visionOS SDK and what devs should know
Thursday, June 22, 2023 by Freeman Lightner
Apple announced that the visionOS SDK is now available to developers, allowing them to get started on creating innovative app experiences on the Vision Pro. Developers can get access to the SDK through the Apple Developer Program which includes the visionOS SDK, Xcode 15 beta 2, Reality Composer Pro, and the Simulator. Apple is offering dev kits to t...
Everything Unity said at GDC 19
Thursday, March 21, 2019 by Brittany Hainzinger
Unity Technologie's keynote at GDC 19 was filled with new technological breakthroughs and partner announcements that showcased everything that developers need to create, operate and monetize for today and tomorrow. Key partners and customers from Tencent, Activision, Glu Mobile, and NVIDIA joined Unity to set the stage for a week filled with hands-on experiences, op...
Augmented reality app creation made simple with PlugXR
Thursday, January 10, 2019 by Richard Harris
PlugXR, Inc., an Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality/Mixed Reality Silicon Valley startup based in San Jose, California (USA), has announced its flagship AR Authoring Platform, PlugXR Creator (Beta), the Fastest and First-of-its-kind AR App Creator for Android/iOS mobiles to develop powerful AR apps in Minutes.
"We expect to expand the XR market starting with AR...
Testing your app for the holidays
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 by Eran Kinsbruner
It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year and retailers of all sizes have already been busy preparing - and in some cases bracing - for the upcoming surge in traffic that is expected to hit their websites and mobile shopping apps this holiday season. Salesforce is predicting that mobile devices will drive 68 percent of all holiday shopping traffic this year,...
The differences between web apps and native apps
Thursday, October 18, 2018 by Richard Harris
Even in 2018, years past the origional question, the debate rages on across the land, in office spaces and conference rooms every day - should we build a full-blown native mobile app, or is distributing over the web good enough?
By now everyone knows the “mobile-first” mentality because statistics like 50% of web searches being done from a mobile dev...
iOS 12 development tips from a highly rated instructor
Thursday, October 11, 2018 by Angela Yu
While this year’s iOS update was not accompanied by visual overhauls, the latest version of the most advanced mobile operating system is designed to make everyday tasks on iPhone and iPad faster and more responsive.
If you are a developer, you’re in luck. Some of the latest features deliver faster ways to get things done by providing the ability for any a...
The changes in iOS 12 for developers
Monday, October 1, 2018 by Richard Harris
It's here, iOS 12 - Apple's latest operating system, and it's chalked full of changes in everything from the user experience to under the programming hood. Along with the new OS, Apple has also released a new round of hardware, most notably with bigger screen sizes, a faster A12 chip, and the new Apple watch series 4. We've all seen the key note int...
Mobile AR prototyping just got easy
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 by Richard Harris
Torch 3D Inc. announced a new mobile AR prototyping and design app that allows anyone to design 3D apps, even if they have no prior 3D knowledge or coding experience. The app makes it easy for designers and developers to build interactive, multi-scene prototypes in seconds, and to collaborate in real time with other designers, team members, and clients.
The company a...
eBay launches HeadGaze so you can use head movements to navigate
Tuesday, September 11, 2018 by Richard Harris
eBay has announced a new technological innovation coming out of its Computer Vision team that they hope will transform the way users can physically navigate through different applications. It's called HeadGaze and it uses Apple’s ARKit and the iPhone X camera to track your head motion so you can navigate your phone easily without using your hand...
A designer's guide to mobile AR and VR
Thursday, August 16, 2018 by Paul Reynolds
When most people think of 3D user experiences, their mind goes straight to headsets - Oculus Rift for VR, for example, and Hololens for AR. But for designers and developers, that mindset changed dramatically last summer when Google and Apple released their mobile AR platforms - ARCore and ARKit, respectively. Almost overnight, these platforms swung the center of gravity...
July is the deadline for all iOS apps that don't support iOS 11
Monday, May 7, 2018 by Richard Harris
Apple reminds us that iOS 11 is now in the hands of hundreds of millions of people around the world, and starting July 2018, all new iOS apps and updates submitted to the App Store must be built with the iOS 11 SDK, plus support iPhone X. Also, all new iOS apps and updates for iPhone, including universal apps, must support the Super Retina display of iPhone X.iOS 11 SDK...
AR app from The Red Cross shows the devistation of war
Thursday, March 8, 2018 by Richard Harris
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has unveiled “Enter the room,” an augmented reality experience for iOS app users. In a narrative told through the eyes of a child, the free app provides a visceral, first-person experience of war at a family’s doorstep. Entering through a portal on the screen of their device, users see the brutal impact of years of fig...
