Sharp Spinning off Semiconductor Business

Pretty interesting... not sure what it means, but it deserves to be watched.



Japan Times


Sharp will set up two wholly owned subsidiaries that will absorb the semiconductor-related operations to be spun off, the company said Wednesday.

One of the two units will focus on semiconductors and sensors and the other on semiconductor lasers.
Sharp Chairman and President Tai Jeng-wu told reporters that the company’s management resources are limited in the field of semiconductors so he wants to tap overseas and domestic resources, showing eagerness to forge alliances with other firms including Sharp’s parent, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. of Taiwan.

Currently, Sharp manufactures semiconductor-related products at its plants in the prefectures of Hiroshima and Nara.

Kipman - European Inventor Award finalist

Thanks Bob! great find.

My highlights and emphasis....

Not so much about Kipman, but about what can happen with his invention -- and what will happen with the company that has the key technology for the display.

You and I are not alone in thinking that this technology is going to change the world profoundly.

European Patent office


"The resulting mixed-reality experience integrates computers seamlessly into daily activities - both at work and play."


Societal benefit

Some industry insiders believe that mixed-reality devices, like the HoloLens smart glasses, could replace smartphones. Experts at Gartner predict that, by 2020, 30% of web browsing sessions will be done without a screen.**** Major drivers for the technology include consumer demand for assisted navigation, gaming and live translations. In fact, by 2020, 100 million consumers will rely on augmented reality - as mixed reality is sometimes called - for personal shopping assistance (comScore).

Developers are currently creating a host of applications for Kipman's data glasses in the Windows Mixed Reality software environment of Windows 10. For example, the thyssenkrupp industrial group includes the glasses in their metering and quality control operations, while the famous American medical institution Cleveland Clinic offers an interactive digital human anatomy curriculum. In 2017, while operating on a patient to remove a malignant muscular tumour, Spanish surgeons used the HoloLens to simultaneously view live diagnostic pictures from magnetic resonance imaging and radiography data feeds.
Economic benefit

Perfected over the course of seven years, the HoloLens was first introduced by Microsoft as a prototype in 2015. It features Kipman's patented sensors for the company's Kinect video game controller. The HoloLens is currently available as a development edition aimed at software programmers for EUR 2 556. An enterprise version costs EUR 4 260.

Microsoft has sold around 50 000 HoloLens units, relatively few compared with sales of over one million virtual-reality headsets in the third quarter of 2017 alone. But the corporation, which earned EUR 73 billion during the fiscal year 2017, is strategically "seeding" the market for mixed-reality products through strategic development partnerships with companies such as Lowe's, Boeing, Saab and Volvo.

Consulting firm Digi-Capital estimated the world market for augmented- and virtual-reality devices at EUR 3.3 billion in 2016. The firm projects that, driven by next-generation mobile augmented-reality hardware, the market will reach EUR 85 billion by 2021. Once Microsoft has built an attractive mixed-reality library, products such as the three-dimensional teleconferencing app Holoportation could well join bestsellers like the Office 365 commercial suite with over 100 million users.


**** "Without a screen" is a key phrase... currently virtually zero web browsing sessions are done without a screen -- talk about a growth opportunity.

Personal computer sales are roughly 200 Million / year (statista)  That could be 60 million units of near-eye displays or pico-projection. 

New Microvision LiDAR video

Missing Stock, Hololens Speculation

Generally the old becomes scarce or unavailable, right before the new appears....

RoadtoVR

With so much momentum, it’s surprising to see that both the HoloLens Commercial Suite and Development Edition have been out of stock from Microsoft for what appears to be several weeks now. We reached out to the company to ask when stock is expected to return, but the company didn’t offer any timeline.

“Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition and Commercial Suite are out of stock and unavailable from Microsoft Stores. For customers looking to purchase HoloLens, please visit HoloLens.com for a listing of HoloLens resellers as well as rental options,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Road to VR.

We looked into the official HoloLens reseller for the US and Canada, Insight, but found that HoloLens is out of stock there too.

Apple REALLY wants you to use Amazon Alexa

Not sure what to make of this yet, but it's not an expected development.

There's a lot more cooperation between these big companies than most people would expect. Foxconn, for example makes phones for a number of huge players in smartphones, including Apple and Samsung.


Motley Fool

Apple Insider

Few new product categories within consumer electronics show the type of insane growth and adoption as smart speakers. Pioneered by Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and its sleeper hit Echo, smart speaker sales are skyrocketing as consumers place devices in multiple rooms around their homes, accessing music-streaming services and controlling smart-home gadgets. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has mostly missed out on that boom though, as its HomePod didn't launch until earlier this year and is priced at a massive premium compared to the competition.

