Posts may be infrequent during spring break.

Karma... Shorts meet squeeze

I predict at least one "go fund me" based on Microvision in the near future.

MarketWatch.com

His name is Joe Campbell, and he claims he went to bed Wednesday evening with some $37,000 in his trading account at E-Trade. One notable development on the pharma front later, and Campbell woke up to a debt of $106,445.56. Now, he may end up liquidating his 401(k). And his wife’s.

That’s where you come in. At least where Campbell desperately hopes you come in. Of course, sympathy in the trading community over such gaffes is typically in short supply.

His is a cautionary tale of getting caught on the wrong side of one of the riskier bets on Wall Street. When you’re long, the worst you can do is lose is everything. But when you’re short, everything and a lot more is at stake. He should have known better, no doubt, but you have to feel for this poor guy.

AR to make food look better

The uses for this technology are going to be endless. Someone thought of this.


Augmented Reality News

Dr. Katsunori Okajima, professor at Yokohama National University, spoke at the "Hacking flavour perception: Design, technology, & gastrophysics event" in Oxford on March 27, about his experiments in visually modifying food to make more people want to eat it.

Augmented Reality, Future of StoryTelling

Augmented Reality -- The future of Storytelling?

Notice that there is a LOT coming up about augmented reality using projection. Including this.

Technical.ly.Philly

Reindeer Games: Projected virtual balls obey the physics of a hand drawn image on the whiteboard.

A post shared by A&G Labs (@aglabs) on Dec 24, 2014 at 6:12am PST

AR is awesome for storytelling because it adds another dimension of informative or entertaining content to the physical world. People don’t realize it, but AR is already a big part of our lives. Anytime you use a Snapchat Lens to transform into a puppy or try to catch a Pikachu in Pokemon Go, you’re participating in an AR experience.

Beyond entertainment, AR can become an indispensable utility for us at home and at work. As documented in Harvard Business Review, AR is “closing the skills gap” for manufacturing workers and technicians. Our client GE(along with Boeing and a few other companies) has been testing AR headsets internally, resulting in an average productivity improvement of 32 percent. That’s massive!

At Allen & Gerritsen, we’ve harnessed this technology by building an interactive AR print ad for Sunoco. We wanted to elevate print media beyond its static form, so to extend the “Essence of Racing” campaign we partnered with Philly company Stuzo to create a print ad that you can bring to life with your smartphone. We’ve also developed prototypes that exist outside of smartphones, like an interactive whiteboard in our office. Check it out below.

Projection Mapping Mask

Hadn't seen this before. Its weird, but there are certainly possibilities for this kind of art.

The rest of the article is pretty cool too, and it's very obviously using Microvision's PicoP

It would be interesting if they could make THIS touch interactive. (somehow, I think that will be the case)



ProjectionMapping.org

AR? Key tech is Depth sensing (and small display.)

ReCode  -- More at the source.

The key point, however, is that the integration of 3-D digital objects into our three-dimensional world is an incredibly powerful combination that will bring computing overall, and smartphones in particular, to a new level of capability, usefulness and, well, just plain coolness. It will also drive the creation of the first significant new product category that the tech world has seen in some time: Augmented-reality headsets.

To be fair, initial shipment numbers for these AR headsets will likely be very small, due to costs, bulky sizes and other limitations, but the degree of unique usefulness that they will offer will eventually make them a mainstream item.

The key technology that will enable this to happen are depth cameras. Intel was quick to recognize their importance, and built a line of RealSense cameras that were initially designed for notebooks to do facial recognition several years back. With Tango, Google brought these types of cameras to smartphones. And as mentioned, Apple is rumored to be bringing these to the next-generation iPhone in order to make its first stab at augmented reality.

The experience requires much more than just hardware, however, and that’s where the prospect of Apple doing some of its user-interface software magic with depth cameras and AR could prove to be very interesting.

