Tag: augmented reality

Metaverse Experience Centre With VR, AR and Immersive Technologies Launched in Noida

A Metaverse Experience Centre (MEC) has been established in Noida by Indian metaverse research and advisory firm Metaverse911. On Tuesday, the firm officially announced the launch of this experience centre, inviting industry leaders as well as other Web3 enthusiasts to discover the potential of the technology. Through the centre will let visitors indulge in immersive technologies that include Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) — all of which make for key components that brings the digital ecosystem to life in the metaverse.

A fully functional virtual universe, a metaverse is a hyper immersive virtual reality experience that is already making inroads in advanced video games and corporate regimes. Market analysts believe that as this technology enters more advanced stages, it could prove to be game changing for the sectors of healthcare, education, as well as advertising and media.

Built on blockchain networks, the metaverse ecosystem allows players across industries to connect with global audiences and buyers – increasing the trend of creating digital representations of physical objects.

In a recent report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), industrial metaverse is projected to be a $100 billion (roughly Rs. 8,29,018 crore) market globally by 2030.

With the technology showing promise and adoption, the Metaverse0911 team is aiming to create awareness about this technology – that is compatible with several Web3 elements including digital collectibles or non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as well as cryptocurrencies.

This centre is also being projected as a hotspot for dialogue and research around metaverse technologies. The centre’s website also reveals that it offers access to popular devices such as the Apple Vision Pro, Oculus Quest 2 and 3, the HTC Vive Focus 5K, Vuzix Smart Glasses, Pico VR Headset, Microsoft HoloLens as well as high-end simulators,

“We want to provide a platform for industry leaders to explore solutions that can be implemented to solve their organisational challenges; ushering in a new era of digital innovation in the country,” Rahul Sethi, Founder and Chairman, Metaverse911 said in a prepared statement.

The company claims that the MEC is India’s first such experience centre catering to metaverse-curious people. The firm plans to replicate this centre in other Indian cities as well as in Dubai and Singapore in the future.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Snapchat Releases ‘AR Pichkari’ Lens to Celebrate Holi 2024 With Friends: How it Works

Snapchat has announced a new ‘AR Pichkari’ lens in time for Holi 2024. The mobile based image and video sharing platform reveals that the lens was developed by a third-party developer and allows users to splash their friends with virtual colours, using their smartphone’s rear camera, simulating the use of a pichkari (water gun) that is used to celebrate the festival of Holi. This is one of several lenses offered by Snapchat that uses augmented reality (AR) technology to allow users to interact with their surroundings.

According to details shared by the company, the new AR Pichkari lens was developed by Ronin Labs and is available to all users on the platform. Like other AR lenses on Snapchat, users can search for the AR lens via the search bar in the Snapchat app. You can also click on this link, which should take you directly to the AR Pichkari lens.

Snapchat’s AR Pichkari lens was developed by Ronin Labs

 

Once you’ve selected the AR Pichkari lens, you can switch to the rear camera on Snapchat and point it at your friends. The app will use AR to identify where your friend is in the viewfinder and start to spray them with virtual colours. The stream is also affected when you move your phone, similar to using a pichkari.

You can use the AR Pichkari filter to move around and virtually spray your friends with Holi colours. A bar is also shown on the left of the screen, showing you how much colour is left. About halfway through the process, the message “Holi Hai!” is shown on the screen, according to details shared by Snapchat.

Snapchat’s AR Pichkari lens is already available to use on the messaging platform ahead of Holi 2024 and should be accessible to all users over the coming days. You can also access the AR lens by pointing your Snap camera (the in-app camera) at the Snapcode in the image above on iOS and Android smartphones that are updated to the latest version of the app.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Mark Zuckerberg Criticises Apple Vision Pro Again, Says Meta Quest 3 Is ‘Better’

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hit out at Apple’s Vision Pro headset over the weekend, stating that the social networking firm’s Quest 3 was the superior product. The Meta Co-Founder and CEO was responding to a post on Threads by an analyst claiming the Vision Pro was up to five years ahead of Meta’s offering. This is the second time that Zuckerberg has criticised Apple’s first mixed reality headset, which is priced at $3,499 (roughly Rs. 2.89 lakh) — the Quest 3 costs $499 (roughly Rs. 41,300).

