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Meta has finally revealed exciting details of its new next-generation virtual and mixed reality headset ‘Quest 3.’ With a starting price of $US499.99 for 128GB, the device will be available for purchase this fall.

 

The three main technical elements that the Quest 3 will be featuring include a 2x improved processing power, high-fidelity color Passthrough that produces AR experience, and a smaller and sleeker design making the headset more comfortable to wear than the previous model.

 

According to Meta, the Quest 3 headset features the tech giant’s “highest resolution display and pancake optics.” The increased processing power of the Quest 3 results from a Snapdragon chipset integrated in the device that helps enhance its visual capabilities. “You’ll get smoother performance and incredibly crisp details in immersive games,” Meta claims.

Meta Shares Thrilling Preview of Quest 3 Headset, Announces Lower Prices and Software Upgrades for Quest 2



Snapchat and Microsoft have collaborated on a new integration that lets Work users on Microsoft Teams enjoy some of the most popular Snapchat Lenses to add AR effects in their video meetings. There are more than 20 Lenses that users can choose from.

 


The Lenses are powered by Snap's Camera Kit and offer an AR effect to video calls, making them livelier and more interactive. “Since AR uses cameras, sensors, and displays, which are already built into video conferencing, it is a perfect and seamless fit with Teams,” says Microsoft. Previously, the filters in Teams were powered by the Snap Camera that was launched in 2018 and primarily designed for Twitch streams, and was later shut down.

Microsoft Introduces a Range of Snapchat Lenses in Teams

 


In a latest monetization effort utilizing AR, Snapchat has developed a new project that combines AI and AR, dedicated to retailers who can use the service to earn from AI and AR shopping tools.

 

The AR Enterprise Services (ARES) by Snapchat provides retailers with shopping tools that can be used to virtually try on products like clothes, jewellery, makeup, etc. The integration of AR shopping tools in ARES will facilitate retailers by increasing conversions and reducing return rates.

 

Snapchat’s Latest AR Creation Helps Retailers Make Money Off of AR and AI Shopping



A new Bloomberg report revealed that Apple could be announcing its mixed reality headset this spring, ahead of the Worldwide Developers Conference that is to be held in June.

 

The prediction has also been confirmed, in a way, by a recent tweet shared by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who provided an update on the development progress of the headset. He stated that due to issues involving the mechanical component drop testing as well as the availability of software development tools, the headset would most likely not be revealed in the January media event. Ming-Chi Kuo further confirmed that the headset would most likely be announced in the spring.

Apple is Reportedly Preparing to Launch its Mixed-Reality Headset in Fall



As part of its recent AR advancement, Snapchat has launched a new AR Lens that is meant to help users discover products of their preference during the holiday season. The lens features a voiceML technology that relies on audio prompts instead of typed text to engage with and facilitate users.

 

The Lens, called ‘New Balance,’ works by listening to audio prompts from a user who answers a series of questions to reach the product they are looking for. The Lens will then provide product recommendations that best match with the user’ answers.

Snapchat Rolls Out New AR, Voice-Powered Shopping Lens in US



Meta hosted its Connect conference for 2022 just now to reveal its latest VR products and tools. These include a new version of the Quest headset, new professional integrations with Microsoft, updated interaction tools, and control devices.

 

Meta’s new Quest headset is priced at $US1,499 and called ‘Quest Pro’, which the company describes as its first entry in its new “high-end line” of devices. Meta has redesigned the headset in its appearance, which is more sleek-looking, and has developed it with innovative features including high-resolution sensors for mixed reality experiences, a more realistic display with more pixels, crisp LCD displays for sharp visuals, and an eye-tracking system.

 

Additionally, the Quest Pro facilitates multi-screen display, as well as Meta’s new VR feature called ‘Magic Rooms’, which is a combination of VR and the display of participants in a video conference.

Meta Displays its Latest VR Advancements at the 2022 Connect Conference



Snapchat recently conducted a survey-research with over twenty-five thousand people, in collaboration with Ispos, on how AR and its potential value is perceived by social and digital media users, including brands and consumers.

 

The main conclusion that Snapchat derived from the research suggests that people are only aware of the superficial value of AR, while there is actually a wide range of benefits that AR could offer. Snapchat estimates that around 60% of people in the US, and almost all social/communications apps users will be frequent users of AR by 2025.

 

The report gathered key points in relation to people’s opinions of AR. This includes the potential of AR in online shopping experience, as every 6 out of 10 people identified shopping as their main reason of using AR, 84% of consumers expressed interest in using AR to interact with a product before purchasing it, and 73% were of the view that AR made their shopping experience easier. Snapchat also adds how AR helps consumers to make better purchase decisions by allowing them to visualize, share, and gather feedback before making purchases.

