Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has unveiled its two new smartphones–the Mi5s and the Mi5s Plus. Each device will sport different internal and external specifications with the Mi5s being the cheaper and smaller of the two. Xiaomi is set to begin pre-sales for the two devices on Thursday, September 29th, in China.
Xiaomi’s Mi 5s Plus
New to both variants is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is reported to allow quicker and more accurate scans even when your finger is covered in moisture–something current fingerprint sensors have issues with. This is thanks to Qualcomm’s “Snapdragon Sense ID” tech that uses ultrasonic waves to read your fingerprint in a 3D mapping, which should be much more accurate.
The Mi5s and Mi5s Plus also feature a camera upgrade with UltraPixel technology that we saw in the most recent HTC One. This feature should allow for more vibrant images and better shots in low light. The larger Mi5s Plus has two 12MP sensors while the Mi5s has just one 12MP sensor, yet they both include dual-LED flash.
A look at the two-sensor tech in the Mi5s Plus
As you can see in the specs listed below, the Mi5s and Mi5s Plus don’t share the same internals, like an iPhone or Galaxy would, but instead offer more with varied colors, sizes, and memory options.
Xiaomi Mi5s Plus
5.7 inch 1920×1080 display (386 ppi)
Android OS version 6.0 (Marshmallow)
64GB (4GB RAM) or 128GB (6GB RAM) internal storage (non-expandable)
Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
Adreno 530 GPU
Dual 12MP f/2.0, with dual LED flash, camera sensor
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
USB Type-C
Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro sensors
Quick Charge 3.0, 3800 mAh battery (non-removable)
Colors: Gray, Gold, Silver, or Rose Gold
Xiaomi Mi5s
5.15 inch 1920×1080 display (428 ppi) *
Android OS version 6.0 (Marshmallow)
64GB (3GB RAM) or 128GB (4GB RAM) internal storage (non-expandable)
Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
Adreno 530 GPU
Single 12MP f/2.0 camera with dual LED flash
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
USB Type-C
Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro sensors
Quick Charge 3.0, 3200 mAh battery (non-removable)
Colors: Gray, Gold, Silver, or Rose Gold
*3D touch only available on 128GB/4GB device
Color options available for the Mi5s and Mi5s Plus
Xiaomi has stated previously that it would like to sell smartphones in the U.S. in the future, but as of now, there is no indication these will be sold outside of Asian territories. US Mobile has imported Xiaomi devices in the past and they do fully support the GSM and CDMA networks, but until Xiaomi officially announces anything, we will be left only with the option to import.
Samsung is busy offering exchanges for faulty Note 7 phones after issuing a major safety recall of faulty internal batteries. As customers continue to return these devices to retailers around the world, Samsung has given each consumer the option of replacing with another Note 7, swapping with a Galaxy S7 Edge (plus accessories), or a full money-back refund.
Samsung Galaxy Note7
So far, early reports indicate that Note 7 users are staying loyal to Samsung. Samsung’s own website shows that “around 90 percent of Galaxy Note7 users” are staying with the Note 7 as their replacement device. This is good news for Samsung, as initial Galaxy Note 7’s sold through at a strong rate.
DJ Koh, President of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, says “We are humbled by our customers’ loyalty to the Galaxy Note 7 device.” Although Samsung did not immediately admit to faulty batteries, once they did, the replacement program rolled out quickly. The new devices were quickly shipped to retailers for the customers requesting a hardware swap.
If the replacement devices work without any additional problems, Samsung could potentially save face and keep those loyal customers, as well as their shareholders, happy with the way they handled the dire situation.
Lately game publishers have been eager to spin off their popular console and PC titles onto mobile platforms, in order to broaden their audience and cash in on the popularity of some big name games. Call of Duty: Heroes is a perfect example of this push towards market expansion and big name proliferation.
