What are you looking for?

January 27, 2022 by Jon Jaehnig

• Consumer AR headset manufacturer Nreal announced a partnership with media giant Cinedigm. The partnership is important as we’ve learned in the past that cool hardware isn’t enough to hold consumer attention when a platform lacks a variety of engaging content.

• Snap announced a “new AR shopping UI” that promises to bring ease and quality to online shopping for users as well as new exposure and capabilities to merchants using the platform.

• Crozer Health has started using ThirdEye glasses to learn about patient health faster, as well as relaying vital information to the hospital before the patient arrives. The smart glasses company was originally aimed at enterprise and maintains a firm foothold in this industry, but has been increasingly developing software specifically for first responders.

• XR creator Lucas Rizzotto announced FlatEarth VR, an interactive mockumentary that promises to take viewers on a tour of such significant landmarks as the giant ice walls surrounding the disk that is the earth. The project, set to debut at Sundance, teaches us that “the only thing to fear is sphere itself.”

• Athletic brand Nike continued its relentless pace of exploring emerging technologies and immersive social networks by bringing a larger-than-life interactive experience to one of it’s New York locations.

• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed that the company’s recent acquisition of troubled gaming giant Activision was a metaverse play. While journalists were quick to make the claim, analysts were skeptical on the grounds that most of the titles by Activision aren’t inherently social and a collection of separate pages doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re holding a book.

• Meta announced the first major software update to Quest since the storm of new users that came with the holidays. The update includes integration with the Apple Magic Keyboard, link sharing from a connected mobile phone to the headset, and changes to the browser feature. Some analysts believe that this will bring more people to webVR (potentially away from Meta-controlled apps and experiences).

• XR content creation tool MyWebAR announced a partnership with 3D and AR viewer Sketchfab. 

• “Remote Desktop” solution TeamViewer and the NSF, an international health and safety organization, have created “EyeSucceed.” The modified version of TeamViewer’s extant enterprise offering is targeted specifically at the food industry.

• Interactive VR studio Gleechi announced the availability of a hand interaction package designed to save developers time designing manual interactions in VR experiences.

• USA Today launched a mobile AR experience as a companion to a recent episode of their true crime podcast “Accused.”

The news of the week can essentially be split into two main trends: content for users and adoption by enterprise. The Snap and Nreal partnerships both promise quality integrations to bring together users and brands in organic and meaningful ways beneficial to everyone. Further, the MyWebAR and Gleechi announcements both entail more powerful creator tools allowing them to make great experiences for the rest of us.

On the other hand, the TeamViewer and ThirdEye news in particular are both great examples of frontline workers adopting immerging technology solutions to do the jobs better than the rest of us rely on them to do.