Latest news with #AR
Phone Arena
a day ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Xreal One Pro AR glasses launch with extended pre-order bonus
Last year, the Xreal One AR glasses came out and elevated the XR ( Extended Reality ) industry, with the Xreal One Pro slated for a 2025 launch. The Pro model is now available for purchase, and Xreal is even extending the pre-order bonus, which can save you $150. A popular choice of brand for AR products, Xreal's glasses provide immersive entertainment and a boost to productivity in a lightweight form factor. The Xreal One series continues that trend, while also boasting wider FOVs ( field of view ) and the custom X1 chip for on-board processing. Our Xreal One review couldn't find much to complain about last year. An in-house chip named the X1 powers the Xreal One series AR glasses. | Image credit — Xreal Xreal One Pro will be available for ordering on July 1, and the company is currently working on delivering the thousands of pre-orders. Due to the overwhelming demand for the glasses, the pre-order bonus has been extended till June 30. You can get the pre-order bonus by purchasing the Xreal One Pro directly from the company's store. Availability on Amazon and Best Buy will begin later in July. Xreal One Pro are priced at $649, and the pre-order bonus brings that down to $599. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, shipping should begin 15 days after you've placed your order. Take entertainment to the next level with the Xreal One Pro. | Image credit — Xreal The Xreal One Pro retains the company's approach to using a source device for streaming content. However, the on-board X1 chip enhances the experience greatly, and allows for a lot more customization as well as much smoother visuals overall. The Xreal Eye — an accessory that the company had announced last year — is now also available for pre-ordering on the site for $99, with shipping beginning next month. Xreal Eye will allow you to record 1080p 60 FPS videos but, much more importantly, enable 6-DoF capability for the Xreal One and One Pro. The Xreal Eye accessory for the Xreal One and One Pro. | Image credit — Xreal 6-DoF ( degrees of freedom ) allows spatial content to remain 'anchored' where you left it. This makes for a much more immersive experience, and lets you multitask with ease no matter what you may be doing. For the 171-inch virtual screen that the Xreal One Pro can project, the Xreal Eye will greatly enhance the experience and make it look like an actual stationary TV in your room. You can pre-order the Xreal One Pro here for $150 off. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
CNET
a day ago
- CNET
I Tried the Future of Smart Glasses at WWDC. They Weren't Made by Apple
On a bright sunny day in Cupertino, California, I crammed into my seat, unlocked my laptop, connected to Wi-Fi and checked in on Slack. Apple's WWDC keynote was about to begin. This time, however, I added a new step to my live event coverage routine. I plugged the Xreal One Pro glasses into my MacBook and activated the dimmer. They became my smart display-enabled sunglasses. For the next 2 hours, I covered Apple's announcements wearing Xreal's display glasses, and they worked better than I expected. The One Pros projected my laptop monitor clearly, removed glare that would have overwhelmed my laptop screen and allowed me to watch the stage presentation at the same time. And it got better: By activating Xreal's auto transparency mode, the glasses dimmed the world when I looked at my virtual screen, then became transparent again when I looked at the stage to follow the action. The future of truly useful everyday AR glasses isn't here yet, but wow, with things like the Xreal One Pro, it's getting close. The Xreal One Pros tether with USB-C, but can project a larger display than before. (Shown here with the separate Eye camera plugged in below the bridge.) Scott Stein/CNET A floating display on demand Xreal's glasses, like all glasses in this product category, use a USB-C cable to tether into whatever you're plugging into. Essentially, they're a tiny wearable monitor with speakers in glasses form. Whatever device supports USB-C video out will work with these glasses, either to mirror your screen or act as a second monitor. While I've used Xreal's glasses to watch movies on planes (really fun and portable) and do work on my laptop and iPad (helpful on planes too, since space can be cramped, and my laptop lid doesn't always open fully in economy), the idea of covering a whole live event where I needed to be fast, effective, multitasking and not screw up was a whole different story. I'm happy to say the experiment worked, largely because of the auto transparency mode I never realized existed before -- thank you, Norm Chan of Tested, who told me about it as we sat down at the keynote. Xreal's glasses