Created by newcomers Faceroll Games, Call of Duty: Heroes sets players on a path of resource gathering, troop and operations management, and leader of the heroes, as a commander of a military base. As missions are completed, the player is rewarded with fuel and money which brings more items, heroes, and resources to expand. The overall mission structure is fairly strong and the base mechanics work well, as long as you can avoid the occasional network issues.
Being a free-to-play game, you will come across the “pay-to-advance” system that is unfortunately found in many games. Each building you create or troop you train takes time, and in order to skip the wait, you can spend the in game currency, Celerium. However players also have the option to watch video advertisements in order to acquire more Celerium.
Occasionally you’ll attack bases from a first-person mode
Overall, the base-building and supply gather system can be quite addictive. This is a tactical, real-time strategy game interspersed with short mini-game action sequences. Troops and buildings are discernible from the bland backgrounds and the sounds and music are good, but not quite what we normally expect from a Call of Duty game.
Controlling heroes is where the game gets a little more in depth and consequently a little more entertaining. All heroes are callbacks from the mainline Call of Duty games and fun to watch when they’re out strutting their stuff. Each hero has the ability to go on ‘Killstreaks’ as they progress through their own missions. This is a nice changeup to the otherwise bland mechanics found in basic troops.
Captain Price makes a return as a “Hero”
As you complete missions you’ll open up new play styles including a PvP mode that lets you play online against others and a survival mode that pits you against waves of enemy forces. Upgrade quickly and effectively and you’ll soon find yourself on the next mission – or make a mistake in allocating resources and you may find yourself scrambling for the appropriate weapons and troops to take down your enemy.
Call of Duty: Heroes doesn’t bring anything new or amazing to the table, but its overall polish, variety and unique callbacks within the franchise, make for a solid game. Any fan of military action or strategy games -or Call of Duty fans in general – will find a solid amount of entertainment and gameplay here. Heroes is a back-pocket call to duty that’s worthy of recruitment.
Over the past few weeks, we have heard inevitable rumors and whispers about 2016’s Nexus phone lineup. They all point towards the fact that we should expect the range to be called “Pixel” instead of the age-old “Nexus”, along with a new design for the flagship phone.
As it turns out, today we have our clearest image of the 2016 Google “Pixel” yet. The device graces us with a full front view of the hardware, and also reveals a slightly unfamiliar software interface. This model is believed to be the standard sized 5″ version.
The launcher is the same one that was pulled from system dump several weeks back, featuring a redesigned search bar and dock at the bottom of the screen. The navigation buttons in the navigation bar are, however, slightly different and are a solid color, as opposed to the outline that has graced Android since the dawn of time.
Hardware wise, there is nothing radical. The volume rockers and power buttons are on the right side of the phone, with the typical speaker and camera setup on the top bezel. The back side is expected to feature a fingerprint scanner, and should look like something like this:
Courtesy: HTCsource.com
The Google Pixel is expected to come in two version, one 5″ and the other likely 5.5″. The supposed specs for the smaller variant are outlined below:
5″ 1080p display
Quad-core 2.0GHz 64-bit processor
4GB RAM
32GB Storage
2770mAh battery
12MP camera
The devices are expected to be announced on the 4th of October 2016, during Google’s annual hardware event. Are you looking forward to the announcement?
Today Google is rolling out a new YouTube app, called YouTube Go. It’s meant for the next billion users that come online. These users are found in countries like India, Indonesia, Brazil and China. This is part of Google’s strategy to connect the rest of the world.
YouTube Go
Don’t get too excited yet, because the app is first debuting in India. In a blog post, Google said that eventually the app will come to other countries later, but doesn’t give a specific timeline.
In countries like India, people don’t have the fast internet and cellular connections that we in the U.S. do. In 2014 Google tried to help this by launching YouTube Offline. Then this year, the company rolled out Smart Online. This lets people schedule videos to be saved offline later, at off-peak times.
Features
Homescreen: The app homescreen has trending and popular videos based in your area.
Preview: You can preview videos before you save/watch. Tap on a thumbnail to get a sense of what the video is about.