MPCL1A - Gulf Times Big Screen movies on the go

Gulf Times  - More at Source

When it comes to mobile projectors, there aren’t many good options to choose from. Many projectors tend to be from little-known companies that rely on limited feature sets and VGA resolutions and the compromises generally made to make these projectors portable and affordable (for a projector) make them hard to recommend.

Not many known manufacturers have had a go at this market. And the options are even more limited when it comes to Qatar. Enter the Sony MP-CL1A, the follow-up to the last year’s well-reviewed MP-CL1.

The MP-CL1A looks virtually indistinguishable from the outgoing model. Beneath the familiar exterior, is a familiar interior – this generation of the Sony pico projector has been all about refinements. And these refinements make the projector that much better.

The MP-CL1A comes in a simple box with the picture of the projector on it and an overview of its functions and features. Inside is another black box that opens up like a book – kind of like what Sony does with its high-end earbuds. Opening this box will reveal the first change that Sony has made over the outgoing model – the device sits inside a nice looking leatherette carrying pouch. The previous version did not come with a carrying pouch out of the box and it is nice to see Sony include one. The projector is, after all, designed to be portable.

Facebook, Apple, AR

deccanchronicle.com  -- Not sure what I think of the source.

Apple is not the only company which is looking to launch the AR glasses next year, as Facebook is actively working on a new product, and Mark Zuckerberg has stated that the glasses will be “small enough to take anywhere.”
An initial report had also stated that Apple’s upcoming AR glasses would wirelessly connect to an iPhone and stream videos or app content. Apple is said to have assigned hundreds of engineers to work on the new technology, and some of them focusing exclusively on the new iPhone.

AR features on the new iPhone would allow users to take a picture and then change the depth of the entire image or the depth of specific objects inside the pic. Users would also be able to isolate certain objects inside images and tilt them 180 degrees.

If the rumors are true, then we will be able to see the result of Apple’s efforts in AR development with the launch of the iPhone 8 later this year.

Theatre projection mapping

No idea if it's meaningful, but there it is. 

Not easy to project well onto non-flat surfaces without PicoP.



Hollywood Reporter

During Sony Pictures' CinemaCon preview of its upcoming movies on Monday night, attendees may have noticed that at some points of the presentation, part of the images (primarily the graphics) expanded beyond the screen onto the front wall and side walls of Caesars Palace’s Colosseum, where the screening took place.

The reason is that the studio is experimenting with projection mapping — the use of projectors to display images on non-flat, non-screen surfaces — which could be a way to further differentiate the theater-going experience, and this was a way to preview the results before the exhibition community.

Sony did not immediately respond to questions about the technical details involved.

Micromax Countdown -- Link..

http://www.micromaxinfo.com/

Wearable computer -- 1995

Wearable computer, 1995

People have been working on this stuff for a LONG time... 



Daily Mail

Apple AR Glasses here soon

Micromax new phone release tomorrow, 3/29/17

One of my favorite "regional" smart phone companies. It's still the first quarter. 

Some interesting language....

TechRadar

Micromax has been relatively quiet in the mobile industry for quite some time now. But the company is now ready with an all new flagship, one with dual rear cameras. Known as the Dual 5, the smartphone will be launched officially on the 29th of March. 

The company has merely teased the launch as of now, and hasn’t disclosed a lot of details regarding the handset. The smartphone will have a new function key on the left, which will apparently serve a special purpose. Micromax has mentioned that its feature will be disclosed during the event in a couple of days from now. 

STM Strutting their stuff...

Microvision working with STM on IoT and smart driving applications.


Electronics news

STMicroelectronics will be demonstrating its latest solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Driving at IoT Asia, Singapore Expo, March 29-30, 2017.

A smart driving pod at the ST booth will showcase the Company’s broad range of products for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Enabling strong progress toward autonomous driving, ST’s automotive solutions target applications that include V2X (Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure) communication, machine vision, radar, automotive-qualified MEMS motion sensing, Telemaco3 single-chip telematics processors for connected-driving services, and navigation with the TESEO family of Systems-on-Chips.


