantage in choosing to work with Unity 3D.
Here debuts enterprise XR- and 5G-ready 3D models of 75 major cities
More news on the 3D asset front, digital map maker Here Technologies has announced that their enterprise clients now have access to geospatially and volumetrically accurate models of major cities. Digital Twins are a major problem for global scale Augmented Reality, and the data and models make a reliable starting point for incorporating business logic atop the world.
Google Cloud streams Augmented Reality
In a very Google way of showing and not telling, this article features a real world example of how Fiat is using the existing Google AR/VR platform to show fairly detailed and realistic vehicles using the smartphones people already have today. Check it out and see how amazing it makes Jeeps look witting in your house or driveway.
Experiences
Welcome to Light Fields on Steam
Google's Light Field Video is an interesting approach to creating video and virtual realty experiences. The quality of light and immersive feel this beings is on full display in this demo available now on Steam. The light playing through the environments are vivid and textural, with a quality that has been difficult to replicate.
Business
Is VR the Future of Corporate Training?
From learning a trade, to enhancing soft skills, to touring remote locations, Virtual Reality has already been in use by various industries for decades. But it's not until the last few years of advancements has it become so ubiquitous and cost effective. This article examines the benefits of VR as it's being used today by companies around the world.
How AR/VR Are Transforming the Real Estate Industry
Published by cloud and VR/AR platform provider echoAR this article talks about advancements and their effect on how real estate is shown and sold. These enhanced experiences are already in use on many real estate sites and have even become the standard for what we have come to expect when considering a property.
How AR Is Redefining Retail in the Pandemic
It's no secret that Augmented Reality is something consumers are looking forward to adopting, and with the pandemic it's been the perfect shot in the arm to spark innovation and experimentation by major brands. All of the companies mentioned in this article are already using AR, and in some pretty interesting ways.
One More Thing
It's Now Winter -- Spark Pop-up Card Tutorial Series
For anyone that is interested in how to get started with Augmented Reality this tutorial series is both very instructive and exceptionally cute. You’ll be taken through how to setup an AR project to add life to a pop-up greeting card that you can print and give to someone. The skills you’ll learn will map to other frameworks and software, and is very useful for creating AR lenses for Instagram and Snapchat.
Commentary
"The future is now" is a common phrase and it seems that every year CES comes around that is even more true. Advancements are exciting to talk about but it's also important to look at ways that technology is already being used that doesn't always get as much attention. Last year's press release is still an innovative leap in the types of experiences we can create.
Thank you to everyone who's subscribed and continued to read and support us. if you're enjoying this newsletter please consider sharing it with others. We've continued to grow with each issue released and that is partly due to all of you. As always, if you want to recommend anything to us tweet your links. Our directory of companies, experiences, gear, and more is growing so visit our directory to find resources that also may not be getting major press.
Other Realities