Month: March 2021

Snapchat may trail Facebook and Instagram in terms of daily active users, but a new partnership with Samsung may get those innovative AR Lenses onto the mobile devices of a lot more users. Non-fungible tokens, perhaps the hottest segment of the blockchain tech industry at the moment, has always appeared destined to be on a collision course with augmented reality. Over the past week, we saw several examples of how these technologies can work together with NFTs from gaming brand Atari, to hip-hop legend MF Doom. Meanwhile, Facebook Reality Labs took a brief pause from its research and… more

Snapchat may trail Facebook and Instagram in terms of daily active users, but a new partnership with Samsung may get those innovative AR Lenses onto the mobile devices of a lot more users. Non-fungible tokens, perhaps the hottest segment of the blockchain tech industry at the moment, has always appeared destined to be on a collision course with augmented reality. Over the past week, we saw several examples of how these technologies can work together with NFTs from gaming brand Atari, to hip-hop legend MF Doom. Meanwhile, Facebook Reality Labs took a brief pause from its research and… more

The NFT space is moving so fast that if you’re not already engaged, you’ve probably already missed several history-making events. One of those events happened this week with the sale of Mars House, a virtual home that sold for over $500,000, which is more than many real-world homes that you can actually live in. • Don’t Miss: Looking Glass Teams with Reggie Watts to Auction Holographic NFT Art, Paving Way for Popularizing AR Art You Can Hold The creator of Mars House is Canadian artist Krista Kim, who began building the virtual construct back in 2020, when most of the world was forced to… more

During this week’s unveiling of the new Samsung A Series of smartphones, much of the focus was on the high-end features at a more affordable price as the South Korean tech giant looks to regain its status as the world’s top smartphone maker versus Apple’s iPhone. But buried in the range of features mentioned in the new Samsung A Series was a surprising and very big feature addition: native Snapchat augmented reality lenses. • Don’t Miss: This Atari 3D Sneaker NFT Auction Is Using Snapchat to Let You Try Before You Buy on the Blockchain The line-up, which includes the Galaxy A52, A52 5G, and… more

While Apple has been rather secretive about its work on AR wearables (despite the abundance of leaks revealing details about their unannounced devices), Facebook has been rather chatty about its plans for smartglasses. The company’s latest missive on its AR wearables development focuses not on the smartglasses but on a peripheral that would improve gesture recognition for virtual interfaces. Don’t Miss: Why Facebook Co-Founder’s Call for a Breakup Is Focused on the Wrong Target — AR Is Zuckerberg’s Next Big Data Bonanza On Thursday, Facebook Reality Labs published a preview of the progress… more

When you’re talking about collectibles, in 2021 it’s heresy not to include the world of sneakerheads. Nowadays, a single, limited batch of newly designed sneakers from Nike can quickly sell out and then go on to be resold for many thousands more than they were purchased for at launch. Predictably, the sneakerhead world is now converging with the hot new world of NFT (non-fungible tokens) auctions. One of the most recent and prominent auctions comes in the form of a concept Atari sneaker that looks like something out of a retro science fiction film. • Don’t Miss: Looking Glass Teams with… more

What is old is new again. In this case, a classic arcade game gets the augmented reality treatment. In a new promotion playing off its ad campaign featuring actor Craig Robinson (The Office, Hot Tub Time Machine), Pizza Hut has turned its pizza boxes into a virtual Pac-Man game via web-based AR technology. Don’t Miss: How to Play Classic Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation & Atari Games on Your iPhone Now, customers who order a large Tastemaker from the pizza chain between March 15 and 26 (or while supplies last) will receive a specially-marked box that includes a QR code that leads to the Pizza… more

The hype surrounding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has reached astronomical levels over the past few weeks, and now the technology has intersected with augmented reality’s orbit in a fantastic way. NFT marketplace Illust Space is conducting a crypto auction featuring limited AR masks autographed by hip-hop legend MF Doom. Don’t Miss: Looking Glass Teams with Reggie Watts to Auction Holographic NFT Art, Paving Way for Popularizing AR Art You Can Hold The mysterious rapper passed away on Oct. 31, 2020, though his death was not revealed until Dec. 31, when his wife, Jasmine, announced it on… more

The augmented reality industry has grown steadily over the past four years, but now it is on a collision course with uber-popular non-fungible tokens technology, with Looking Glass and music artist Reggie Watts among the latest to strike while the iron is hot. Meanwhile, Sketchfab is looking to capitalize on the opportunity to bring users of Google’s sunsetting Poly 3D content platform to its own similar service. Elsewhere, Snapchat and 8th Wall serve as examples of how organizations can use augmented reality for very different promotional purposes. Finally, the slow burn towards Apple’s AR… more

Museum curators typically frown upon visitors touching paintings, sculptures, and artifacts, but not when those exhibits are displayed in augmented reality. The latest AR exhibit from Google Arts & Culture not only lets you virtually touch the displays but also make your own audio art. Don’t Miss: Google Arts & Culture App Lets You Turn Your Home into an AR Museum Featuring the Works of Vermeer The AR Synth web-based AR experience anchors replicas of up to five electronic music machines in your space simultaneously. Each virtual instrument includes a sequencer interface where you can add… more