have three dimmable lens settings that turn the outer glass either transparent semi-dark or close to opaque. It makes them instant sunglasses and also helps the display show up better in bright sunlight. However, these glasses won't block outside light completely -- light bleeds a bit through the dimmed lenses unless you're sitting in a completely dark place -- but the image is still extremely viewable, and looks good. The transparency mode really made looking at the stage and my own laptop keyboard (and my phone) easier. Xreal's glasses aren't like normal glasses: They have layers of lenses, including the prescription inserts I stacked on top. But they can be used to look around, check messages, even (as I did) shoot some on-the-fly social videos and share them with CNET's social team. Beyond transparency mode, other adjustments include screen size, projection distance, location of the screen and whether it's anchored or floating in my field of view. The Xreal One (left) next to the One Pro with Eye camera attached (right). They work and look nearly the same. Scott Stein/CNET One Pro vs. One: subtle differences I reviewed the non-Pro Xreal Ones earlier this year. Compared with previous Xreal display glasses, they have better built-in audio, and the ability to pin the really sharp 1080p microOLED display in space to anchor it, making them work a lot better as plug-in monitors for tablets, phones or laptops (or handheld game systems like Steam Deck). Xreal's Pro version of the One glasses cost $100 more ($599, going up to $649 after June 30) but have a few advantages. The microOLED projection system still projects down from the top of the glasses into thick angled lenses (called birdbath displays), but the One Pro's lenses are flatter, smaller, and reflect less light from my surroundings. The display area's a bit wider -- 57 degrees field of view, versus 50 for the Ones — but that really just makes the 1080p display feel a bit bigger, and more clearly visible at the edges of the large virtual screen. Prescription lens inserts like I use rest flat against the lenses: it's chunky but better than before. I don't think you need the Pros, but their slightly better performance could be worth the difference to avoid fatigue. The small Xreal Eye camera plugs under the bridge of the glasses. Scott Stein/CNET Optional camera isn't necessary I tried a tiny plug-in camera, too, called the Eye (sold separately for $99), that slots into the bridge of the One series glasses. They're designed for future use with AI apps, potentially, but right now they can capture photos and video clips on the glasses' small 2GB of storage. Images can be offloaded on the iPhone by going to a "transfer" mode in the glasses settings that turns the glasses into a USB camera, and the Photos app was able to just find the glasses and import the images. It's clunky, but it works, although you need to tether the glasses via USB-C like you do in regular display mode. These Xreal glasses don't work wirelessly on their own. Test photo out of the NJT train. Scott Stein/CNET The camera takes passable photos and videos, but not as good as Meta Ray-Bans. I think the camera's here to flex another feature: a full six degrees of freedom mode that can pin a display in space and then be there as you walk around the room. It's not necessary for most things I do, but it shows how these glasses could, in future versions, evolve into something more like 3D augmented reality. Xreal's work with Spacetop, a software suite that can float arrays of apps from laptops, shows where things could go. Xreal's future Android XR developer hardware, called Project Aura, may take things further next year. I'd skip the camera for now and just get the glasses, but I'm really curious where Xreal flexes these functions next. These glasses are coming with me on work trips. Scott Stein/CNET When they're good, they're great Like I said in my Xreal One review, these glasses and their microOLED displays are excellent for movie watching. They're surprisingly effective for doing work, too, since they can pin a display (or a semi-curved wide-angle monitor, thanks to an included setting) in place. I do notice the 1080p resolution limit a bit more now that these glasses can give an even larger display size, and it's something I expect future glasses to address in the next year or two with higher-resolution microOLED chips. At a show where Apple announced new Vision Pro software updates but no word on any glasses of its own, I couldn't help but think about the Xreals on my face. The future is arriving in bits and pieces, but lots of smart glasses are already here and changing fast. And, yes, they're actually useful. The year 2026 may be massive for new smart glasses and AR, and my WWDC 2025 experience with Xreal One Pros proves that the evolution is well underway. Now it's your turn, Apple.