The tech titan rarely makes cross-platform plays, but Apple Music is one of those exceptions; the service has also been available on Android for years.

New Member of the Board of Directors

MobileIron

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MicroVision, Inc. (MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature laser display and sensing technology, today announced it has elected Simon Biddiscombe to its board of directors. 

Biddiscombe brings more than 20 years of management and financial expertise in leadership positions at growing technology companies.  He is currently Chief Executive Officer and board member at MobileIron where he leads the company’s overall business strategy and is responsible for day-to-day-operations.  Prior to MobileIron Biddiscombe worked in key leadership positions at several companies focused on technology innovation including QLogic where he served as Chief Financial Officer and eventually Chief Executive Officer; Mindspeed Technologies where he served as Chief Financial Officer and Wyle Electronics where he served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP including work at its Silicon Valley technology accounting and audit practice.  Biddiscombe holds a BA in business studies from the University of Glamorgan and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. 

“Simon Biddiscombe brings extensive leadership in business strategy, operations, finance and management and is a tremendous addition to the MicroVision board of directors,” said Brian Turner, Chairman and Independent Director at MicroVision.  “Simon has an impressive background in leading technology innovation at growing companies and we are very pleased to have Simon join our board.”   

“I look forward to serving on the MicroVision board of directors and working with Brian, my fellow directors and management at this exciting time,” said Biddiscombe.  “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to join the board and help MicroVision realize its vision of bringing innovative laser beam scanning technology such as interactive display and sensing solutions to market with major technology companies.”   

New Video from Microvision.

New Video....

Feedback from consumers about what's coming for smart speakers and IOT devices suggests there will be a lot of demand for this.

Facebook Adding Features to Portal

By itself maybe not so interesting, but it is interesting what features the public are demanding for these devices. Chat alone (awesome video chat even) isn't enough. Need to be able to browse, get information and play music and games.

Gadgetwire

Facebook has also added a new feature of AR Story Time tales, seasonal AR masks, in-call musicsharing through iHeartRadio beyond Spotify and Pandora.

This vital update by Facebook can play a key role in repositioning Portal as not only a video chat device but more in the line with Amazon Echo Show and Google Home Hub.

When Facebook Portal was first launched in October, the device didn’t have much of a reason to exist beyond giving Facebook a way to try its hand at hardware.

But a lot of people who are feeling okay with bringing a Facebook camera and microphone into their homes seemed slim, especially after a lot of people complained about its lack of features.

TESLA & AR Claiming some turf

I'm not a legal guy, but the text of the patent reads like it's some kind of legal shotgun, hoping to land on some use of AR that someone else hasn't already claimed.

Whether that's the case or not, it appears they're planning to use AR to improve their manufacturing processes.

In the text of the patent application (it's an application, not a grant) they use the "in some embodiments" phrase a lot, which is what makes me think they're just trying to claim some turf in AR -- just in case there are any specifics some of the other players missed.

It could mean they intend to come up with their own version (hardware / software) of AR devices, and this could be an interesting addition to the space. 

MVIS will still have the best near-eye display.

Google has already been using wearable tech.The image shows multiple black Tesla Model S vehicles in view with a screenshot from APX’s “Skylight” software in the top-right hand corner. This is a familiar view for those who have used Glass before — the device is actually capable of capturing similar shots itself called Vignettes. In the screenshot, the software shows what is purportedly a vehicle’s VIN number, and various options for a factory worker to act on.

Electrek

ZDNet

In some embodiments, the AR glasses may be in the form of safety glasses. The AR device captures a live view of an object of interest, for example, a view of one or more automotive parts. The AR device determines the location of the device as well as the location and type of the object of interest. For example, the AR device identifies that the object of interest is a right hand front shock tower of a vehicle. The AR device then overlays data corresponding to features of the object of interest, such as mechanical joints, interfaces with other parts, thickness of e-coating, etc. on top of the view of the object of interest. Examples of the joint features include spot welds, self-pierced rivets, laser welds, structural adhesive, and sealers, among others. As the user moves around the object, the view of the object from the perspective of the AR device and the overlaid data of the detected features adjust accordingly. The user can also interact with the AR device. For example, a user can display information on each of the identified features. In some embodiments, for example, the AR device displays the tolerances associated with each detected feature, such as the location of a spot weld or hole. As another example, the overlaid data on the view of the object includes details for assembly, such as the order to perform laser welds, the type of weld to perform, the tolerance associated with each feature, whether a feature is assembled correctly, etc. In various embodiments, the AR device detects features of a physical object and displays digital information interactively to the user. The data associated with the object of interest is presented to help the user more efficiently perform a manufacturing task.”

