Google ARCore will bring augmented reality to Android phones running Nougat or higher

Why it matters to you

Thanks to ARCore, you shouldn’t need to spend hundreds on a new Project Tango-enabled phone to get a great AR experience. So long as your device runs at least 7.0 Nougat, you’re in luck.

Google is bringing high-quality augmented reality to Android — and not just to one phone, or even a few, but eventually to every device running 7.0 Nougat or higher. It’s all happening through a new software development kit called ARCore, and Google spilled the details today in a blog post.

ARCore folds everything Google has learned over the last several years in developing its AR platform, Project Tango, into a software package that requires no special hardware to run. To date, Tango has only launched in two phones — Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro and Asus’ ZenFone AR — and that’s because it bears certain system requirements. ARCore doesn’t, and so Google says it is targeting 100 million active devices by the end of the preview phase. It is partnering with the likes of Samsung, Asus, LG, Huawei, and others to bring its ambition to reality.

“ARCore builds on Tango technology but makes AR broadly available across Android phones without having to add any additional hardware,” a Google spokesperson told Digital Trends.

What will your phone be able to do with ARCore? Google has focused on three critical elements of the AR experience in developing this SDK: motion tracking, environmental understanding, and lighting. ARCore can determine its own position and orientation in space by anchoring onto specific landmarks in a room. It can detect horizontal surfaces especially well, which is typically where AR objects are placed. It does a much better job of reading ambient lighting, so computer-generated figures are seated as seamlessly as possible in the real world.

If you happen to be one of the few people in the world who own a Project Tango device, ARCore likely isn’t going to deliver any improvements. But for the wide majority, it should significantly enhance your AR experience. The preview goes live today, only for the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, and Samsung Galaxy S8. Developers can start tinkering with some of the tools to support ARCore right now — and there are a few Google has called attention to.

There are two 3D creation services that have been developed with ARCore in mind: Blocks and Tilt Brush. Google says they make it easy to build assets specifically for AR applications. The company has also developed a prototype desktop internet browser that can match ARCore’s capabilities, for web developers who are seeking a bit of AR functionality to add to their site. Perhaps best of all, Google says they also play nice with Apple’s AR suite, ARKit.

When asked if the birth of ARCore means the death of Tango, Google told us the public “may not see consumer-branded Tango devices moving forward … We think of Tango more and more as an enabling technology — it’s akin to GPS, where you don’t see devices or apps branded as having this technical capability.”

For everyone without a Pixel or Galaxy S8, Google has launched an AR Experiments showcase to demonstrate to users how ARCore can improve their devices. With AR paving the way for the future of mobile, Google will be in an excellent position if it can deliver a high-quality, consistent integration across many different Android devices.

Amazon adds multi-room audio to Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show

You can now listen to Amazon Music — and other services — simultaneously across multiple Echo devices.

Long expected and highly anticipated, Amazon today announced that its flagship Echo devices now support synchronized music playback. Multi-room audio, that is. It works on the original Echo, the venerable Echo Dot, and the new Echo Show.

You’ll set up groups of devices in the Alexa app (go into settings and the look for “Multi-room music.”) You’ll create groups of at least two devices, and supported services include Amazon Music, TuneIn Radio, iHeartRadio and Pandora. SiriusXM and Spotify will be added later.

Which Amazon Music subscription should you get?

After that, it’s music time, all over the house.

Amazon says multi-room audio is initially available in the United States, the UK, and Germany. It’s also added documentation for developers to take advantage of multi-room audio as well.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo

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Stop searching for a place to plug-in and charge with the $7 RAVPower mini battery pack

Our friends at Thrifter have a great deal on a mini portable battery charger!

The whole point of the smartphone revolution was we could carry the power of a full-blown computer in our pocket. We didn’t have to make room for more stuff… until it came time to charge the battery. Then you needed a backpack just to carry all your cords and power adapters and giant, monolithic, battery packs.

That’s the beauty of a mini external charger like the RAVPower Luster Mini 3350mAh portable battery pack. It can fit in your pocket, or purse, and you don’t have to go out of your way to keep your phone juiced up. Right now it’s down to $6.99 with code KJAPB335.

