Microsoft files patent for new augmented reality project

Augmented Reality Glasses

Microsoft is the latest addition to technology companies working on developing head-mounted augmented reality devices. The company has recently filed a patent for a new AR headset. The company has been very selective about the information it is sharing regarding its new project, but the device may be used for next generation gaming platforms. Early this year, news arose of Microsoft working on the Xbox 720, the successor to the massively successful Xbox 360. Given the company’s latest patent filing, the possibility of a new Xbox console may not be…

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What impact with the New iPad have on online retailers?

mobile commerce ipad 3 retail

It should come as no surprise to retailers that mobile commerce is now becoming a vital part of remaining competitive, but what many people are wondering is what sort of difference the New iPad will be making in this marketplace and what that will mean to the holiday shopping season for this year. There are already over 82.2 million Americans who use smartphones, and online retailers are making certain that they optimize their websites in order to cater to these consumers. That said, the release of the “iPad 3” is…

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Microsoft Research’s Beamatron hints at the possible future of augmented reality

Beamatron

Developers from Microsoft Research, the development wing of Microsoft that focuses on emerging technologies, have been experimenting with a new system they call Beamatron. The system uses the Xbox 360 Kinect motion-capture camera to help generate digital images that are projected onto a physical surface using augmented reality. In this sense, the Beamatron system lives up to its name. Developers believe that the system could have significant implications for a variety of industries, especially communications, where the system could be used to facilitate holographic communications between people. Currently, the Beamatron…

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PayPal to announce intention to launch competition for Square

Paypal Mobile Payments

On Thursday, PayPal will be announcing a small business solution that will include a dongle for mobile payments which will provide direct competition to Intuit (intu), Square, Verifone, and others. This PayPal dongle, which will be triangle-shaped, will make it possible for small business owners to be able to process the swipe of a credit card by using a smartphone, in a way that is comparable to PAYware by Verifone, Square, and GoPayment at Intuit. This effort will align well with PayPal’s recent efforts to carry its payment services into…

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NASA looks to make aviation safer with new pair of augmented reality glasses

Military training with augmented reality

NASA announced this week that it is developing a pair of augmented reality glasses. The agency joins a number of companies looking to use the technology in the same way, including Google. Unlike its potential competitors, the agency will not be developing these glasses for a commercial market. Instead, the glasses will be available to pilots and those in the aviation industry. They are being designed to prevent the most dangerous hazards pilots face when landing and taking to the air. Fog is a very common and significant threat in…

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