From Microvision STM announcement:

MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS) , a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and sensing technology and STMicroelectronics, (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronic applications, today announced that they plan to work together to develop, sell, and market Laser Beam Scanning (LBS) technology.

The companies anticipate cooperating closely on market development efforts that will include joint sales and marketing activities for LBS solutions. In addition to the pico projection and heads-up display (HUD) markets that both companies are currently addressing with their LBS solutions, ST and MicroVision anticipate targeting emerging markets and applications including, virtual and augmented reality (VR, AR), 3D sensing and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Augmented Reality --- Increasing Productivity.

I highly recommend a look at the whole article.

Projection and laser scanning is some good stuff.

If they're not our customer yet, they should be soon. PicoP is smaller, has scanning built in and doesn't need to be focused.

 http://lightguidesys.com/




Crains Detroit Business 

The innovation is one part interactive how-to and one part idiot-proofing, and is gaining traction in manufacturing, health care and other fields.

PicoP providing ultimate baby monitor

Friend sent this. 

A proliferation of large screens from tiny devices..... This will be how you use "Alexa."

This is going to be possible with "The Internet of Things"

Thanks F!

Microsoft Scorpio --- Nintendo Switch -- Size of Market.

Everything here potentially important. 

Please visit the source.  (Article was scraped to retain supplier names, etc.)

DigiTimes

Nintendo estimates shipments of the Switch in its first year at 20 million units, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers, adding that they have a conservative estimate of shipping at least 10 million units in the first year.

Nintendo released the Switch in March 2017 and the game console enjoyed over one million units of sales in the first week after the release. Nintendo president Kimishima Tatsumi also recently said that he expects Switch's overall sales to reach 110 million units.

Switch's manufacturing is handled by Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and Japan-based Misumi Electronics and Hosiden with Foxconn supplying over 50% of the volume. Foxconn makes the device at its plants in Shandong, China.

Taiwan-based IT players including Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), Jentech, Delta Electronics, Nanya PCB and Foxlink are component suppliers of the Switch.

In addition, Microsoft is also planning to release a new Xbox game console codenamed Project Scorpio and the product is expected to be announced at the E3 2017 event, targeting the year-end holiday season. Sony is expected to release a thinner version of its PlayStation 4.

Microsoft's new game console is expected to feature Ultra HD and mixed reality (MR) support and PC vendors' MR head-mounted display (HMD) devices are expected to be able to connect with the Project Scorpio.

Microsoft's game console is reportedly manufactured by Pegatron Technology and Flextronics and the orders are expected to become a key revenue contributor to Pegatron in the second half. Currently, Pegatron has orders for Apple's next-generation iPhone, Microsoft's new Surface device and game console, and Tesla Model 3's control computer.

Okay, So it's one of those Long-sales things....

It's a long sales thing, but if you don't see Microvision all over this....

Subscribe.WealthDaily


So here it is. My bold prediction, you can even mark it on your calendar if you please:

By 2021, less than five years from today... that iPhone sitting in your pocket, or maybe you have an Android like me... is going to become completely obsolete.

But I don't just mean your particular phone or my particular phone. I mean smartphones altogether.

In the very near future, consumers all around the world will look back at today's smartphones the same way we look at floppy disks and flip-phones today.

Again, I know that right now, it probably sounds like that could never happen.... but let me explain exactly how I've arrived at this stunning conclusion.

***

Better yet, imagine you could choose any screen size imaginable, and have it follow you, wherever you look.

It would be a bit like having a weightless, 60-inch smartphone that you wouldn't have to worry about fitting it in your pocket.

In fact, these "iPhone Killing" devices will allow you to have as many screens as you want, without taking up any extra physical space.

You could be watching a football game, chatting with distant relatives on Skype, and checking your email all at once with a single device.

