Tag: augmented reality technology

HoloLens has a very short battery life, drawing criticism

| January 21, 2016

Microsoft’s augmented reality glasses can run for only up to 5 hours before they need to be plugged in.

A recent presentation made by Bruce Harris, the Microsoft technical evangelist, in Tel Aviv, revealed several pieces of insight about the augmented reality Hololens headset, some of which impressed the tech industry and some of which is turning out to be a bit of a disappointment.

Though many details had been revealed back in October, this recent presentation offered more insight.

Back in the original demonstration of HoloLens by Microsoft, last October, there was a great deal revealed about the function of the augmented reality device. However, some key factors were absent in that presentation, including battery life, pricing and other additional functionalities. Now, the recent Tel Aviv presentation from Bruce Harris has shown a great deal more of the finer points surrounding this gadget.

Harris explained that, depending on its usage, HoloLens will last only 2.5 to 5.5 hours before needing to recharge.

HoloLens Draws CriticismThis suggests that if anyone were to invest in one of these devices, they may also want to have a good portable charger with them, as well. After all, using the headset for routine activities will give the individual only just over five hours. However, when pushing the device a little bit harder, that battery life can shrink down to 2.5 hours. For that to become a practical device it will need to be used alongside an external battery pack.

Harris also went on to say that HoloLens will be capable of running virtually any Universal app and it is currently operating on Windows 10 out of the box. Also pointed out in the presentation was that when the headset becomes consumer ready, it will be “totally wireless” and will be capable of connecting to any Bluetooth device or WiFi network. Of course, if WiFi drains this device as much as it can take down many smartphones and tablets, this will only reinforce the need for a portable charger that will be able to recharge it a few times each day.

When it comes to field of view, the HoloLens should provide an experience that can be compared to that of a 15 inch monitor. This field of view was selected in order to make it possible for Microsoft to provide optimal production capabilities in order to keep costs manageable.

Augmented reality brings Edward the talking bird to an Asus campaign

| December 11, 2015

SuperHeroes has worked AR technology into a new mobile marketing strategy for the consumer electronics company.

The creative agency known as SuperHeroes has now worked a new augmented reality features into a mobile marketing campaign for the Asus electronics company, featuring a talking bird named Edward.

The app was created through different partnerships with SuperHeroes, including with MiniVegas and Magic Bullet.

Together, the companies developed an augmented reality app in order to be able to create a talking bird named Edward who will sit on the shoulder of the mobile device user. The app has become one component of a broader mobile marketing campaign for the 2 in 1 Transformer book by Asus. This AR tech based app uses the front facing camera on smartphones in order to be able to allow their users to both view and interact with Edward.

When looking at the phone’s display, the augmented reality image of Edward is viewed on the device user’s shoulder.

According to a statement from SuperHeroes, a company based in Amsterdam, “Using the phone’s front camera we developed a face and shoulder detection algorithm that determines the location of the shoulder, allowing us to perfectly position everyone’s favorite bird with arms right on your shoulder.”

Edward then acts as a spokesbird for Asus and provides the mobile device user with an explanation of the Asus Transformer Book T100HA and his vision of its use. Throughout the interaction with Edward, the user can watch him fly his jetpack, juggle, dance, and can even take selfies with the user. The hope is that this interactivity will draw the attention of the user and make him or her not only more willing to hear what Edward has to say, but also to retain it and act upon it due to the positive experience they’ve enjoyed throughout the use of the app.

The augmented reality app is already available for both Android and Windows smartphone users and is available in their official app stores. That said, according to Superheroes, Apple has boycotted the app and will not sell it on iTunes due to a conflict of interests.