Business Upturn
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Upturn
Alipay Enables In-Store Payment Functionality in China for AR Glasses in Collaboration with Rokid to Build Immersive Commerce
Hangzhou, China: Over 250,000 units of Rokid Glasses have already been ordered, integrated with Alipay's digital payment technology for AR glasses. The integration of payments into AR glasses supports a future of seamless, intuitive commerce—enabling instant, gesture-based transactions, immersive product discovery, and new ways for businesses to engage customers. Rokid, a pioneer in augmented reality (AR), today launched Rokid Glasses, its latest AR device. In China, the product supports in-store payments facilitated by Alipay's digital payment technology and multidimensional risk control solution for AR glasses, providing a seamless and secure payment experience. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Rokid partners with Alipay to launch China's first AR glasses with in-store payment capabilities. According to Rokid, the product will begin rolling out to users starting in June 2025, with over 250,000 units already ordered. How Payment via AR Glasses Works: Users link their Alipay account via the Rokid app and enable voice verification. In stores, they say: 'Rokid, pay 10 RMB.' The glasses scan the merchant's Alipay QR code. Users confirm by voice, with payment details shown on the display. Advantages of Payment via AR Glasses: Transactions complete in seconds vs. 20-30 seconds for phone-based QR payments. Hands-free operation—no need to handle a smartphone. 'Equipping Rokid Glasses with payment capabilities brings users a smoother and more intuitive experience, while also ushering the AI glasses industry into the era of payment. We believe this will set a new benchmark for the industry. Behind this innovation is close collaboration with Alipay on both payment and risk technologies. Looking ahead, we will continue to explore new experiences together,' said Zhu Mingming, Founder and CEO of Rokid. 'Rokid Glasses deliver a brand-new user experience. Alipay will fully support the growth of emerging industries and continue to create more value for users,' said Zhang Aijuan, Vice President of Ant Group and Rotating President of the Digital Payment Business Unit. The integration of payment functions into AR glasses points to a future of more seamless and intuitive commerce. In the coming years, this technology could enable people to complete transactions simply by looking at or gesturing toward a product, removing friction from both physical and digital shopping. It may support interactive product discovery—letting users access real-time information, virtual try-ons, or personalized recommendations—and make it possible to pay instantly without reaching for a phone or wallet. For businesses, this opens up new ways to engage customers through immersive experiences and location-specific offers. Alipay continues to innovate payment technology as a merchant's gateway to customer engagement in borderless commerce. In 2024, Alipay Tap! was launched to allow users to make payments simply by tapping their unlocked phone against a merchant terminal or an Alipay Tap! Tag—no need to open an app, scan a code, or navigate through multiple screens. As of April 2025, Alipay Tap! had already attracted over 100 million users. About Rokid Rokid is a product-oriented platform company dedicated to human-computer interaction for over a decade. As pioneers of AR, Rokid devotes itself to the R&D of hardware and software products for AR headsets and ecological architecture. The magic of AR leaves nobody behind. Rokid has successively been rated as the 'High-tech Enterprise of Zhejiang Province' and 'National High-tech Enterprise,' and its related products have been rated as the best wearable devices. Rokid has won the Las Vegas CES Innovation Award for three consecutive years and the German IF Design Award five times. About Alipay As the world becomes increasingly digital, Alipay has evolved from a trusted e-wallet into an all-in-one digital platform for daily services, connecting more than one billion consumers to over 80 million merchants across China. Alipay offers users a secure, seamless mobile payment experience and integrates over 10,000 services across sectors like travel, healthcare, tourism, and entertainment. With digital tools like Alipay Tap!, mini-programs, lifestyle accounts, Alipay enables merchants, institutions, and independent software vendors (ISVs) to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, Alipay is developing a new AI-driven open platform by integrating AI agents to deliver smarter, more personalized services to its users as well as facilitating the digital transformation of the service sector. View source version on Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Mercedes-Benz India launches EQS 580 ‘Celebration Edition' at ₹1.30 crore
