Though I only occasionally write about augmented reality, I sift through plenty of “news” these days that is kinda-sorta AR, but not really. For example, if you believe that a TV show is using “augmented reality” to superimpose weather graphics on the screen next to a live meteorologist, AR has been commercially available for decades. Video […]
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In August 2017, Google gave YouTube a chat feature. This week, in August 2019, the company said it would take the option away. Google could have figured out the feature was useless sooner — or not built it at all. YouTube chose to skip its official blog and instead announced the news on two different […]
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(Reuters) — Qualcomm won a partial stay against the enforcement of a sweeping antitrust ruling in a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), according to a court filing on Friday. The company on May 21 lost in an antitrust lawsuit and has been fighting to have the ruling put on hold while it […]
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I hold in my hands a smartphone accessory that sports a fully foldable screen. It’s got nothing to do with the beleaguered Samsung Galaxy Fold or Huawei Mate X, nor the half-dozen bendable phone prototypes from brands like Oppo, Xiaomi, Royale, and others. Rather, it’s LG’s Dual Screen, which retails alongside the Korean variant of […]
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Mobile game publisher Jam City unveiled its match-3 puzzle game Frozen Adventures, which is debuting in November in anticipation of the launch of the Disney Frozen 2 film. The original Frozen animated film released in 2013 generated $1.2 billion at the box office, and Frozen 2 is expected to be a blockbuster when it debuts […]
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In the past, Gamescom (the giant fan event in Cologne, Germany) was a sideshow for the worldwide game industry. Companies could choose to come or skip it. They made their announcements at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles in June. Fans made Gamescom overcrowded. But based on my impressions of Gamescom 2019, the […]
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On Tuesday, weeks after the Apple Card began its first and second rounds of prerelease testing, Apple officially began offering its credit card to all U.S. customers — and quietly disclosed a flaw that some people have characterized as ridiculous. “If your titanium Apple Card comes into contact with hard surfaces or materials,” Apple says, “it’s […]
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Sphero, the nine-year-old Colorado-based company best known for its lineup of programmable robots, this week completed a major acquisition that catapults it to the top of the burgeoning science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) product market. Today, the company announced it has purchased New York City-based modular electronics startup LittleBits for an undisclosed sum, […]
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If you’ve been pining for a sleek wireless light switch with Alexa built right in, now’s your chance. iDevices, Hubbell’s smart home subsidiary, today took the wraps off the Instinct, a wireless switch natively integrated with Amazon’s voice assistant. It’s hub-free and compatible with existing internet of things (IoT) devices, and it boasts nice-to-haves like […]
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A new study shows confirms the worst fears of mobile phone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung. According to responses from 3,640 mobile phone users shows that more than half of them plan to keep their current device for three to five more years. In recent years, we’ve certainly seen the slowdown. People who once rushed […]
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Microsoft and the Minecraft Team want to give Minecraft players a chance to try the franchise’s new AR game on Android. Minecraft Earth is already available as a beta test for people running iOS 10 devices. Now, that test is expanding to include Android 7 or higher. You can sign up for Minecraft Earth now. […]
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Smartphone makers have struggled over the past year to squeeze millimeter wave 5G antennas into devices with smaller than 6-inch screens and 8mm thick bodies. But Apple is already working on future versions of the Apple Watch with millimeter wave hardware, which it suggests will be capable of supporting either 5G cellular networks or a […]
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The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) kicked off the Subterranean Challenge in December 2017, with the goal of equipping future warfighters and first responders with tools to rapidly map, navigate, and search hazardous underground environments. The final winner of the four-event competition won’t be selected until 2021, but Team Explorer from Carnegie Mellon […]
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“One, two, Hearthstone’s coming for you” — that’s the song I’m singing to Barnes and Dr. Boom, Mad Genius right now. After drawing ire from legions of players (and in Barnes’ case, for years now), two of the most polarizing cards from Blizzard Entertainment’s digital card game are getting changes. In a blog post today, […]
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If smartphone sales have indeed plateaued over the past year or so, the reason is becoming increasingly clear: More U.S. users are hanging onto their devices for nearly three full years rather than upgrading on an annual or biannual basis. That’s the key takeaway from a new Strategy Analytics survey today, which appears to confirm […]
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Up until now, the two biggest knocks against Verizon’s millimeter wave-based 5G have been its tiny coverage areas and inability to reach inside buildings. Today, the carrier announced that it’s working to solve both issues in partnership with Boingo Wireless, which already offers wireless coverage inside buildings and will help Verizon bring 5G to a […]
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Ask any Oculus Quest or Rift S user to name the headset’s most impressive new feature, and there’s a good chance they’ll point to Insight, the tracking system that accurately senses your head and body movements without external cameras. In blog posts today, Facebook is revealing some of Insight’s little-known technical details while making an […]
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Apple’s upcoming update to the iPhone XS might not be beautiful, but it’s going to pack more significant internal and external improvements than previously expected, Bloomberg reported this morning. Expected to be called the iPhone 11 Pro, the new model is said to feature shatter-resistant glass and improved waterproofing on the outside, as well as […]
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Google’s Android, the operating system that’s now on more than 2.5 billion tablets, cars, watches, TVs, and other active devices around the world, is getting a rebrand intended to make it more “accessible” globally. The Mountain View company this morning revealed a refreshed logo it intends to release in the coming weeks, alongside the official […]
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Chicago, Illinois-based parking inventory and booking startup SpotHero today announced that it’s secured $50 million in a series D round led by Macquarie Capital, bringing its total raised to date to $118 million. CEO and cofounder Mark Lawrence said the round, which saw participation from investors Union Grove Venture Partners, Insight Venture Partners, Global Founders […]
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