Futurists and screenwriters have conjured blue-sky visions of what could happen with advanced computer glasses — one episode of the dystopian anthology “Black Mirror” explored a world where people could “block” certain people out of their view.
The future is rushing at us so fast it feels more like time is standing still, and big tech is about to bring in another paradigm shift with next-level technology. The first step took place back in 1994 when they got everyone in front of the computer and the world wide web, it was fantastically successful. We are now in the midst of the second step which is to get the computer on us, smart phones in our pockets leading to augmented reality devices on our faces. I daresay that that effort will be fantastically successful as well.
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Daniel 12: 4 (KJB)
The next step will be getting the computer inside of us via implantable devices, leading to what the the bible calls the Mark of the Beast. We've been reporting for the past 7 years about the thousands of people all over the world implanting themselves with microchips. In the meantime, enjoy the coming augmented reality devices that will replace the smart phones we all can't live without.
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six." Revelation 13:16-18 (KJB)
CLICK TO ENTER THE NTEB MARK OF THE BEAST END TIMES ARCHIVES THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
The big tech industry is looking to replace the smartphone — and everybody is waiting to see what Apple comes up with next
FROM CNBC: In 2007, Apple unveiled the iPhone. Apple didn’t invent the smartphone — companies like Palm and Blackberry had been selling them for years. But the iPhone introduced a totally new way to interact with computers. The always-on internet connectivity, finger-friendly touch screen, and interface based around clickable app icons all seem commonplace now. But at the time, the whole package felt revolutionary.
The smartphone was a seismic shift for the technology industry, creating entirely new business models — apps became $100 billion companies -- while replacing everything from digital cameras to in-car GPS systems. But smartphone sales have dropped two calendar years straight for the first time, according to Gartner. Smartphones are old news.
The tech industry’s next bet is a series of technologies usually called augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality. The vision usually involves some kind of computer worn in front of the user’s eyes.
Users will still be able to see most of the real world in front of them — unlike virtual reality, which completely immerses the user in a computer-generated fantasyland, augmented reality layers computer-generated text and images on top of reality. Industry watchers and participants think that Apple has a good chance to validated and revolutionize AR like it did with smartphones. Apple has been prototyping headsets for years, and recent reports from The Information and Bloomberg suggest that Apple could release a headset as early as 2022 that could cost as much as $3,0000.
But Apple’s not the only company working on these products. All the big tech players — Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon — are in the game as well.
Futurists and screenwriters have conjured blue-sky visions of what could happen with advanced computer glasses — one episode of the dystopian anthology “Black Mirror” explored a world where people could “block” certain people out of their view. More positive visions imagine having important information coming directly into your view, exactly when you want it.
Today, the most common use cases are much more mundane, including smartphone-based games and apps like Pokemon Go or Apple’s Ruler app, which use the phone’s screen and camera rather than relying on glasses or another set of screens sitting on your face. The few companies who are actively producing AR glasses are mostly focused on work scenarios, like manufacturing and medicine.
“That’s where we now sit in spatial computing’s lifecycle. It’s not the revolutionary platform shift touted circa-2016,” said Mike Boland, technology analyst and founder of ARtillery Intelligence, in a recent report. “It’s not a silver bullet for everything we do in life and work as once hyped. But it will be transformative in narrower ways, and within a targeted set of use cases and verticals.”
Apple
Apple’s generation-defining success with the iPhone has made it the company to watch in augmented reality -- even though the company has never confirmed it is working on a headset, glasses or any other kind of head-worn computer.
Boland says that if Apple were to release a pair of AR glasses, it could “determine the fate of the AR industry,” given the company’s track record of popularizing new technologies.
A report from Bloomberg last month suggested Apple’s first AR product could be out as early as next year. Its first shot will reportedly a battery-powered headset that’s primarily designed for virtual reality, but with on-board cameras to enable augmented reality as well. The report says this device could cost thousands of dollars and be available only in low volumes -- more typical of a test platform for software developers than the mass-market products Apple usually releases.
Google
Google was the first major technology company to release a head-worn computer when it introduced Google Glass in 2013. It cost $1,500 at the time, and was explicitly targeted at people in the computer industry and early adopters, which Google called “explorers.”
Google’s approach was significantly lighter and simpler than what’s come since. Google Glass did not attempt to use advanced processing to integrate computer graphics into the real world. Instead, it was equipped with a camera, and had a little transparent display with relatively low resolution on the right temple. That display was used to project small bits of information into the user’s field of vision -- sort of like an Apple Watch or smartwatch on the user’s face.
Microsoft
Microsoft announced its augmented reality headset, Hololens, in 2015, and released the first version in 2016. It’s now on its second version, which costs $3,500. It’s a niche device targeted for business sales. (Microsoft’s tagline: “Work smarter with mixed reality.”)
On its website, Microsoft touts manufacturing, retail, and healthcare as primary use cases. In factories, the headset can inform workers about how to fix or operate a complicated machine. Retailers, instead of having costly display items or large amounts of inventory, can virtually display their goods to customers, Microsoft suggests.
Facebook
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks the most in public about his hopes for augmented reality. Last year, he said, “While I expect phones to still be our primary devices through most of this decade, at some point in the 2020s, we will get breakthrough augmented reality glasses that will redefine our relationship with technology.”
Facebook’s enthusiasm for augmented reality is driven in part by its dependence on smartphone platforms from other vendors today. In particular, Facebook has been balking at Apple’s control over the iPhone for years, and the fight has escalated recently as Apple is planning technical changes to the iPhone software that will hurt Facebook’s main moneymaker, mobile advertising.
If Facebook creates the next big platform, then it will set the rules.
Amazon
Amazon is the tech giant with the least public enthusiasm about augmented reality technology, but it does sell a pair of smart glasses called Echo Frames. These don’t even have a display. Instead, the user interacts entirely through Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant.
Amazon is also attacking augmented reality different angles. Last fall it released an “Amazon Augmented Reality” app, but it’s not a serious piece of software. Instead, it uses QR codes on Amazon shipping boxes to activate fun mini-games, like turning an Amazon box into a race car, or putting fun sunglasses on a dog. But Amazon has many of the pieces to take augmented reality more seriously. It has expertise in computer vision, or the software that can identify what objects in a photo or video are. It has an industry-leading voice assistant that could be deeply integrated with the headset. READ MORE
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