But the "iPhone Killer" goes way beyond just duplicating 2D screens.

It creates an immersive environment that merges technology seamlessly into the real world...

Thirteen Cubed --- UPDATED

Micromax is out with a non-specific hint and a phone launch later this month.

And I love the MicroMax Anthem.

Who knows?

>>>>> UPDATE -- FROM "The mobile Indian" <<<<<
Thanks Bill!

Micromax Twitter tease



Android Headlines

Indian Express

Micromax has started sending out invites for a smartphone launch on March 29.  The invite does not give any hints about the smartphone. It simply says 13 cube, which is equal to 2197. The invite has a ‘MARCH’ date on the right side of 2197 in orange colour with 2 and 9 digits highlighted in the same very colour to signify March 29.

RDI Investing

Taking a couple of mostly recreation days, so not digging much.

I got a heads up about RDI initiating coverage on MVIS...

Thanks Dr. B

RDI INVESTING

With your e-mail address you can get access to the report.

STRONG BULLISH.. 

Field-programmable gate arrays...

Getting your video nerd on.

When Microvision works twitter, pay attention.


Streaming Media... the technical side.

There's more at the source. The one sentence summary is "There's a new way to accelerate high definition video for mobile devices."

....Just as there is no free lunch, compression breakthroughs always come with a price: the increased computing requirement to encode (and decode) video for efficient, high quality streaming. With each step forward in video services, there has been a corresponding rise in compute need on the encode side, mainly in the data center. This increase has been on the order of 8x when comparing encoding of SD using H.264 and then moving to HD utilizing HEVC, with another incremental with the move to UltraHD (HEVC). With the upcoming AV1, this increase in compute need will continue.

Hardware Acceleration for Cloud-Based Streaming

Dedicating CPUs to server-based encoding made sense back when most video was SD and a smaller percentage of the overall workload. In the near future, when video becomes 80% of network traffic and codec complexity is 1000x higher, a new specialized compute accelerator needs to be implemented to handle the job of encoding and processing video prior to streaming. Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are inherently good at video acceleration because of the flexibility they provide and a main reason why hardware acceleration companies like Xilinx were invited to join the Alliance for Open Media.

FPGAs are expected to accelerate AV1 encoding by at least a factor of 10x compared to software-based encoders that run on a CPU. Their programmable and reconfigurable capabilities allow for multiple optimizations across a wide range of encoding profiles in addition to enabling optimization for non-video workloads. As any codec evolves and improves over time, FPGAs ensure cloud data centers always have a state of the art video acceleration solution.

Switch.... craving an embedded PicoP

This is awesome.

Will be better with focus-free and embedded with better resolution.... 

One of the coolest things about the Switch is the fact that it can, you know, switch. Slap a half of a Joy-Con controller on either side and you can game anywhere you want, or drop the Switch in the included dock and it instantly becomes a home gaming console. Of course, the device’s 6.2-inch screen is fun for a quick game on the go, but it’s a little small for real gaming sessions.

Now, what if we told you that there’s a way to easily convert any Nintendo Switch console into the king of portable gaming, complete with a display that can be used anywhere and measures up to 120 inches diagonally? Trust us, you’re going to want to check this out.

A YouTuber has put together a quick video that runs through all of the simple add-ons you’ll need to transform your Nintendo Switch into the ultimate portable gaming rig. In a nutshell, you’ll need three main things (and only two of them are actually necessary).

Apples Next Big Thing?

Apple's Next big thing?

Thanks Dr. B.


Bloomberg -- Apple's next big thing.

Investors impatient for Apple's next breakthrough will be happy to know that Cook is very serious about AR. People with knowledge of the company's plans say Apple has embarked on an ambitious bid to bring the technology to the masses—an effort Cook and his team see as the best way for the company to dominate the next generation of gadgetry and keep people wedded to its ecosystem.