Resolution: Choose which resolution you’d prefer to watch the video in. This means you can see and choose how much data you’re willing to spend on the video.
Share if you care: You can share videos with nearby friends without using data.
The sharing feature is interesting. Apparently it works via Bluetooth, similar to AirDrop. In the latest update to the regular YouTube app, I’ve already seen some new changes. Sharing videos is different in that it saves a list of videos you share, and you can share them under your username.
YouTube Go was primarily built for consumption. The videos only contain six-second ads, which don’t use as much data. Every video is ultra-compressed, to make downloads as small as possible. The app doesn’t have any tools for creators. No subscriptions, trending modules or comments either.
“Giving them something that YouTube has iterated on with its users over ten years, all at once? That’s a little daunting…So we want to stage how we introduce people to different functionality.”
Hopefully Google will continue this trend of providing more offline functionality. We’ve seen great offline stuff with Google Trips, and I’d like to see more. Whether you live in a country or state with poor cellular access, or you’re just camping in the wilderness, offline usage is important.
Google provides a signup page where you can enter your phone number and email address to be alerted when the app launches in your country.
During this first part of the year, we have seen how Helio P10 has been a popular choice among the biggest brands, like Sony Xperia XA, HTC A9S, Oppo R9 and P9 PLUS, Meizu M3 Note, Meizu MAX and others.
In particular Oppo R9 and R9 PLUS have been absolute bestsellers in China this year. As for UMi a China smartphone maker maining target to Europe market, UMi Super and UMi Plus got success abroad.
Now, MTK is releasing the successor of the P10, the Helio P20, with an increase in frequency on the 8 Cortex A53 cores. The performance cluster is now clocked in at 2.3GHz instead of 2.0, with a 20% higher performance. On the GPU side, the Mali T860MP2 has been upgraded to a T880MP2 and clocks have been raised 200MHz to 900MHz, for a 25% upgrade over P10.
The multimedia blocks see some enhancement in their capabilities and can now decode and encode in 4K. The ISP has also seen upgrades and now has more processing power to support up to 24MP single cameras or 13+13MP dual cameras. Finally, the biggest news here is that the P20 is manufactured on a 16nm FinFET node, for lower power consumption and less heat.
P20 is a very recent SoC and for UMi it was possible to adopt it so early because the company has earned trust and confidence from MTK thanks to the quality of their last products, and therefore got chosen to be the first brand launching a phone with Helio P20, which we know has the codename of UMi Plus Extreme.
According to UMi official Facebook, which confirmed the news, it’s going to be an extremely upgraded version of UMi Plus, which is currently available for pre-order at their website for 179.99USD. As we said, It will feature Helio P20, being the first one ever to adopt it, but also a massive 6GB of RAM LPDDR4, Android 7, 64GB of internal storage and a price tag of 299.99$ as far as we know.
According to NASA, the Sun generates 386 billion megawatts of energy which is released as light and heat. The most powerful nuclear power plant in the US produces a meager 3,937 megawatts, where one megawatt powers about 1,000 homes. The point is the sun is a great source of free and powerful green energy. Not even nuclear power compares to the energy we fail to harness from the sun every single day.
Harnessing the Sun’s natural energy has become more mainstream and solar panels are now lightweight and efficient enough to power mobile devices. I’ve been using the dodocool Solar charger with a built-in 10000mAh battery pack and think it’s a solid option for those who sometimes need an alternative to wall outlets.
Build and Usage
The dodocool solar charger is mostly made of a durable ballistic nylon that folds up into a binder sized package. It has two solar panels that manage to draw in 12W of power with full sunlight and outputs the power in the form of dual USB ports at 2.1A (total). This solar charger from dodocool is one of a few with an actual built-in power bank, as many others that cost the same price or more simply have the charging panels with USB out ports.