Analyst Benedict Evans stated in a Threads post that Apple’s Vision Pro was “pretty much the device Meta wants to reach in 3-5 years,” adding that he was “genuinely baffled” by Meta’s VR engineers claiming the headset was “basically just the same thing” as the Quest 3. Evans also said that the Apple Vision Pro was the device Meta would want to sell in 3-5 years, while Apple would want to sell its devices at the same price as the Quest 3 in the same time period.

Zuckerberg responded to the analyst’s post, stating that the Quest 3 was better than the Vision Pro. “If our devices weigh as much as theirs in 3-5 years, or have the motion blur theirs has, or the lack of precision inputs, etc, then that means we’ll have regressed significantly,” the Meta CEO said, adding that Apple had to make many compromises in order to provide a higher resolution than the Quest 3.

Evans later suggested that the higher resolution on the Vision Pro could help the company offer more than just a gaming device, while Zuckerberg responded stating that three out of the top seven apps for the Quest 3 — Horizon, VR Chat, and Rec Room — were all social apps. He also said that the Quest’s resolution was “also quite good”, adding that a higher resolution should not come at the cost of ergonomics and motion blur.

Both the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro are equipped with pancake lenses — the Quest 3 has LCD displays with a resolution of 2,064×2,208 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Vision Pro has a resolution of 2,160×3,840 pixels with a total of 23 million pixels, according to Apple. The latter also offers both hand and eye tracking, while Meta’s headset offers hand tracking and the company’s Touch Plus controllers. The Quest 3 and Vision Pro weigh 513g and up to 650g, respectively.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Apple Vision Pro Safari Browsing Interface With Multitasking, 3D Object Support Leaks Ahead of Launch

Apple is expected to launch its first wearable spatial computer — the Apple Vision Pro — in the coming weeks and details of the company’s mixed reality headset have begun to surface online. Ahead of the arrival of the Vision Pro, a user on X (formerly known as Twitter) recently leaked visuals of Apple’s Safari web browser running on the headset. The ability to resize and arrange browser windows or interact with and view 3D objects is also shown in the leaked demo.

X user M1 (@M1Astra) recently leaked a demo of Safari running on the Apple Vision Pro, giving enthusiasts an idea of what to expect from the company’s first wearable mixed reality headset. While Safari — and other web browsers on personal computers — display websites that are stacked on top of each other, accessible via tabs, the Vision Pro will allow you to view tabs in a 3D space.

The leaked video, which has since been taken down by X in response to a copyright-related takedown request, is still accessible via the user’s Discord channel. It shows how the Vision Pro displays smooth animations when switching between up to five tabs, and the names of the websites are displayed under each tab. You can also expand a window and visionOS — the operating system that runs on the Vision Pro — will show you all of your tabs at a glance.

Another feature shown off in the leaked Apple Vision Pro demo is the ability to interact with 3D objects in Safari. While Apple already allows users to place objects around them virtually on their phone’s screen using augmented reality (AR) on an iPhone, the Vision Pro will let you interact with 3D objects in Safari in a 360-degree view, even resizing it to get a better look at the object.

When it unveiled the Apple Vision Pro last year, the company only mentioned an “early 2024” launch timeline for the headset. Recent reports indicate that the company’s production is on track for the headset to go on sale in the US by the end of February. Since the headset was revealed at WWDC, Telegram Co-Founder Pavel Durov also teased the design of the app on the Vision Pro.

The Apple Vision Pro is a pricy device — it costs $3,499 (roughly Rs. 2.9 lakh) for the headset, while customers who require Zeiss prescription optical inserts will have to spend more money to use the headset. The Vision Pro will be available in the US at launch and will reportedly make its way to other markets over the course of the year, but there’s no word from the company on which regions it will arrive in.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2024 hub.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Huawei Virtual Reality Headset Tipped to Debut Next Year, May Compete With Apple Vision Pro

Huawei is tipped to be working on a virtual reality (VR) headset that will compete with the Apple Vision Pro. The purported high-end headset will be launched by the company at the end of 2024, according to details shared by a tipster. Apple’s high-end spatial computer supports both augmented reality (AR) and VR content and runs on a dedicated operating system called visionOS, while allowing users to interact with the device using their eyes, finger-based gestures, and via a virtual keyboard.