Apple has built a team combining the strengths of its hardware and software veterans with the expertise of talented outsiders, say the people, who requested anonymity to discuss internal strategy. Run by a former Dolby Laboratories executive, the group includes engineers who worked on the Oculus and HoloLens virtual reality headsets sold by Facebook and Microsoft as well as digital-effects wizards from Hollywood. Apple has also acquired several small firms with knowledge of AR hardware, 3D gaming and virtual reality software.

*****

Besides hiring people, Apple has been busy making tactical acquisitions. In 2015, the company acquired Metaio, which developed AR software. Former Metaio CEO Thomas Alt now works on Apple's strategic deals team, which decides which technologies to invest in. Last year, Apple also bought FlyBy Media, which makes AR-related camera software. Cook even visited the offices of Magic Leap last summer and displayed interest in the secretive company's AR technology, the people say. Magic Leap declined to comment. 

*****

It's an auspicious moment for Apple to move into augmented reality. The global market for AR products will surge 80 percent to $165 billion by 2024, according to researcher Global Market Insights. But Apple really has no choice, says Gene Munster, a founding partner at Loup Ventures who covered the company for many years as an analyst. Over time, Munster says, AR devices will replace the iPhone. "It's something they need to do to continue to grow," he says, "and defend against the shift in how people use hardware." 

Maybe someone did Math

I've had this conversation with a few friends. They and I think there MIGHT be something to this:

Two things may have inspired the price increase of the last few days:

1) The order announced last week was correctly interpreted as the beginning of a flood of orders.

I think there's a lot to this. The order was for engines modified from a normal engine -- so this is likely a smaller order than those that are coming. 

2) This could be related to the MobileEye acquisition. I'm no expert on MobileEye, not by a long shot, but what they do looks a lot like ONE of MicroVision's talents -- laser scanning/range finding. Some of the special abilities of Microvision's scanning technology were talked about during the last CC. Microvision MAY be better positioned than MobileEye in the long term. 

MobileEye just sold for 15 Billion. If that's the open market price for 1/3 of Microvision's businesses.... well, it's undervalued at current prices. 

Technological leaps, revisited

In a conversation with a friend, this came up again. Then I remembered that I'd posted about the same phenomena before.

Take a step back and look at video delivery. Incredible new television and screen technologies. New ways to make content portable, Huge amounts of content, and people demanding more content. A lot of competition for the new screens, and the new content. 

I've yet to hear anyone rave about a 4K TV, or a curved television. Never. The picture can be good, but it's almost too much. Unlike standard HD -- there's no burning desire to upgrade. It just doesn't make the jokes funnier or the game more interesting to watch.

Then something new comes along.

If you're old enough to remember the media revolution in the late 1970's and early 1980's, what happened with sound systems then -- looks like the same thing is going to happen with video systems.

Check out the new Hulu Teaser -- it's all about moving around with your content... That's the future.



Technological Leaps - Ours begins now.

Hulu Teaser....

Not very hard at all to see PicoP in the middle of all this. 

The ecosystem is there. There's a huge amount of competition in the media "pipe" and a lot of different screens to display media on.

Not many portable big screens, and in that department MVIS is the best, no question.

Need always in focus? Microvision has a monopoly.

Microvision taking orders at 142

AT as Dan Aykroyd.

Swapbots -- better with projection

We have seen a number of these augmented reality creations, where the computer or tablet interactions with physical things. Changing them.

Remember this from Disney and Microvision working together. I expect that connection to be noticed soon.   Disney Microvsion Project Hideout

But Macworld did recognize the toy and the program.


Macworld

Apple's Blizzard of contradictory information - UPDATED

My theory is that they are deliberately leaking a lot of stuff to misdirect attention. I have no idea what they'll actually do.

...but we do know that a certain possible component is going into mass production, has yet to be identified in mainstream rumors.


iPhone 8 rumor "confirmed"     <<-- HA!