 




In addition to that, 73% of the consumers showed interest in experiencing AR at events and conferences, while 79% of them were keen to experience AR as a means of entertainment, like concerts and sport events.  

 

Snapchat’s Latest Report Reveals Potential of AR and Opportunities for Brands to Make Use of it



Meta prepares to host the 2022 Meta Connect Conference on the 11th of October, where it aims to showcase a range of its new AR and VR creations, along with a virtual design of the Metaverse. “Industry leaders will share the latest technologies and developer sessions will cover how to use them. Our goal is to bring the world closer together and deepen human connection through new experiences,” says Meta.

 

One of the major exhibits in the conference will be Meta’s latest ‘Cambria’ VR headset that it had first previewed last October. The headset features advanced, high-end technology, including higher resolution image quality and outward-facing cameras, hence enabling the wearer to experience a unique mixed-reality. The only drawback of the Cambria headset, it seems like, is its price, which is around $1000 and would likely result in lower take-up.

Meta to Unfold its Vision of Metaverse and New Technologies at 2022 Connect Conference



To enhance its AR and VR experiences further, Meta is now developing new spatial audio tools. With the help of this integration, people will be able to live moments of immersive graphics and sounds when they put on their AR glasses.  

 

Spatial audio is one of Meta’s key drivers for the Metaverse, and the company has already introduced a bit of the spatial audio experience in its Ray-Ban Stories glasses that feature open air speakers to deliver sound directly into the wearer’s ears, without an earpiece.

 

Currently, Meta is creating three new models for audio-visual understanding and inviting developers and audio experts to contribute to its research. According to Meta, the models “focus on human speech and sounds in video.”

Meta is Creating New Spatial Audio Tools for AR and VR Experiences

In its annual Partner Summit this year, Snapchat announced some cool, new updates. These include advanced AR tools for brands, a small drone called ‘Pixy’ that can capture and save your photos and videos on Snapchat Memories for you, a 3D asset manager platform, and new creative tools.

 

Of course, we are most curious to discover everything about the most interesting product, the Pixy drone, first. This product is a creation of Zero Zero Robotics, that Snapchat partnered with last year. The drone costs $230 and is small enough to fit in your pocket. It is initially being launched in the US and France.


You can easily carry the Pixy drone with you anywhere you go. Its technology will let you capture photos and videos while it flies some feet above you. And that doesn’t end here! Pixy will also save your time by uploading the content that it captures on your Snap Memories, so you can access it anytime you want.

Snapchat Announces Advanced AR Tools for Brands, a Pocket-Sized Drone and More

 


Snapchat has updated its AR tools with yet another eCommerce related feature called Catalog-Powered Shopping Lenses. This is offering a variety of virtual try-on options for users and simultaneously facilitating brands to showcase their products within a single Lens on the app. Each item displayed in the Lens will also provide you details about the product, including its price.

 


These Catalog Lenses will be directly linked to brands’ product catalogs, so you may check out other similar products offered by the companies. At the same time, Snapchat will be able to deliver direct, product-aligned feedback to brands, in real-time.

 

This eCommerce and AR collaboration by Snapchat will also give valuable insights to the company in terms of what products its users are interested in engaging with. The data will also help it improve its ad target systems as well as the performance of its campaigns.

 


Snapchat has also updated its Lens Web Builder tool with new templates and tools to streamline the process of creating shopping AR Lenses for brands. For example, brands can build AR experiences by using pre-made functions, while users point and click their way through the Lens creation process.

Snapchat Simplifies its AR Tools with the New Catalog-Powered Shopping Lenses

 


Snapchat’s AR Try-On tools have been updated with a new option called ComplexCon, using which, people can now virtually try on branded clothes including t-shirts and hoodies in the app and check out their look without having to visit shops.

 

 

Visually, however, the digital overlays do not appear perfect in their alignment according to the user’s proportions. Nonetheless, Snapchat is likely going to improve its body-mapping technology, which it has been constantly updating ever since its release.

 

The ComplexCon is similar to Snapchat’s existing AR feature that allows trying on other products like make-up, glasses, jewelry, shoes, purses, etc., which Snapchat had primarily launched for ad campaigns. Moreover, the company had also collaborated with Prada and Farfetch to offer a range of try-on upper body clothing.

 

Snapchat Updates AR Try-On Tools with New Feature ‘ComplexCon’

 


After experimenting with AR glasses for years, Samsung just leaked evidence that suggests that it is working on developing an AR wearable computing device.

 

The wearable is reportedly going to offer the functionality of projecting a giant virtual screen, providing a giant virtual computer monitor, firing up an auto-dimming “sunglasses mode,” or serving as an instant first-person-view screen for the DJI drone. It should also allow viewing 3D digital objects appear in the real world.

