Big news from Google this week!
Google is bringing dinosaurs back to life (not actually but in AR), and acquiring AR glasses company North. Also, some exciting geolocation AR experiences!
Google now lets you see dinosaurs in the real world through augmented reality
A few weeks back, we were introduced to the dinosaur coin series, and now Google is stepping to the AR dino worlds as well.
"Turn your home into "Jurassic World." See life-size AR dinosaurs", says Google. Ten pre-historic creatures can be found in Google search with an AR-compatible Android phone or iOS11 and up iPhone.
Google has added animals to Google search before, and the results for some were somewhat hilarious: massive AR ducks and emperor penguins stomping around peoples' homes. Maybe these dino-mates work more realistically, for they should be huge, right?
Google acquires a smart glasses company North
An update on Google's focus on helpful devices and services comes in the form of Google acquiring a smart glasses company North.
North's vision in making technology an invisible and helpful part of our everyday lives aligns with Google's ambition to be useful to people in their daily lives.
"North's technical expertise will help as we continue to invest in our hardware efforts and ambient computing future. They'll join the Google team based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada—North's hometown and an area with impressive tech talent."
- Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President, Devices & Services / Google
The co-founders of North are just as thrilled and looking forward to their next step towards the future. In their blog, they state: "Over the last while, it became clear that aligning with Google would significantly advance our shared vision. This acquisition is a terrific fit for North, and, importantly, we're staying here in Kitchener-Waterloo."
Big things are coming to the field of ambient computing!
Discover new, unreleased music with AR
When you're tired of hearing the same tracks over and over again and are on a search of something never-before-heard, you head to your local record store to flip through some vinyl. Not anymore!
A new AR app, Hipster Bait, sends you on an adventure like Pokémon Go to discover your city's unknown talent. The game is simple: find the bait, rate the tune, reset the trap.
First, you start your search in bars, cafés, public restrooms - the music is everywhere! Once you find a tape, you can listen to it, rate it, and hide it again for the next explorer.
The game is for true hipsters: Hipster Bait approves only music that's never been published before. Whether you're in need of new tracks or an artist trying to break through - this is your chance!
Enjoy the 4th of July fireworks safely with AR
An AR app, HoloPundits, is offering a safe fireworks show on the 4th of July.
"We wanted to make something special for the public to enjoy. With our app, the 4th of July fireworks can be brought to life wherever you are, through augmented reality. People can enjoy the holiday safely, which is important to us," said Vinod Dega, founder and CEO of HoloPundits.
You can download HoloPundit's app TotalAR for free from AppStore and Google Play. For the fireworks, log in on July 4th at 9 pm local time and enable location. The fireworks are available to watch for three hours.
With this explosive news, we end this week's AR Weekly. Thank you for joining us. See you next week!