Solar panel technology does not convert all of the sun’s power into electricity, and the dodocool charger converts it at 22% efficiency. That’s generally the norm even for home solar panels. 2.1A is certainly not enough power to charge Android devices at Quick Charge speeds, but it is fast enough to charge the entire battery bank in a full day of sunlight. Similar to home panels, if there are clouds or shade, the panels will not convert the sun’s power into electricity.
The dodocool solar charger is significantly better than those without power banks mainly because you do not need to leave your portable devices in full sunlight to charge. Leaving your smartphone, especially metal ones like those from HTC or Apple can turn your devices to scolding hot temperatures. That’s not good for your hands and it is definitely not good for the internal components.
With a kickstand built into the back, the dodocool solar charger can easily be left in direct sunlight without having to monitor it. There is also a cable that can be adjusted to stand the charger at an optimal angle.
On the corners of the charging panels are metal holes which can be used to attached to the rear side of backpacks. That’s a thoughtful design for those who love to hike or backpack in the back country where solar power is the only option.
The power bank is rated at 10000mAh which is enough power to charge most smartphone 2-3 times on a single charge. My Samsung Galaxy Note 7 took about an hour to charge from 5%-50% which three quarters of the power remaining. It’s not Quick Charge speed, but it is still fast enough to be highly functional.
You never know when you might run out of power, and having the sun as a viable option for mobile devices is one that wasn’t available to me just five years ago.
I live in San Diego where sun is plentiful, so consider your climate before purchasing a portable solar charger. If you live in northern climates that see more clouds than sun, it might not be a viable option of power for you.
Summary
What’s extremely nice about the dodocool Solar charger is the integrated 10000mAh power bank. The built-in battery allows users to store solar energy without having to leave devices directly in the sun to fry. It’s a great option for those who love the back country, or for those who want a source of back up power in case of power outages. Right now it is priced at $48.44 at Amazon with discount code 25ZW7E5F and is very affordable compared to the competition.
I leave my solar charger on my patio during the day to recharge, and then charge my smartphone and wireless headphones with it at night. It’s not a huge impact on energy consumption, but it is a good place to start. I will also be dragging it along on my annual camping trips as well to power my wireless speaker and other mobile devices.
Google’s event on October 4th is shaping up to be quite the show. Along with the debut of the Pixel and Pixel XL, rumors are pointing to the launch of Google Home as well as an updated Chromecast dubbed the Chromecast Ultra.
Unlike the standard Chromecast, the Ultra will stream 4K video and some have speculated it may come with HDR compatibility. Thanks to Evan Blass over at VentureBeat, we have our first glimpse at what this new Chromecast will look like.
Compared to last year’s Chromecast, the Chromecast Ultra has an almost identical body. The circular dongle with flat HDMI cable is a familiar sight, and it is nice to see they kept the magnet on the back for attaching the HDMI cable when not in use.
Looking at the top, you’ll notice that the Chrome logo has been taken away and the only branding present is the Google “G” logo. This makes sense as the beta builds for Chromecast firmware 1.21 also replaced all Chrome branding with the “G” logo.
Similarly, renderings of the upcoming Pixel phones show that they too have ditched all Nexus branding and feature the solitary “G” on the back. It appears that Google is now focusing on giving all its products identical branding to create more unity. Interestingly, Venture Beats claims that the Chromecast Ultra will be sold alongside the current Chromecast, but we wonder if Google will update that device as well to remove all Chrome branding.
With the price of 4K televisions constantly decreasing and the availability of 4K content from sites like YouTube and Netflix increasing, now is the perfect time for Google to release a device capable of streaming 4K content to your television. The price for the Chromecast Ultra is being rumored at $69 dollars, which is basically double the cost of the existing Chromecast. The main reasons for the extreme success of the Chromecast lineup have been its simplicity and low price, so we are interested to see how people will react to the higher priced version.
How does the Chromecast Ultra sound to you? Are you hyped for the Google event?
This week on “What We’re Streaming” we are featuring some more excellent TV shows and podcasts for you to check out. Don’t forget to let us know what you think about our choices!