X (formerly known as Twitter) user Mochamad Farido Fanani shared details of Huawei’s rumoured VR headset in a post that states the Chinese tech conglomerate’s device will be powered by a “flagship processor”. However, it is worth viewing these claims with some scepticism, as the user does not have a proven track record of reliably leaking information.

While there’s no word on which chip will power Huawei’s headset, Apple’s first mixed reality headset is powered by two processors — Apple’s M2 chip for standard operations and a new dedicated R1 chip to process spatial input from the camera, microphones, and sensors.

According to Fanani, the purported VR glasses from Huawei will be equipped with an internal fan-driven heat dissipation system for thermal management, while the device would run on external batteries. This sounds similar to Apple’s approach with the first-generation Vision Pro headset, which also runs on external batteries.

Huawei isn’t alone in its efforts to develop a VR headset, Fanani says — former Huawei sub brand Honor is also working on a system for a virtual reality headset. However, the tipster has not shared any details related to the device’s hardware. Samsung is also reportedly working on its ‘Infinite’ extended reality (XR) headset that could arrive in the second half of 2024.

Months before Apple unveiled the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset at WWDC 2023, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi unveiled its Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition at MWC 2023, a headset powered by the Snapdragon XR 2 Gen 1 chip from Qualcomm. The smart glasses support both AR and VR content. The headset sports advanced “retina-level” displays and supports Xiaomi’s AR gesture controls.

Last year, Oppo launched its second “assisted reality” headset called the Oppo Air Glass 2 at the company’s annual Oppo Inno Day in China. The device supports voice to text features and can translate conversations in real time, place phone calls, and display location-based navigation instructions. The wearable device weighs 38g, according to the company.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

iPhone ‘Ultra’ Model With Spatial Video and Image Recording Support for Apple Vision Pro in Development: Report

Apple is working on an iPhone “Ultra” model that could debut with support for recording specialised videos and images that can be used on the Apple Vision Pro, its first spatial computer, according to a report. The Cupertino company is said to be developing a handset that could arrive after the Vision Pro goes on sale next year. When its first wearable mixed reality headset was announced earlier this year, Apple stated that it would offer “incredible depth” and the device uses cameras located on the outer body to record a user’s surroundings.

A MacRumors report, citing an unnamed Weibo user, claims that an iPhone “Ultra” model is in the works and that it will “lead the market to rethink what kind of photos and videos a mobile phone should take”. While the report does not mention any details of the purported handset’s camera configuration, it suggests that the phone could be used to capture detailed, immersive videos and photos that could be used on Apple’s first spatial computer — the Apple Vision Pro.

Back in February, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed in his weekly Power On newsletter that Apple was planning on launching a new iPhone model in 2024 that would be an even more advanced version of the company’s flagship iPhone lineup expected to debut later in the year. Since then, Apple has confirmed it will hold a launch event on September 12, but in true Apple fashion, there’s no word from the company on how many models will debut next week. 

Apple unveiled the Vision Pro headset in June at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, but stated that the device won’t be available to customers until early 2024. Developers can currently test their apps in simulators and in development labs set up by the company in select regions.

The company’s first mixed reality headset is equipped with high resolution displays with Apple’s proprietary EyeSight that allows a wearer to remain aware of their surroundings. It supports both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies and features an array of sensors and cameras located on the chassis. The headset will be able to use these sensors to map the wearer’s surroundings and finger-based gesture input, according to the company. Apple is yet to announce whether the Vision Pro headset will be available in multiple markets including India. 

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Apple Vision Pro Guest Mode Will Allow More Than One Person to Use the Same Headset: Report

Apple launched its first spatial computer — the Apple Vision Pro — at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. The mixed reality headset supports both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) content, and uses a feature called EyeSight to allow users to view their surroundings using the sensors surrounding the battery-powered device. Users can switch between AR and VR modes with the help of the dial on the right edge of the wearable. The company also released the visionOS SDK on Wednesday to help developers build apps specifically for the headset, which will reportedly feature a “guest” mode.