Mercedes-Benz India has launched the EQS 580 4MATIC 'Celebration Edition' at ₹1.30 crore. This edition is limited to just 50 units. Its features include executive seats at the rear that offer a 38-degree recline, a rear seat comfort package with massage and lumbar support, complete Nappa leather upholstery and designer belt buckles, and the MBUX Augmented Reality (AR) navigation. According to the company, the luxury sedan can offer a range of over 800km, the highest among BEVs in the country. 'The EQS 580 Celebration Edition signifies growing customer interest in our top-end BEVs. We continue to outpace market growth, regularly upgrading our luxury BEV portfolio,' said Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India. Mercedes-Benz India's Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) portfolio outpaced the overall luxury market with a robust 73 per cent year-to-date growth till May 2025, driven by strong demand for models like the EQS 580 sedan and SUV, EQS Maybach SUV , and G 580 with EQ Technology, the luxury carmaker said in a statement. Expansion of Retail Footprint The launch coincided with the inauguration of a new 'Atelier Experience' showroom at Sundaram Motors , Adyar, Chennai. The showroom is Mercedes-Benz India's latest initiative to deliver hyper-personalised luxury in key urban hubs. This showroom features customisable interiors with personalised wall designs, MANUFAKTUR customisation program for tailoring high-end models, dedicated customer consultation zones with product experts, digital configurators enabling a 'physi-digital' experience, and space to showcase premium model line-ups such as the Maybach, AMG, G-Class, and others. In 2025, Mercedes-Benz plans to add 30 new or upgraded luxury touchpoints, with 19 scheduled to open in the next five months. These include showrooms in major metros and fast-growing cities like Kanpur, Patna, Varanasi, Udaipur, and Bhopal. With state-of-the-art lounges like the Maybach Lounge (Hyderabad), G-Class Lounge (New Delhi) and now the Atelier Experience (Mumbai and Chennai), the brand is creating curated experiences for high-end customers. 'Our eleven facilities and Sundaram Signature Service ensure customer convenience and long-term support,' said Sharath Vijayaraghavan, executive director, Sundaram Motors.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Top Takeaways From Augmented World Expo 2025
Advancements in AR, VR and XR technologies are driving demand for new devices and software. The premiere show on VR, XR and AR occurred from Jun 10-12, 2025, in Long Beach, CA. Over 5,000 people attended the 16th edition of this conference to get updates on what was new and hot in augmented reality. One major shift for the show is how it has evolved its focus. In the last two years, the term "spatial" was highly promoted to define the show. Spatial was to embody the world of all things augmented. While the term spatial is still essential in the show promotions, the show this year seemed to embrace the term XR as the more accurate way to describe the fact that this show has fully embraced a VR, XR, (extended reality,) MR (mixed reality) and AR (augmented reality) world. Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony, Lenovo, Google, Xreal, Snap and Snap Spectacles, Unity, Pico, and over 200 others representing new XR hardware, software, and dedicated XR service providers had booths at the show. The show featured three days of conference sessions exploring every aspect of XR. More than 450 speakers took the stage, representing leading tech companies, Fortune 500 firms, and innovative startups. There were also over 250 sponsors and exhibitors. Thousands of attendees—including creators, developers, industry executives, founders, entertainers, investors, top media, and more—participated both in person and virtually. Topics ranged from enterprise case studies, the latest developer and creator tools, sales and marketing strategies, branded experiences, AR Cloud, WebXR, 5G, AI, Web3, haptics, privacy, and ethics to entertainment, education, and beyond. One standout observation: the quality of speakers at this event was truly exceptional. I attended one session on case studies for XR Training. The speakers were leaders of XR Training programs at Duke Energy and Volvo. Many sessions had speakers discussing the real-world usage of XR in their businesses today. One significant takeaway from this year's show was the role AI is playing in XR. The underlying theme of this year's event focused on marrying AI+XR into all of the sessions and exhibitions. There is a good reason for this, as AI has become a key factor in XR applications and services. In the past, most XR content was created by developers and special service providers using their code. But this year, these same people highlighted how AI is now empowering them to make more powerful XR solutions and speeding up the process of delivering creative programs and services for their customers. Another surprising part of the show was that many sessions stressed the importance of XR's human impact. Over the years, most of the talk at tech shows has focused on technology with little thought about how it affects people. However, Jason McGuigan of Lenovo said in his main stage presentation that we as an industry have to be more aware of how XR can and will augment the human experience. He pointed out that today, people see, feel, and taste their world with their five senses. But XR will add dimensions to that experience by giving them new information and experiences that augment their current world. He stated that the highly negative concept of a cyborg is really defined as technology enhancing a