Samsung’s First AR Glasses are in the Making

Snapchat Superbowl themed AR Tools take a whopping hit

The Snapchat AR tools took a major hit in 2021 as the company introduced the latest AR lens for the users to stay close to the big Super Bowl event happening right now. Statistically, the company has observed a whopping growth in the use of the AR Snapchat lens ever since Super Bowl has started and more and more people have joined in on the venture. Fans, users, and brands are using these tools to express their emotions to the audience or friends on social media.

Because the majority of Snapchat users belong in the US, it is evident why the event has caused renowned brands to come forward and use the Super Bowl-themed Snapchat lens to promote their campaigns across several platforms. These brands are using this latest tool to showcase their products in a way that is acceptable or even likeable for them.

Snapchat Super Bowl themed AR Tools take a whopping hit

 


With 2020 coming to an end, Snapchat has shared insights regarding its AR achievements in the past year and results of surveys that the company conducted among its userbase. Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, has all of the information and a more detailed breakdown of the data is available on Snapchat’s business site as well.

 

According to insights related to different attitudes of users in relation to the upcoming holidays and new year, 57% of the userbase reported feeling ready to embrace 2020 as soon as possible. Majority of the contribution comes from users from Brazil and the US.

 

As for the holiday plans, unfortunately the worsening situation of the pandemic is making it difficult for people to plan their holiday season. The UK is especially affected by these circumstances as it particularly got hit badly by the second coronavirus wave, causing the government to impose strict lockdowns and SOPs for Christmas.

 

Snapchat users in the US have reported limiting their holiday plans to social distancing, which means no at-home gatherings and virtual exchange of gifts.

Snapchat Reveals its 2020 AR Achievements and Userbase Survey Results

How is e-learning changing our learning patterns?

E-learning was never this popular as it is now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the deadly virus broke out all over the world, the countries had to shut down everything in order to keep the people safe. That was the time when digital technology was embraced for almost everything, including office work, therapy sessions, education, workout training, communication, etc. People were never reliant on technology this much ever before.

From physical learning to augmented reality and e-learning, what do you think about the impacts technology has made on our learning patterns? According to the studies, augmented reality will be more accessible in the coming years. E-learning is being opted by everyone worldwide in the current situation because of the amazing benefits it shows forth the education process.

How is e-learning changing our learning patterns? #infographic


Google is bringing a new addition to Maps with which users can now create Street View photos using their phones. Android users who own ARCore-compatible devices can capture these images and then publish them to Google Street View in certain areas.  



This feature is not entirely new because it was available to users in the past too but required a special 360-degree camera. The only difference is that this time, the images can be captured using a standard phone camera. 


Google will be accepting submissions from certain regions initially, including Toronto, New York, Austin, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Costa Rica. The company allow more regions to support the feature in near future. 

You can now Create Street View Photos for Google Maps with your Phone

 

Virtual Reality statistics for marketers

Virtual reality is deemed as a seemingly newer technology of the modern era. This technology has the potential to be the next big thing but we haven’t quite tapped into its potential just yet. However, it is only a matter of time when we will have a virtual world full of our fantasies.


The adoption of virtual reality by many companies, organizations and even governments has been a widespread. The recognition of this advanced technology is good news for many tech savvy fans and tech companies. Virtual reality has been in the market only recently but in this short amount of time, we have seen a lot of advancement and experiments with it.

Virtual Reality statistics for marketers #infographic

Google has announced a bunch of new Google Lens and AR tools to assist users in learning and shopping, as part of its SearchOn event.  


To provide greater assistance with learning, the Google Lens has been updated to now recognize up to 15 billion things including plants, animals, landmarks, etc. Moreover, it can translate more than 100 languages and pronounce words and sentences out loud.  


Lens can also be used to help parents assist their children in solving homework problems. It provides step-by-step guidance, including videos that help with learning and understanding of concepts from different subjects like math, chemistry, physics, biology, etc.  



The AR functionality is helpful for hands-on learning, as it allows exploring concepts up close, such as visualizing the inner workings of a plant cell or viewing the elements of the periodic table in 3D. 

Google Announces New Visual Tools for AR and Lens

Snapchat becomes the first company to incorporate LiDAR technology in the latest iPhones

On Tuesday, Apple launched its newest models of iPhones, the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. the models have been fully loaded with the greatest software and technologies. Name one thing, and it will surely be present in the new iPhone models. Amongst several other amazing features, Apple now introduced the new iPhones with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) Scanner in order to improve the experiences with Augmented Reality. Snapchat itself confirms the news of incorporating Apple’s new technology in the latest iOS devices.



LiDAR Scanner is basically used to measure the time that light takes to reach an object and reflect back from it. The technology will be a blessing for app developers as one can create an extremely precise depth map through it. Furthermore, low light won’t be a problem anymore for iPhone 12 Pro series users as LiDAR will be there even to take low-light portraits.

Snapchat becomes the first company to incorporate LiDAR technology in the latest iPhones

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