AT&T – Page 2 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

July 11, 2018

Echoing Apple’s iPhone Launch, Magic Leap Taps AT&T for Exclusive US Distribution

Magic Leap today announced that AT&T, one of the leading cellular carriers in the US, has invested in the company and solidified a partnership making AT&T the “exclusive wireless distributor of Magic Leap products for consumers in the U.S.”

Magic Leap, which is building a highly anticipated AR headset, today announced that it has “completed” its Series D equity funding round with an investment from AT&T. The company had announced its $502 million Series D back in 2017, but it isn’t clear if the round had grown to include AT&T’s investment, or today simply marks the conclusion of investment matters for AT&T’s portion (we’ve reached out to Magic Leap for clarification). As part of the investment, AT&T Communications CEO John Donovan joins the Magic Leap board as an observer.

The investment also forms a partnership between the two companies, with AT&T becoming the “exclusive wireless distributor of Magic Leap products for consumers in the U.S.” That means the consumer version of the Magic Leap headset will be sold in AT&T stores, but that may not include the company’s very first headset, the Magic Leap One, which is being positioned more as a development kit than a consumer product.

“When available for consumers, AT&T customers will be among the first to experience [the Magic Leap product] in select AT&T stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, with more markets to follow,” AT&T said.

AT&T Invests in Magic Leap, With In-store Demos Confirmed

Ever the investment sponge, Magic Leap has announced the completion of a Series D equity funding round, which has seen investment coming from AT&T. Additionally, this has also meant a strategic, exclusive US consumer relationship between the two companies that will see AT&T stores receive Magic Leap One units for demonstration.

Magic Leap One Lightwear 2

While the actual investment figure has been kept quiet, AT&T Communications CEO John Donovan now has observer rights with Magic Leap’s board.

“AT&T is excited to pair our pioneering technologies, unmatched network, content platform, and vast customer ecosystem with Magic Leap’s efforts to build the next generation of computing,” said AT&T Communications CEO John Donovan, who has observer rights with Magic Leap’s board. “We’re designing and offering the future of entertainment and connectivity, and this exclusive arrangement – in combination with our 5G leadership position – will open up new opportunities and experiences.”

The investment establishes AT&T as the exclusive wireless distributor of Magic Leap products for consumers in the US, with select AT&T stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to offer their customers a hands-on experience with the elusive headset.

Magic Leap One Reveal

“We’ve joined with AT&T because we believe in a combined vision of expanding high-speed networks, edge computing, and deep integration with creative content,” said Rony Abovitz, Founder, President and CEO of Magic Leap. “Coupling the strength of the evolving AT&T network with Magic Leap’s spatial computing platform can transform computing experiences for people.”

Those in-store demos however aren’t likely to take place anytime soon. Magic Leap has confirmed it’ll begin shipping the Magic Leap One Creator Edition in 2018 to developers and studios. An actual consumer version may still be some way off, when that does happen AT&T will be the first to get hold of them by the sounds of it.

The Magic Leap One system is comprised of three parts, the main headset (called Lightwear), a battery and processing unit termed ‘Lightpack’, and a 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) movement controller. No price has been announced for the system. When further details are available VRFocus will let you know.

June 25, 2018

Mr. Mercedes Immersive Experience Announced For San Diego Comic-Con

The popular AT&T Audience network series Mr. Mercedes, produced by Sonar Entertainment, is set to return to the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) this year to showcase the Mr. Mercedes Immersive Experience. The showcase will also see the cast and creators of season 2 of the show attending the event as well as join in the experience along with show panels.

Mr. Mercedes

The Mr. Mercedes Immersive Experience will offer fans a chance to get a glimpse into the past and a peak into the future of the AT&T Audience Network original series based on the trilogy of books by Stephen King. Fans will step into a virtual reality (VR) escape room gaming experience dubbed Mr. Mercedes: Lair Escape on the HTC Vive Pro and immerse themselves into the show. Those looking to experience an augmented reality (AR) adventure videogame can do so with the Mr. Mercedes: Finders Keepers AR title in which players will need to collect clues in order to unlock never-before-seen content and special prizes.

In total, the Mr. Mercedes Immersive Experience will feature a number of different elements. This includes the Mr. Mercedes: Lair Escape and Mr. Mercedes: Finders Keepers along with a recreation of the show in the real world thanks to the work of the show’s set designers building the locations for Finders Keepers, Mercy General Hospital and Brady’s Lair on the conference floor. 3D projection mapping is also planned to be used to bring the character of Brady to life within his hospital bed. A unique photo experience will transform the participant’s face into Brady’s along with giving a shareable GIF for them to post all over social network. Lastly, the experience will be completed with a private screening room for media, VIP and lucky fans to see a sneak peek of season 2.

Mr. Mercedes Immersive Experience

The use of VR, AR, and 3D technology will ensure that attendees of the San Diego Comic-Con have the most immersive experience possible. From stepping into the digital recreations of the show or exploring the set to find clues with AR, there are sure to be many surprises on the day as well.