Its normal street price is $11.99. While it’s hard to tell if there have been other coupon codes just as good as this, it hasn’t had a direct price drop this low since last year.

Despite its size, it still has enough power to fully charge an iPhone 7 and similar phones. Assuming you actually leave the house with a full charge (and didn’t forget to charge it all night like I usually do), it should keep you topped off while you’re out. Other features include:

• Thoughtful And Ergonomic Design: White plastic cap at the top and unique clip-inspired design prevent the charger from scratching and rolling off your desk
• Easy-to-press power button plus three status LEDs keep you informed of remaining capacity
• 1A output and 1A input: charge faster and smarter than others. Automatically detects and delivers the optimal charging current for any connected device, which ensures the fastest and most efficient charge
• Short-circuit and over-current protection will make the charger automatically shut down if a short circuit or overload output occur while the unit is charging
• Ultra reliable Lithium-Ion battery with over 500 battery charge cycles

RAVPower offers an 18-month warranty for the charger as well.

This charger only comes with one USB to micro USB cable, so grab an extra USB-C cord or Lightning cable if you need one.

See at Amazon

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For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Grab the Moto Z Play with a $50 gift card and photo video kit for $350

If you’re looking for a Moto Z Play, you won’t want to miss this deal from our pals at Thrifter!

Package deals can tend to be a hit or a miss when it comes to value, but this offering from B&H Photo is a great one. The company is bundling a $50 B&H e-gift card and a basic photo/video smartphone kit with the purchase of the phone, and it doesn’t cost you any extra. That means you get the phone and the two freebies for $349.99, which is a $100 savings from its original selling price.

The bundles are valued at $84.95. The photo/video kit includes a tripod, smartphone mount clamp, USB-chargeable LED light and a microfiber cleaning cloth. As for the phone, it has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and offers the best battery life in an Android phone right now.

To make the offer even sweeter, B&H is offering free expedited shipping on these phones right now, and if you live outside of NY or NJ, you won’t pay sales tax at the time of purchase.

See at B&H Photo

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Best VR apps for exercise

It doesn’t have to look like exercise, it can look like fun!

Sometimes you need motivation to work out, and there’s no problem with that. All it takes is a distraction to make exercise feel less like work and more like fun, and VR can be perfect for those distractions. All you really need is an exercise routine you’re comfortable with repeating, and you’re good to go!

We’ve got a couple of ideas for how you can use VR to make that exercise routine either more engaging or less like work. Pick the one that works best for you and give it a shot!

Read more at VR Heads!

Sonos to announce a smart speaker at Oct. 4 press event

Sonos is expected to join Amazon, Google, and Apple in offering a voice controlled smart speaker.

Thanks to FCC filings and rumors, we’re pretty certain Sonos is about to announce its entry into the smart speaker market. Sonos sent out press invites to an October 4 event where the company is expected to announce an Amazon Echo-like smart speaker.

.@Sonos sends press invites to an event in NYC on Oct 4 – https://t.co/5io7tqHhtA pic.twitter.com/kcoAThKHrm

— LAUNCH Ticker (@launchticker) August 29, 2017

Press invites reference UI elements present in the FCC filing that appear to be on-device controls for playing, pausing, navigating, and activating voice control. The invites also feature a prominent Rolling Stones-esque mouth that — as far as we can tell — is a nod to voice control capabilities. Check out TechCrunch’s report for a side-by-side look at the invites TechCrunch and The Verge received — they’re different styles that, when combined, reveal even more of the UI controls. (Android Central also received the second invite — we’ll see you there!)

Sonos’s smart speaker is expected to include far-field voice recognition technology (like the far-field microphones in Amazon Echo devices and may include support for multiple voice assistants. How that would work, exactly, isn’t mentioned in the FCC filing, but it could get confusing shuffling between Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, Google Assistant, and — if applicable — any smart assistant Sonos brings to the table.

No word yet on when this product will launch or how much it’ll cost, but folks are starting to bet that Sonos will try to beat Apple’s HomePod to market, which is expected in December.

Popular cell phone plans you should avoid

There is a phone plan to fit everyone. There are also plans that won’t fit you.

There is an endless number of different phone plans to choose from. While that means there are some that will fit your lifestyle well and be just what you need, there will also be a few you should avoid. And since each of us is different, it’s impossible to just say don’t buy this or don’t buy that.

