MAGIC LEAP AND MIXED REALITY

Save for some brief promo videos, secretive augmented reality startup Magic Leap has yet to reveal their product in full, but that hasn’t kept prerelease criticism from emerging. Last week, technology digest The Information published a story in which writer Reed Albergotti described a meeting with company reps as having left him with him the impression that "Magic Leap may have oversold what it can do." The article also criticized Magic Leap’s initial (and very highly streamed), promotional video as more of a special effects display than an active demonstration of their product. Augmented/mixed reality is a technology similar to those portrayed in films like Ironman, allowing users to interact with projected displays and buttons in a manner that resembles an iPhone display projected into the air.

 Magic Leap Promo Video

#MixedReality #VirtualVision #MagicLeapVid

MICHIGAN LAW PREPARES FOR SELF DRIVING CARS

During a recent visit to the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, MI, Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill that authorizes testing of automated vehicles within the state. The law, assembled in cooperation with auto manufacturers and rideshare companies like Ford, GM, Toyota, Google, Uber and Lyft, establishes guidelines for the testing, usage and sale of automated cars within Michigan borders. Given Michigan’s central role in the history of the American auto industry, Snyder’s authorization is of special note. Detroit, Michigan, traditionally known as “Motor City”, is where Henry Ford founded his groundbreaking auto company in 1903, marking the beginning of the American auto production boom. Nearly 50 years of great prosperity followed, until foreign auto competition began to decimate the economy of the once thriving city.

Ford Motor Company Detroit Documentary

#MotorCity #NewEra #AutoAutos

DISCORD HITS 25 MILLION USERS

Discord, a text and chat app for the online gaming community, is gaining rapidly on competitors like Teamspeak and Skype, having recently hit the 25 million user mark. Now, Discord has announced the launch of GameBridge, a product that enables users to integrate their voice and text chat threads into games themselves. Gamebridge is an SDK, or set of development tools and utilities, that provides users with simple means to build community interactions. Common usages include displaying game replays and achievements in text threads, as well as adding and removing players from game channels. In addition, Gamebridge can also detect what specific users are in a voice channel, identify when these users are talking, and then provide automatic control for settings like volume and mute.

Discord App Main Site

https://discordapp.com

#DiscordDevelopment #OnlineGaming #InteractPack

NINTENDO AMIIBO ADDS CHARACTERS TO YOUR GAME

Old school video game kings Nintendo have debuted an updated Amiibo, a wireless communications and storage tool in the form of a toy figurine, compatible with Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and Nintendo Switch gaming systems. Amiibos use NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to connect with supported software—simply tap an Amiibo against an enabled gaming device and it connects. Depending on the platform in use, players may use their Amiibo to import characters into a game, customize characters, acquire bonuses and special items, and unlock new gaming features. An Amiibo, which comes with corresponding collector/gaming cards, is similar to tools used in other gaming systems like Disney Infinity and Skylanders.

Nintendo Amiibo Main Site

http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo

#NFCTech #CollectibleGaming #NintendoNFC

MAKE YOUR PHONE A PORTABLE KARAOKE PALACE

IK Multimedia, a top digital music industry brand, has released iRig Voice, a full-size portable microphone for use with karaoke and music production apps. Compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as well as Android, iRig Voice allows smartphones and tablets to function as top-quality vocal studios and karaoke devices. The iRig microphone features a moisture-resistant aluminum housing, designed to retain pickup clarity, and its cardioid design draws input from a single and focused spot on the mic, helping to eliminate feedback when used with speaker systems. iRig’s mic connects with a standard 1/8” headphone-style jack and includes a separate headphone output for private usage and practice.

iRig Karaoke Microphone at Urban Outfitters

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=36969541&color=010&category=MORE_IDEAS

#KillerKaraoke # #PhoneParty #TabletStudio