Spotted by 9to5Mac on the recently released visionOS SDK. this guest mode will allow people to use an Apple Vision Pro headset, even though it is registered to a specific user. Owners of the Vision Pro will reportedly be offered the option to enable or disable this feature. The headset can also be secured by the owner, according to the report, so that guest users are not able to access some applications or settings without Optic ID — Apple’s security feature that scans the wearer’s iris for biometric authentication.

Apple Vision Pro is priced at a hefty $3,499 (roughly Rs. 2,88,700) and is scheduled to go on sale next year via the Apple website and Apple retail stores in the US. The company has not yet confirmed whether it plans to launch the headset in markets outside the US, including India.

However, given the steep price, it is safe to assume that not everyone will opt to buy the Apple Vision Pro and it is unlikely that more than one person in a household will invest in the device. Therefore, the Guest Mode might actually be useful to Vision Pro owners, allowing more than one person to experience the headset while protecting the owner’s data.

The report suggests that the Apple Vision Pro will offer owners the option to lock hidden and deleted photos or other files using Optic ID. The functioning of this is similar to the Touch ID- or Face ID-based protection used to protect specific folders in the Photos app on an iPhone. We can expect to learn more about the guest mode on the Apple Vision Pro headset in the coming months, before the device goes on sale in the US next year.

Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Apple Vision Pro Mixed Reality Headset Launch Impressions: Almost Unbelievable, Very Real

Apple delivered a lot of big announcements at its WWDC 2023 keynote, including new Mac devices, new features on iOS 17, and improvements to other platforms such as WatchOS and tvOS. However, it was the Cupertino-based company’s traditional ‘one more thing’ that truly got the assembled crowd to sit up and take notice. The Apple Vision Pro, the company’s first mixed reality headset, was almost impossible to wrap my head around, and it’s safe to say that everyone in the audience at Apple Park was similarly amazed.

Of course, the Vision Pro is far from launch; it’s expected to go on sale in the US in early 2024 for $3,499 (approximately Rs. 2,88,700). It’s naturally a lot more expensive than practically every other mixed reality headset in the market right now, but if it lives up to the expectations set by the keynote, it’ll be worth it for early adopters.

The Apple Vision Pro has dual Micro OLED displays that you can see right through

 

Apple Vision Pro: so, so advanced

The media in attendance at Apple Park were wowed by pretty much every feature of the Apple Vision Pro when announced during the keynote. Of particular note is EyeSight, a feature which uses camera sensors around the device to detect when someone is in the room with the wearer, allowing a look at the wearer’s eyes. This makes the Vision Pro unlike other similar headsets where the wearer is fully cut off from the world.

Instead, the focus is firmly on allowing you to be as present in the real world, as you want to be in the virtual world. The headset will also let you adjust your surroundings, and promises to work seamlessly with Mac and iOS devices and apps. You can, therefore, use this for productivity and creating an augmented workspace, just as much as you’d want to watch movies, play games, or jump onto AR-powered FaceTime calls.

Apple Vision Pro: a ski mask with a computer built in

The specifications of the Vision Pro are impressive, with dual Micro OLED displays for clear visibility, the M2 chip for power, and multiple cameras, sensors, and microphones to work with hand gestures and voice for controls. You can also use a keyboard and mouse for some productivity functions. For biometric authentication, the Vision Pro uses Optic ID to scan your retina and let you log in. All of this works with VisionOS, a new platform being developed for Apple’s new ‘spatial computing’ device.

Up close, the Apple Vision Pro is quite as beautiful as the renders in the keynote. It’s smaller than most other VR and mixed reality headsets, despite all the hardware and capabilities packed in. While the media wasn’t allowed to try it on, it did look like the kind of product only Apple could build, with classic Apple design cues all around. The padding and headband textures are a lot like that of the AirPods Max, as is the digital crown on the top, and the whole thing looks like it will be comfortable enough to wear for hours at a time.

The Apple Vision Pro can be used with a battery pack, which promises up to two hours of battery life for the headset

 

When plugged in, the Vision Pro can be used all day, while the battery pack will let you run the headset for two hours at a time. Power is delivered through a MagSafe-like connector, while the battery pack can slip into your backpack or pocket, which looked nice and compact.