We can look at what companies offer and talk about how these plans would be a horrible fit for some of us, though. That’s what we’re going to do here: talk about what kind of phone user you might be and then look at the types of plans you should avoid.

Don’t feel pressured into unlimited

It’s awesome to see U.S. carriers offering unlimited plans again. Even if you don’t need one, you probably know someone who does and it’s nice to see any company listening to its customers. All four major U.S. carriers offer an unlimited plan or even several. They are all different, but they have one thing in common: they are the most expensive plan the company has to offer.

In the end, money is what this is all about. You want to get the most value for your dollar, and if a $40 monthly plan offers what you need, you shouldn’t be paying for an $80 plan. Look at how much data you use on average each month before you look at any plans or pricing. Then look at any extra services you need. Find the plan that can give you those things without adding data or extras you don’t want.

More: Which unlimited plan should you buy?

Plans with less than 1GB of data

You either need to have a data plan or you don’t. And a plan that offers under 1GB of data per month hardly counts as one.

They are enticing, usually just a few dollars more than a voice and text only plan. That’s because they are designed to get you to go over your monthly allotment and pay a lot more for 1GB of data than you would have if you just went with a 1GB plan.

If you don’t need an expensive data plan, that’s great. Just don’t think you actually have one if the carrier you use is offering 100MB per month or even 500MB per month. That’s not enough to be useful.

More: Best small data plan

Plans that don’t let you “top up”

No matter how well you plan and calculate how much data you need every month, there is always a chance something will happen, which means you need a little more once in a while. Life is not scripted.

Most companies will let you buy additional data by the GB, but there are still a few plans on some carriers that don’t offer the option. When something comes up, it’s easy to open a web page or send a text to pay $10 or so for 1GB of data, and if a plan doesn’t give you that option, avoid it like the plague. “Overages” are expensive by design — they are a punishment for not following your end of an agreement. Don’t give your money to a company who tries to force you into making them.

Know what International means

Working at Mobile Nations, I have heard too many stories about $500 or higher monthly bills because someone used their phone outside of the U.S. and didn’t realize how expensive that can be. It’s even happened to some of us who work here!

That’s because the word international means something different to carriers. If you look at the fine print on any “international plan,” you’ll see where it applies and where it doesn’t. Some of the worst offenders even offer separate international plans for Canada and Mexico, plus one that covers both.

All this information is available before you buy, so read exactly what you’re thinking of paying for before you hop on a plane. And if you live close to the border or will be visiting, make sure you know what happens if you end up connecting to a tower on the other side of it. Many a traveler to Niagra Falls has a horror story. Don’t let it happen to you.

More: Best international plans

All data is no longer equal

Finally, remember that every company has different rules when it comes to using the data you pay for. This is most evident when it comes to streaming video.

Just about every carrier, both big and small, will have rules about streaming video. You’ll be able to use your entire monthly data allotment — whether that means a set amount each month or the line where unlimited turns into slowed 3G speeds — watching Netflix if you want. But the quality of the video you can get can vary wildly.

If you want to see HD video on your phone, make sure you buy up into the correct HD extra if that’s what you need to do. And even then, know that streaming video on your phone will eat up your data faster than you might realize!

More: How much mobile data does streaming media use?

One size never fits all

We’re not calling out any plan or company by name here because no one plan is better than the rest for everybody.

A plan through Project Fi (for example) might be perfect for some who know what they will use every month and doesn’t need more than a few GB at a time, but it won’t work for others. Unlimited plans are the same way — many of us need one, even though most people don’t. The devil, as they say, is in the details. Know what you need and know what to look out for when you’re buying so you can find it.

Alternative carriers (MVNOS)

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Google’s answer to ARKit is ARCore, and it’s available right now

No more waiting for a Tango phone you’ll actually want to buy.

Shortly after the Android Oreo announcement, David Burke, VP on engineering and Android took to Twitter and hinted at “one more sweet surprise” coming this week. It turns out that surprise is an Augmented Reality SDK that takes all the brains of the Tango Core and makes it available to phones without the fancy sensors on the back. It’s called ARCore, and it looks an awful lot like Google’s answer to Apple’s ARKit.