Developers outlook 2018: big technologies, big changes
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 by Jason Thane
In 2018 changes in the technology landscape are creating fantastic opportunities for innovation in design and engineering. For decades, computers featured a TV screen for output, a keyboard for text input, and a mouse to point and click. Just a few years ago, the iPhone transformed everything by putting the first well-designed computer with a touchscreen in our pockets....
Overstock executive named cochair of VRARA Retail Committee
Friday, January 12, 2018 by Christian Hargrave
Months after Overstock.com, announced the launch of its augmented reality (AR) feature within its iOS shopping app, the organization’s senior vice president of software engineering, Amit Goyal, was named as the chair to VR/AR Association (VRARA)’s global retail and e-commerce committee. Along with Goyal’s responsibility as chair, he will serve as president of the newly ...
AR mobile ads for games launched by ironSource
Monday, November 20, 2017 by Richard Harris
ironSource has recently launched AR ads for their advertising network. As the first network offering AR ads, ironSource is developing a format that showcases the same experience of the game in an ad environment. The AR ads use 3D assets from the original game, and can run on both iOS and Android in-app traffic, within rewarded, video, and display placements. The ads are...
ViroCore launched to build immersive AR apps
Friday, November 17, 2017 by Richard Harris
Viro Media has announces the launch of ViroCore, a SceneKit equivalent for Android enabling native AR/VR development using Java. ViroCore supports ARCore, Google Cardboard, Daydream and Gear VR.With ViroCore, Android developers can now build immersive standalone AR/VR apps or add features like Snapchat’s Lenses into their existing apps using familiar languages and tools...
Developing in AR with Thyng
Monday, November 6, 2017 by Richard Harris
Augmented reality (AR) has gotten a lot of attention of late, with Apple and Google respectively launching ARKit and ARCore to help mobile app developers embrace AR. Well-known brands like Ikea and Strava have deployed ARKit apps, and many app developers are contemplating building AR elements into existing apps or coding new AR apps from scratch.In Chicago, startup Thyn...
Learning ARKit for the average iOS developer
Monday, November 6, 2017 by Angela Yu
Augmented Reality is not new and developers already have tools to create augmented reality (AR) apps. But with Apple’s brand-new ARKit, we’re going to see a massive shift in the landscape as this new framework simplifies the process of building AR experiences for iPhone and iPad. With ARKit in their arsenal, developers are presented with a golden opportunity a...
Using ARKit to provide a mobile content experience
Thursday, November 2, 2017 by Roman Taranov
With the launch of iOS 11 came a variety of new features - the most prominent being ARKit. As defined by Apple, "The basic requirement for any AR (Augmented Reality) experience - and the defining feature of ARKit - is the ability to create and track a correspondence between the real-world space the user inhabits and a virtual space where you can model visual content." A...
Creating apps for iPhone X with newly opened doors
Tuesday, October 17, 2017 by Evan Rosenbaum
Over the past ten years of new iPhones, Apple has introduced features - some with little fanfare and others as marquee parts of the new phones - which cause a seismic shift in user behavior. Shifts in user behavior create opportunities for app developers to create enduring brands and experiences.The Apps of TomorrowAn analysis of some of these features and the enduring ...
ARCam augmented reality App launched by Cheetah Mobile
Tuesday, October 3, 2017 by Richard Harris
Cheetah Mobile Inc. has announced their latest app, ARCam, which allows users to create a 3D moment by inserting augmented reality features into photos and videos. ARCam was built on Apple’s ARKit introduced with iOS 11 and is available now for download at ARCam App Store.“ARCam is a new, streamlined app that allows people to have more fun with their phone camera than e...
Shopping in AR is the future says Overstock
Thursday, September 21, 2017 by Christian Hargrave
Overstock.com, Inc. will be launching augmented reality (AR) within the retailer’s iOS shopping app. Shoppers using a cell phone or tablet with iOS11 can launch the AR experience directly from the retailer’s app, which features true-to-life-size 3D models, giving shoppers the most accurate representation of the product as possible so they can see exactly how it will fit...
What the iPhone X and iOS 11 mean to app developers
Tuesday, September 12, 2017 by Richard Harris
The excitement of Apple launch day always reminds me of the Willy Wonka “opening of the gates”, you know - where the public gets a peek inside Apple's secret factory for a brief moment. But this year the Apple event feels a bit different. Maybe it’s the recent leaks, maybe it’s because we all know Apple is facing a ceiling of innovation they have to punch through - and ...
iOS 11 developer tips to maximize your opportunities
Friday, August 4, 2017 by Mark Price
One decade after the launch of the first iPhone, Apple is set to introduce the latest iOS. Deemed by the tech behemoth as the world's most advanced mobile operating system, iOS 11, still in public beta test, is packed with capabilities designed to help developers create cohesive and immersive user experiences. Following are new features and long-anticipated upgrades inc...
