Category: T-Mobile

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T-Mobile Selects 6 Startups to Create 5G AR Experiences Using Snapdragon Spaces

Qualcomm launched its Snapdragon Spaces platform last year for developers to create augmented reality (AR) experiences for the company’s smart glasses. Bringing on collaborators like Square Enix and T-Mobile, the latter has announced its T-Mobile Accelerator and the six participating startups looking to create new 5G-enabled AR apps.

Krikey Minigolf image1
Krikey Minigolf

The participants will use the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform to develop, test and bring to market new AR products and services, aided by T-Mobile engineers and Qualcomm experts. They’ll be using the first smart glasses to support the platform; the Lenovo ThinkReality A3. The six companies to join the programme are Beem, Krikey, Mawari, Mohx-Games, Pluto, and VictoryXR.

  • Beem – Specialises in live and on-demand communication in AR.
  • Krikey – An AR gaming and social media app which launched its first title Yaatra in 2020 and then avatar NFTs in 2022.
  • Mawari – A Japanese startup providing an AR-focused streaming SDK.
  • Mohx-Games – A company focused on immersive AR gaming and entertainment experiences.
  • Pluto – Offers Pluto VR, a shared presence communication app and PlutoSphere, for streaming high-end PC VR games without a PC.
  • VictoryXR – Immersive education in VR & AR.

“Smart glasses will completely change how we connect and experience the world around us,” said John Saw, EVP of Advanced & Emerging Technologies at T-Mobile in a statement. “With T-Mobile 5G we have the capacity and performance needed to power high-bandwidth, immersive AR experiences for smart glasses, but it’s the developers and entrepreneurs that will bring these new applications to life.”

Lenovo ThinkReality A3
Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3

These won’t be the only AR startups to join the initiative, more will be added on a rolling basis. The programme is designed to help build an ecosystem of AR experiences as smart glasses become more readily available.

While Qualcomm doesn’t build its own smart glasses, the company does make reference designs like the XR1 AR Smart Viewer for OEMs to utilise as a based model. Qualcomm has also launched in recent months its $100 million USD Snapdragon Metaverse Fund to help finance new developer initiatives.

As further details regarding the T-Mobile Accelerator are released gmw3 will keep you updated.

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Alcatel’s New IDOL Smartphone Comes With ‘Windows 10 VR’

Alcatel’s New IDOL Smartphone Comes With ‘Windows 10 VR’

Microsoft revealed a new line of PC-based virtual reality headsets from partner companies that will support its upcoming Windows 10 upgrade, the Creator’s Update. But it looks like PC-based VR isn’t all the company is working on.

Following the conference, Quartz reporter Dave Gershgorn uncovered a now-removed T-Mobile listing for a new variation of Alcatel’s Idol 4S smartphone. Whereas the original device runs on Android, this new edition is named ‘Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 VR’. It’s bundled with a headset and comes loaded with VR apps. Supposedly-leaked training materials from the network had previously hinted at its existence, suggesting it will include a 2.15GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Its 5.5-inch AMOLED display is said to have a resolution of 1080p.

Another Windows Phone, HP’s Windows Phone X3, being used for 3D capture.

Of course, the mention of VR is the bit we’re actually interested in. The wording could simply be a slightly misleading way of mentioning the bundled headset. However in light of yesterday’s news, in which Microsoft stressed that it would be bringing its push for 3D apps and services to all Windows 10 devices, it certainly seems possible that the company is perhaps planning its own mobile VR apps if not a Daydream-style ecosystem for the mobile version of Windows 10. We’ve reached out to both Alcatel and Microsoft for clarification.

The VR bundle appears to only be available for a limited time. The older version of the phone was also bundled with a headset.

3D on mobile did play a big part of Microsoft’s presentation. At one point, a Windows 10 phone was used to capture an on-stage sandcastle and quickly render it in 3D. It was then sent to other apps and devices like the new Paint 3D app and brought to virtual life inside the company’s HoloLens mixed reality headset. It’s easy to envision Microsoft releasing the same apps that will let you see this content on mobile, especially considering the company’s recent focus on unifying devices. But the question is if it has any bigger plans than that.

Either way, it doesn’t seem like the headset bundled with the new Idol will include some of the intriguing new features revealed in the PC-based devices unveiled yesterday, like inside-out tracking. But, if the company is using its HoloLens tech to achieve that tracking, perhaps we could one day see it in a mobile-based device too.