Game Lab
“From the popular YouTube channel “”Game Theorists”” comes Game Lab, a YouTube Red exclusive show where preminent gaming YouTube personalities compete in real-life video game scenarios to see if they’re as good in real life as they are in the game, as well as seeing how close to reality video games are.
Host Matthew “”MatPat”” Patrick takes on games like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, and Rocket League in a fun and entertaining exploration of the science and real-world inspirations behind the most popular games we love to play.”
“For 25 years we’ve introduced top scientists to public radio listeners, and reminded them how much fun it is to learn something new. But we’re more than just a radio show. We produce award-winning digital videos, original web articles, and educational resources for teachers and informal educators. We like to say we’re brain fun, for curious people.
All of our work is independently produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the public’s access to science and scientific information. Public Radio International (PRI) distributes our radio show, which you can catch on public radio stations across the U.S.”
“A Marvel show originally airing on ABC, following the adventures of Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team on super-heoric missions. Recent seasons have escalated the drama and added recognizable characters like Ghost Rider.
Although the first season stars out slow, it quickly picks up and has become a excellent Marvel property worth checking out.”
Returning again, for a second week! This show is wonderfully creepy and brilliantly directed. It pays homage to wonderful movies from the 80s like E. T. and the Goonies while adding dark themes from modern horror shows and movies. Very suspenseful and engaging from episode to episode. Watch one and you’ll probably be watching the entire offering.
Another week, another classic Rob Lowe show. This is a TV show about the people in the Parks and Recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana. Wonderfully funny and heartwarming, this “The Office”-esque droll comedy stars Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt and Aziz Ansari among others in a must see comedy series for anyone who loves some silly, droll humor about the day to day of small town politics.
Maybe not the most popular Star Trek series, Voyager definitely has a place in my heart. The premise of the series centers around a crew being swept away 70,000 light years into the Delta quadrant. Their journey home includes stories of loss, betrayal, adventure, personal growth, and triumph. Battles with old enemies and new keep the crew on their toes while they try to make it home.
Joe Rogan is a stand-up comedian and UFC fight fight announcer. He’s also one of the biggest podcasters in the world. The Joe Rogan Experience is a free form podcast that brings in guests of all walks of life. Occasionally Joe will do fight companions with friends and talk about UFC events. Joe has had comedians, politicians, astrophysists, and more on his show with many episodes breaking the 3 hour mark. If you love a conversation that may challenge the way you think, check out the Joe Rogan Experience.
New to Netflix, this documentary looks into separate, yet equally compelling stories about high school rape. Small town America is profiled in various ways through the stories of the survivors and those directly impacted by the case. What happens to students and athletes? What impact does social media play in helping or hurting? Most importantly, what lessons can be learned by exposing the truth? A fast-paced film at 95 minutes, the stories grab you and demand you pay attention.
When was the last time you watched Tom Cruise’s fiction and AI masterpiece movie, Minority Report and thought “Hmmm, wonder if I’ll be around to see that kind of technology?” Well according to Meron Gribetz, you just might.
Augmented reality (AR) Technology has been a topic of interest for a significant amount of time now. With the flood of Marvel and DC movies along with the archive of science fiction movies that continue to persuade us into the idea of a digitally phenomenal world of interactive technology, tech enthusiasts all over the world are asking the question “When will I get to have my own Jarvis Augmented reality?”(Iron Man reference).
Tech engineers are finally bringing a Jarvis like universe to life through two mind blowing concepts…”Augmented Reality (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR)”. In these arenas, 2016 is seeing a host of well anticipated releases of eyewear set to mark a new threshold for ultimate visual and interactive experiences.
Virtual Technology
Virtual Reality Technology has been in major discussions, not only among tech lovers but, a number of major industries, particularly because of the its ability to shift sporting, gaming, corporate and even learning experiences to a whole new level. Although the technology has been around since the 90s, it’s only in recent years that we have seen its remarkable potential which can actually take you into a 3 dimensional and interactive world with the use of sensory devices.