Here’s what we know so far!

Where Tango phones are capable of filling entire buildings with Augmented Reality data that can be accesses from room to room, even as you go up and down stairs, ARCore is built for what is right in front of you. It uses the single camera on the back of your phone to detect flat surfaces and lets you place AR objects to walk around and explore.

The motion sensors on your phone let you wander around the stuff you’ve placed, giving it the illusion of existing right in front of you as long as you’re looking through the phone. As long as you are in the same room as the thing you’re playing with, or you’re outside in a wide open space, it’ll look like that thing is really there.

This is where the Tango brains kick in. ARCore uses the ambient light sensor on the phone to give developers more information for things like dynamic lighting and shading, so the shadows cast by the AR object should line up with the lighting in the room and the character will appear to be lit by the light in your area.

Out of the box, Google is ensuring there’s plenty of support for ARCore so fans can start playing right away and developers can take inspiration from those concepts to build new things. On top of support from Unity, Unreal Engine, and prominent AR developers like Wayfair and Niantic, Google has AR versions of VR darlings like Tilt Brush and Blocks so people can start creating in AR right away. In theory this means not only are there killer apps out of the box with support for thing like Pokemon Go on the horizon, but games powered by Unreal and Unity could be right around the corner.

Google’s AR strategy also goes beyond the Play Store with prototype browsers aimed at developers who want to build AR for the web. These browsers will enable ARCore and ARKit users to access AR tech right from the browser, encouraging developers to build for everyone instead of just one platform.

While ARCore isn’t anywhere near as capable as a full Tango phone, the most important feature here is accessibility. Google is launching ARCore today as a preview for Galaxy S8 and Pixel phones, with plans to quickly grow the number of phones that can support ARCore. Huawei, ASUS, and LG phones are expected to join this list shortly, with an internal goal of 100 million supported phones by the end of the preview. According to Google, Android 7.0 or higher is the current limitation for phones that could eventually be supported.

Are you excited to try out ARCore? Check out Google’s AR Experiments showcase on your Pixel or Galaxy S8 today to see what you can do!

WhatsApp now deals in customer support for businesses

A year after outlining its plans to give the platform customer service functionality, WhatsApp has revealed how businesses will be able to communicate with users via verified accounts. A green check badge — not dissimilar to the ones found on Facebook and Twitter — next to a contact name means the phone number belongs to a business account. You’ll also know when you start talking to a business through the app, as messages will appear in yellow. The feature is currently in beta for a small number of businesses participating in a pilot program.

The move represents the Facebook-owned company’s first real attempt at monetizing its service. It’s not clear exactly how this will work yet, although CEO Jan Koum has noted in the past that businesses, not users, will foot the bill. And it seems the platform will extend beyond basic broadcast marketing and basic customer assistance. In a blog post from 2016 Koum hypothesized WhatApp’s billion daily users communicating with banks about potentially fraudulent transactions, or an airline about delayed flights. This is already happening on the likes of Twitter and Facebook, so expansion onto one of the world’s largest messaging platforms was simply a matter of time.

Source: WhatsApp

Sonos will unveil a voice-controlled smart speaker on October 4th

After all that talk about voice control, Sonos is finally ready to put its money where its mouth is. The connected speaker company has sent out invitations to a New York City event on October 4th where it has some “news to share.” The invitation (below) has virtually no details, but the open mouth on the front is a not-so-subtle hint as to what’s coming — it’s that smart speaker that popped up in an FCC filing earlier this month. Based on the description, the device will use far-field mics to accept commands from “multiple voice platforms,” which suggests that the expected Alexa support may be just the start.

The fall timing for the event could be crucial. Sonos hasn’t had to worry too much about the rise of voice-guided speakers, as its sound quality still tends to be much better (even a standard Play:1 will thrash an Echo or Home), but that’s changing. Amazon just introduced the higher-quality Echo Show, and Apple’s HomePod is very clearly gunning after Sonos’ core market with a mix of both voice control and top-flight audio. Simply speaking, there’s a lot of pressure on Sonos to do something with voice — the pioneer in connected audio risks being left behind if it insists on ‘old-school’ apps and buttons.