Season 2 of Mr. Mercedes will pick up a year after the events of the first and is set to premiere on AT&T Audience Network on August 22nd. The San Diego Comic-Con is running from July 19th to July 21st. For more on the Mr. Mercedes Immersive Experience in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

November 9, 2017

Edge Computing Test Zone to Be Set Up In Silicon Valley

The demands of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications can be hard on the battery life and components of smartphones. Developers often are forced to make a compromise between battery life and graphical fidelity. AT&T are now setting up a system in Silicon Valley which will alleviate this issue by outsourcing high-end processing to the cloud using an Edge Computing system.

The Palo Alto Edge Computing test zone is being set up to allow developers, engineers and technology companies to test the efficacy of the Edge computing system and its ability to improve the latency, graphics and realism of high-end smartphone applications, such as those involving VR or AR.

VR and AR applications tend to be draining on battery life, and efforts to resolve this problem result in a reduction in graphical fidelity. Letting cloud computing take some of this strain would appear to be an obvious solution, but since the servers and data centres are often a long way from the user’s device, this can result in high levels of latency, which can cause simulation sickness in VR applications. Edge computing resolves this issue by moving the data processing closer to the user, by installing processors in locations such as cell towers and other locations through the mobile network.

“Our goal in this experiment is to find the right architecture, the right services and the right business value in this ecosystem,” said Igal Elbaz, head of the AT&T Foundry. “It’s all about moving quickly and collaborating closely with third-party innovators and developers.”

AT&T do not currently have any specific projects set up for testing the Edge Computing network, but the company is inviting contributions and collaborations from various technology companies in the Palo Alto area who might benefit from the technology. The initial test area covers several miles, and its location means that establishes companies and start-ups can all work directly with AT&T to evaluate the technology.

Further information can be found in a white paper published by AT&T which goes into further detail on the project.

VRFocus will continue to report on new innovations in the VR and AR areas.

April 12, 2017

Life In 360°: Don’t Text And Drive

Being distracted while driving can cause serious, even fatal accidents. Some research has shown that up to seven in ten people have used a smartphone while driving. A US campaign called It Can Wait is using a 360 degree video to demonstrate the dangers.

The It Can Wait campaign was created by telecoms company AT&T in collaboration with ten trauma hospitals in Maryland. AT&T volunteers at each hospital have used a virtual reality (VR) application that shows the consequences of drivers taking their eyes off the road to look at their phones.

The 360-degree video, shown below and originally uploaded to YouTube in 2015. is part of a suite of online resources that hope to stop people using their phones while driving. The 360-degree video can be viewed using Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard.

“We want to continue our work to raise awareness about the dangers of using a smartphone while driving. It’s against the law in Maryland. And it’s deadly. This is an important outreach program for the trauma centers, and it’s important to AT&T, too. We’re glad we could team up with Maryland’s trauma centers to remind drivers of all ages: It Can Wait.” Dunn said.

Research into the impact of the campaign has shown a correlation between campaign activities and a reduction in the number of crashes. The campaign has received more than 14 million pledges not to drive distracted since the campaign began.

“The safety and security of Marylanders is our top priority, and we’re working every day to reduce traffic fatalities and save lives,” said Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland where the campaign was recently shownn off. “Distracted driving puts everyone at risk, that’s why I’m glad to see our world-class trauma centers and the private sector working together to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. It’s simple: if you’re driving in Maryland, keep your eyes on the road, not on your phones.”

It isn’t the first time that VR has been used to improve car safety. Last month the University of Iowa released an app that aims to inform people about the safety features in modern vehicles. You can watch the It Can Wait 360 degree video below.

VRFocus will continue to report on VR’s use as an ediucational tool and beyond. Life In 360° will return on Friday.

March 2, 2017

A Red Bull F1 Car Comes To Digital Life Thanks To AT&T & Microsoft HoloLens At MWC

AT&T have been using the HoloLens to show off their ‘Connected Car’ services at Mobile World Congress (MWC). The short presentation covers the advantages of their connected car services by showing an Augmented Reality (AR) ‘hologram’ of a car moving through a city.

The AT&T connected car has features that allow other cars to communicate with each other to alert other cars in the area of hazards such as ice and re-route cars around accident sites. The presentation even covered how expanding this service to cover a while city could improve infrastructure.

HoloLens

AT&T also demonstrated another Augmented Reality experience involving a Red Bull Formula 1 car. Hovering above an actual Red Bull Formula 1 car was an exploded diagram of Red Bull car, the presentation highlighted certain areas as the presenter talked about each section. AT&T said during the presentation that they provide the infrastructure that allows real-time data to be transmitted from the F1 team at the track to engineers at their home base.

They also showed a birds-eye view of an F1 circuit, complete with tiny cars racing around, hovering above the physical F1 display car.

You can watch videos of both presentations, recorded by You Are Here below.

VRFocus will bring you further updates on the HoloLens and AR as it develops.