These computer generated virtual realities have turned video games like Defense Grid 2 and Eve Valkyrie into our reality. With a number of VR models already entering the scene, we thought you should know about some of the incredible things you can now do with a pair of VR specs on the market. Caution…This will blow your mind.
The Oculus Rift
The release of the long awaited Oculus Rift was received by its biggest fans, gamers, with glorious “It’s about time” chants. The Oculus Rift begun its journey in 2012 with the release of its virtual reality debut, the Oculus Rift Development Kit 1. The new and improved Oculus Rift brings gamers to a 1200 x 1080 resolution pumped with a 90 Hertz display to experience beyond-the-screen-gaming. The frontal lobe of the Oculus Rift is fitted with a set of advanced sensors that are all easily detected by the device’s camera to deliver spectacular visuals. The built on head-set delivers surround sound 360° audio and it is perfect for playing games and watching movies.
Sony PlayStation VR
If you build it, they will play, definitely a satisfying assurance by fans to gaming giant Sony PlayStation on the upcoming release of the Sony PlayStation VR. GameStop, an American video game, consumer electronics, and wireless services retailer, now in partnership with Sony, announced its fastest sellout in history when it put the PlayStation VR up for pre-order(within 5 minutes), proving that the device is one release we want to get our hands on ASAP.
Why? Because of what this powerful device promises to deliver. Sony’s explosive new device VR device that syncs well with the PlayStation 4. Set to be released on the 13th of October 2016, Tech Radar has dubbed it the most affordable introduction to quality to VR at just £350. The device stands out against competitors in design with a smooth and more rounded design with spectacular LED lights along the edges.
The resolution of the device sits at a spectacular 5.7 in OLED display with perfect HD resolution that delivers a whopping 960x1080p to each eye. The built in 3D surround sound audio and television broadcast capability enables friends to see what you are seeing. A particularly incredible stand out feature on the PlayStation VR will be the Cinematic mode that will mean that even content that isn’t made for VR will be VR enabled such as movies, photographs etc., a feature made with non-gamers in mind.
An Introduction to Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality is a concept that has had our eyes and ears glued to tech forums in anticipation of news on product release dates, prototype features or even insider updates on the potential of this intriguing concept. This particular technology introduces us to a host of advanced interactive experiences and a new kind of control.
Wearable technology has been the biggest introduction of AR and VR technology, particularly in the release of smart eyewear and headsets. Tech giants like Microsoft, Metavision and Osterhout Design Group(ODG) are actually succeeding in developing models of augmented reality glasses that have reached a significant milestone past their competitors- building peoples’ confidence in the potential AR. Here are some models that are actually leading the pack so far.
The R-7
In the expansion of the potential of AR technology, Osterhout Design Group has produced a set of AR glasses that come with a set of remarkable features for entertainment, navigation and medical assistance. The model runs on a Snapgragon 805 processor which, put in simple terms, is like having a tablet on your face. It comes with two 720p lenses (transparent lenses) of which both can be controlled separately to allow you to multi-task through different tasks.
The company recently joined forces with automobile giant BMW to craft a feature that would provide real-time, above-the-line safety and navigation information to drivers. Not only that but the model’s 3-D and clear resolution allows medical practitioners to analyze X-rays from a variety of angles. The glasses are run on Android operating system and come along with all of the fantastic features we’ve grown accustomed to in smartphones: We’re talking 5 megapixel camera, auto focusing, the list goes on. The jaw-dropping cinematic mode brings movies right into your living room and there are even plans of adding this 3-D tech to airline in-flight movies.
The Microsoft HoloLens
Perhaps the most anticipated release of 2016 is by the company that continues to lead its industry in turning innovation into reality, the Microsoft HoloLens. This long awaited release introduces us to unique kind of augmented reality…one that goes a little further…Holograms. Yes, the word does come up quite often in many of your favorite Sci-Fi movies, but now, you can experience them for yourself.