The outer side of the headset even had some trippy visuals flowing on the preview units on display. There’s no built-in sound on the Vision Pro; you’ll need AirPods for that, and it will work with Spatial Audio to virtualise where the sound is coming from based on what’s on the screen. There’s also talk of 3D support, with Disney coming on board as an early partner to support Disney+ on the Vision Pro from day one.

Apple Vision Pro: final thoughts

The concepts, technologies, and thought process that have gone into the Vision Pro makes this quite possibly the most exciting hardware product to look out for in the coming year. Although this isn’t a finished product just yet (even the display units were strictly off limits), Apple promises to deliver the Vision Pro in early 2024 in the US, followed by other markets later on. Promises have been made, and expectations are high.

Apple’s annual developer conference is just around the corner. From the company’s first mixed reality headset to new software updates, we discuss all the things we’re looking forward to seeing at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Tuvalu Looks to Metaverse to Preserve History, Culture as Rising Seas Threaten Existence

Tuvalu said on Tuesday it plans to build a digital version of itself, replicating islands and landmarks and preserving its history and culture as rising sea levels threaten to submerge the tiny Pacific island nation.

Tuvalu’s Foreign Minister Simon Kofe told the COP27 climate summit it was time to look at alternative solutions for his country’s survival and this included Tuvalu becoming the first digitised nation in the metaverse – an online realm that uses augmented and virtual reality (VR) to help users interact.

“Our land, our ocean, our culture are the most precious assets of our people and to keep them safe from harm, no matter what happens in the physical world, we will move them to the cloud,” he said in the video that sees him standing on a digital replica of an islet threatened by rising sea levels.

Kofe grabbed global attention at last year’s COP26 when he addressed the conference standing knee-deep in the sea to illustrate how Tuvalu is on the front line of climate change.

Tuvalu was having to act because countries globally were not doing enough to prevent climate change, he said.

Tuvalu will be the first country to replicate itself in the metaverse but follows both the city of Seoul and the island nation of Barbados which last year said they would enter the metaverse to provide administrative and consular services, respectively.

“The idea is to continue to function as a state and beyond that to preserve our culture, our knowledge, our history in a digital space,” Kofe told Reuters ahead of the announcement.

Tuvalu, a group of nine islands and 12,000 people halfway between Australia and Hawaii, has long been a cause celebre for the risks of climate change and rising sea levels.

Up to 40 percent of the capital district is underwater at high tide, and the entire country is forecast to be under water by the end of the century.

Kofe said he hoped the creation of a digital nation would allow Tuvalu to continue to function as a state even if it becomes completely submerged.

This is important as the government begins efforts to ensure that Tuvalu continues to be recognised internationally as a state and its maritime boundaries – and the resources within those waters – are maintained even if the islands are submerged.

Kofe said seven governments have agreed to continual recognition but there were challenges if Tuvalu goes under as it is a new area of international law.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Berkshire Hathaway Purchases $4.1 Billion in TSMC in Rare, Significant Foray Into Tech Sector

Featured video of the day

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro: Hit or Miss?



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Snap Founder Slams the Metaverse, Apple Marketing Chief Says He Won’t Use the Word

Billionaire Snap founder Evan Spiegel rubbished the idea that future computing will migrate into a virtual world dubbed the metaverse, arguing most people prefer a lighter touch known as augmented reality. Augmented reality, which broadly speaking superimposes digital info on the real world, lets people harness computing power without forcing them to rely on a single screen, Spiegel said. Unlike a VR headset, the combination of phones and augmented glasses is “more immersive.”

“The metaverse is ‘living inside of a computer.’ The last thing I want to do when I get home from work during a long day is live inside of a computer,” Spiegel told the WSJ Live conference in Laguna Beach, California. “There is a clear fork in the road between VR and AR.”

Later at the same event, Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak echoed the sentiment, saying the metaverse is “a word I’ll never use.” Apple is working on its own combined AR and VR headset, Bloomberg News has reported.

Spiegel and his lieutenants have argued that perspective previously, which diverges in part from the more all-encompassing vision of the metaverse espoused by Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The debate underscores a broader discussion underway about the future of computing as growth in the smartphone era wanes. Snap this month reported its slowest quarterly sales growth ever, saying a decline in advertising spending continues to drag on results.

© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company’s latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version