Rumor confirmed in Double Leak

iPhone 8 Problems before it's launched

Trusted source says OLED

iPhone 8 to get large % of OLED production

"Full Coverage"

*******************

Today's iPhone 8 Alerts.

iphone 8 Daily update ⋅ March 18, 2017
	NEWS
	iPhone 8 Rumors 'Confirmed' Following Leak Newsweek Apple is widely believed to be planning something big for its next iPhone—presumably called the iPhone 8—coming as it does on the 10th ... The 8 features we want in the iPhone 8 - Yahoo Finance New iPhone 8 leak confirms more information - Deccan Chronicle iPhone 8 Design May Not Sport A Curved Display After All, As Per An Insider Report - Indiatimes.com Full Coverage Flag as irrelevant
	The iPhone 8 might ditch Touch ID altogether BGR Apple, meanwhile, is also expected to add facial recognition support to the iPhone 8, and there's more and more indirect evidence that seemingly ... Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Release Date, Price, Specs, Features - ValueWalk Yet another new Galaxy S8 feature was uncovered that no iPhone can match - BGR How the Samsung Galaxy S8 will Beat the iPhone 7; Features, Specs to Know Before Release - Stars Post Full Coverage Flag as irrelevant
	Apple's iPhone 8 may use facial recognition to unlock device KSBW The Central Coast Apple's next iPhone may skip its patented Touch ID and rely on facial recognition technology to unlock the device, according to a patent application ... Apple's iPhone 8 may use facial recognition to unlock device - WBAL Baltimore Full Coverage Flag as irrelevant
	'iPhone 8' could herald start of Apple's augmented reality ambitions AppleInsider (press release) (blog) Combined with rumors of a new dual-lens forward facing camera system and advanced facial recognition software in the "iPhone 8," it's possible that ... AR could be coming to the iPhone 8 as VR and AR markets set to explode - TechRepublic Full Coverage Flag as irrelevant
	Signs Mount that iPhone 8 Will Focus on AR Yahoo News The latest sign of an AR-friendly iPhones comes from a Wall Street Journal report on parts suppliers likely to benefit from this fall's expected iPhone 8 ... Flag as irrelevant
	Will iPhone 8 Be Expensive? Not As Much As This 'Retro' iPhone 7 Plus ValueWalk Apple fans eagerly waiting for the 10th anniversary iPhone 8 will have to shell out more than $1,000 for the device. The Cupertino company is going to ... Flag as irrelevant
	Apple Loop: New iPhone 8 Leak Reveals Cancelled Designs, MacBook Pro's Hidden Price Cut Forbes Taking a look back at another week of news from Cupertino, this week's Apple Loop includes iPhone 8 leaks and a lack of new technology, the high ... Flag as irrelevant
	Apple Inc. (AAPL) Stock Roars To Another High, iPhone Data Points Strong ValueWalk Investors seem cheered by Wall Street's promises about the iPhone 8, and now some fresh data on iPhone sales suggests better-than-seasonal ... Flag as irrelevant
	A rumored iOS 11 feature is freaking people out BGR iOS 11 won't be unveiled until this summer, and it will released to the public in September when the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s handsets hit stores. iOS 11 vs. iOS 10: How The New OS Would Be Different - ValueWalk Full Coverage Flag as irrelevant
	This New iPhone 8 Is Closest But Yet To The Real Thing Latin Post Apple's most awaited iPhone 8 or "iPhone Edition," as it might be called - is still many months away from becoming a reality. Of course, since it's the ... Flag as irrelevant
	WEB
	iPhone 8 Rumors 'Confirmed' Following Leak MSN.com Apple is widely believed to be planning something big for its next iPhone—presumably called the iPhone 8—coming as it does on the 10th ... Flag as irrelevant
	iPhone 8 vs. Galaxy S8: battle of the screens MSN.com Will it offer a curved display like Samsung on its widely-rumored 2017 top-of-the-line iPhone, rumored to be called the iPhone 8 or iPhone X? Right ...