The Microsoft HoloLens introduced us to the future of computing at the start of 2015. The company released news on its $3000 price tag headset that had us all wondering what the big deal was about. Now, after hearing about what it will be able to do, we’re beginning to see just why.
The HoloLens is made up of two plastic layered rings, the outer ring that holds the lenses and the inner ring that comfortably wraps around your head. The aesthetically appealing device has a futuristic external structure, but what makes this bad boy a major deal are all the features that are packed into it.
The visual clarity of the camera is just the start of the HoloLen’s AR glory. The model is fitted with multiple cameras around it that are able to detect your body movement and your environment.
The powerful processor of the HoloLens projects images into the lenses which bends the light particles of the images and creates the virtual components for your eyes. This is what makes the HoloLens quite unique, you are able to see high definition 3-D models of objects that are clear to the point of appearing to be part of your surroundings. Not only that, but Microsoft engineers are working on a feature that will allow you to physically manipulate the structure of virtual components.
Picture being able to change structures, bend them, mould them or even build them from scratch all with the power of AR technology. Can things get better than this? Yes, Microsoft will develop a feature that will allow you to activate a lock on your hologram that keeps id in one position, enabling you to look at your structure from other angles.
The device is powered by both gesture and voice control and uses “spatial audio” which is certainly a feature to brag about. Spatial audio is a sound feature that creates the impression that sounds your hear are coming from sound sources placed anywhere in a space, and not just from the location of the speakers.
We are yet to hear word on the release date of the model, although a few demo sessions are being held to give fans a feel of the not so distant AR future.
What makes AR and VR different?
The major difference between virtual and augmented reality is quite fascinating. Augmented Reality brings 3-D graphics to life in the real world. The technology adds computer generated components in the form of sensations, holograms, digital images and spectacular graphics into your existing reality. Virtual Reality on the other hand is a more isolated but graphically intriguing technology in which you are visually transported to a virtual world. Currently, VR is quite ahead of AR in terms of resolution quality in video games, although AR is slowly but surely catching up.
In terms of devices, virtual reality has in most cases been applied to headsets or hand controllers or remotes that give you the power to closely interact with the virtual world around you. Augmented technology has not only been added to wearable devices but also to smartphones, iPads, tablets etc.
A great example of this is the recently released and viral Pokémon GO smartphone app that has had more than 21 million users daily, officially kicking Candy Crush (20 million daily users) off of the top spot. Pokémon GO has indeed shattered a bunch of records in its debut and with the continued upgrade of its augmented reality technology, it doesn’t look like users will be unPokémon GOing anytime soon.
The Similarity of AR and VR
These new age technologies are quite alike in their make-up in that they both use the same kinds of technology with the aim of delivering a new and improved experience. The technologies are increasingly being adapted to entertainment sources, that’s video game consoles, cinemas, theme park arcades and tons more. The goal of this adaptation is to shift entertainment beyond the screen and to create deeper interactions between you, the user and the entertainment of your choice.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are great examples of experiences and interactions fueled by the desire to become immersed in a simulated land for entertainment and play, or to add a new dimension of interaction between digital devices and the real world. Alone or blended together, they are undoubtedly opening up worlds-both real and virtual alike. Perhaps a little AR technology would do wonders for downloads of the already popularized dating app, Tinder, anything is possible with this kind of technology.
This article was contributed by Sophie U., Content Specialist at SmartBuyGlasses a leading E-commerce designer eyewear retailer. Read about their story here and for related articles, you can check out their Optical Center.
The launcher is the same one that was pulled from system dump several weeks back, featuring a redesigned search bar and dock at the bottom of the screen. The navigation buttons in the navigation bar are, however, slightly different and are a solid color, as opposed to the outline that has graced Android since the dawn of time.
On the corners of the charging panels are metal holes which can be used to attached to the rear side of backpacks. That’s a thoughtful design for those who love to hike or backpack in the back country where solar power is the only option.