person's real world. Another major takeaway from this year's show was the strong focus on smart glasses. With the event's pivot to XR, smart glasses have emerged as a central theme and will likely continue to shape the show in the near future. While the XR market was previously dominated by VR, there is now a clear surge in interest in smart glasses. This was evident at AWE, where at least 20 vendors showcased new smart glasses and dozens of sessions were dedicated to smart glass technology. I was privileged to moderate a main stage panel on smart glasses and their future. I was joined by Ralph Jodice, GM of North America, Head of Partnerships & Publicity at Xreal, Kelly Ingham, VP AR Devices at Meta and Jason McGuigan, Head of Commercial VR, at Lenovo. Having these top executives on the panel allowed us to explore where smart glasses are today and where they will be in the next two years. These folks are authorities on this subject and play significant roles in their company's XR strategy and planning. All three agreed that in the next two years, we will see more exploration of new types of smart glasses with new styles and exciting features. These panelists explored the current types of smart glasses that have driven demand today. Meta has led the consumer smart glass revolution with its Ray-ban Meta Wayfarer glasses, which have sold over two million units. These represent AI smart glasses as Meta and others in this space have added AI audio feedback when using these glasses. The panel agreed that AI smart glasses will likely drive the strongest demand for these types of glasses in the next two years. The second category of smart glasses that is developing is one like Xreal's on the market. These use "birdbath lenses" and are optimized to deliver large-screen viewing experiences. Ralph Jodice explained that the newest Xreal Pro 2 now provides a 70-degree field of view experience and, when tethered to a device like a PC, smartphone, or mobile gaming device, allows you to view that content on what appears to be 100-200 inch screen through the glasses. They are optimized for watching movies, playing games, and using them in work environments. These glasses are shipping now. Mr. Jodice also stated that Xreal will support Android XR and release a new version called Project Aura in 2026. Xreal is also adding AI feedback to its new smart glasses. I also got to see Viture's new smart glasses, which are in this same category. Both companies are making great strides in developing even better versions of their products. Another significant player in this space is Snap, which has Snap Spectacles. Although very different from what Xreal and Viture are doing, Snap has created great smart glasses that are powerful for gaming and have all types of applications for consumers and businesses. The third type of glasses we discussed, which has a longer development cycle, are smart glasses with a video screen in the lenses so a person can get visual feedback when using them. There were many great sessions on optical lenses and the challenges of getting them to work well, and from the ones I attended, it is clear that breakthroughs in optical technology are needed to get this right. The panel felt that, by late 2026-2028, we will see more smart glasses come to market in this category. If you are interested in smart glass optical challenges, I suggest you visit Karl Guttag's KGOn Tech Blog for a deeper understanding of this subject. He had the best session on this topic at AWE, and his grasp of this issue is impressive. However, the panel discussed a significant topic: the future of smart glasses and its OS war on the horizon. Currently, Snap and Meta have two dedicated operating systems for their glasses. However, Google recently introduced Android XR, a new OS for smart glasses. With support from Samsung, Xreal, and others, this will become the third OS for smart glasses. We expect Apple to deliver its smart glasses and launch a fourth OS in the near future. In April, I wrote a column on Face Computing that sets the tone for what I see as a coming OS battle. To date, we have two major OS computing platforms: operating systems for PCs and Macs and operating systems for smartphones with iOS and Android. But I see the next big computing market will be around face computing, where our faces will be given the next significant way we deliver and work with information in the future. We are now laying the groundwork for the next personal computing battle, in which an OS and a software ecosystem will develop and drive the concept of wearable computing in the future. If history is our guide, we should see a huge push to get software developers to support one or two of these face computing OS platforms and start to build a significant ecosystem of apps and services for this type of wearable computer. If I am right about face computing being the next big thing in personal computing, AWE could evolve to become the main show for the industry within this category. As my panel of experts believes, we should see some remarkable new types of smart glasses come to market in the next two to three years. Disclosure: Qualcomm, Samsung, Lenovo, Google, Meta and Apple subscribes to Creative Strategies research reports along with many other high tech companies around the world.