F -you Leakers... Google

The kind of attitude that causes strict NDAs for new technology.

Business Insider

He said, according to The Times: "The narrative is that leaking is bad and that the number one priority is to prevent any leaks."

Poulson said that Google was not alone in trying to suppress employee revolts, pointing to similar movements at Microsoft and Amazon. He said the back-and-forth between workers and executives is not "going to be a short battle."

Getting Attention

Newspapers and magazines like writing stories. 

Among the best stories to them are those where there is something more interesting  alongside it: There's an accident, a bystander helps. The bystander is a very interesting person. The media runs with it. People relate, they eagerly consume more news about the accident and the person. 

No matter which way the story goes -- if it's popular -- people go too far. They get either too depressed or too optimistic.

Outside of investing the favorite story is about fear. If it bleeds it leads. Fear sells in investing stories as well. The investing stories that really get legs, however are those where hype and excitement over potential riches lead the headlines.

In those cases, the story is more important than the product. Shake Shack was such a company. It's a cool story. There is enthusiasm about the product, so investors pile in -- far beyond where it makes sense to pile in. At one point, the market cap of the company was equal to about $50 million per restaurant, which I consider to be lunacy.

Bitcoin. They're selling precisely nothing. Zero - access to a prime number in their roster of prime numbers. Yet the price of a bitcoin rose last year to $19,783. All on a story on hype. ($3,400 today, and probably it will continue to fall.)

GoPro. Another company that traded very high on a story. Far higher than it should have. It was at $93 once upon a time, with no investing moat, and tons of competition. ($5 now.)

At the moment, MicroVision is virtually unknown by the public, there isn't a story. Non disclosures are tough things.

Take Hololens separately from Microvision. It is virtually unknown by the public. If you're diligent about following technology, you know about it. It only pops up occasionally, like when they announced an army contract, but even then, it shows up in tech news, very rarely a blip in the mainstream media. Yet, if you follow it -- if you've tried it -- you have little doubt it will change the world.

The last time the Financial Times wrote about it (according to my search) was in March of this year - nine months ago.)


I'm at about 99% certainty that MVIS's near eye display will be in Hololens.
I'm at about 99% certainty that interactive laser displays will be included in Amazon Echo.. 

Mr. Tokman had the wisdom to be playing the long game. The long game, in my view is about to pay off. 
When the story is told, it will be good. Really good. 

Google Search "Hololens Army"
Tactical Augmented Reality

Microvision, AR and Army


The video below has been seen 949 times. (probably 200 of those came from it being linked here.) NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT THIS YET.



The Pokemon Stampede will work for you.

Global Economic Impacts of Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance

Amazon Alexa Programmers Twitch Channel

Twitch

Watch VOD: Deep Dive into Three Critical Aspects of Alexa's In-Skill Purchase API from amazonalexa on www.twitch.tv

One Look and you're in

Of course, they'll want better face scanning as this grows.



USA TODAY

“We’re removing the need for a customer checking a bag to present their passport up to four times per departure – which means we’re giving customers the option of moving through the airport with one less thing to worry about, while empowering our employees with more time for meaningful interactions with customers,” Gil West, Delta’s COO, said in a statement touting the airline’s effort to outfit Terminal F with the biometric technology.

The option also will be available to international passengers flying nonstop from Atlanta on Delta’s partner airlines Aeromexico, Air France-KLM or Virgin Atlantic.

They Will advertise like crazy the first projector enabled Smart Speaker

...especially on the NFL...

This is good news, it tells us these companies are all in on the space, will be competing for market share, and will shout about their new features.




BroadcastingCable


As the holiday shopping season closes in, we took a look at TV advertising trends surrounding a hotter-than-ever product category: smart speaker/displays for the home, and in particular the Amazon Echo, Google Home and the newest to market, Facebook Portal.

Data from iSpot.tv, the real-time TV ad measurement company with attention and conversion analytics from more than eight million smart TVs, reveals an interesting common strategy: these advertisers are more likely to spend big but air fewer ads than other top-spending brands — in other words, they’re making premium TV ad buys — and all three had the biggest budgets allocated to the NFL.

US ARMY Hololens

Hololens to Army, Bloomberg

Microsoft Corp. has won a $480 million contract to supply prototypes for augmented reality systems to the Army for use on combat missions and in training, the Army said. The contract, which could eventually lead to the military purchasing over 100,000 headsets, is intended to “increase lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide and engage before the enemy,” according to a government description of the program.

"Augmented reality technology will provide troops with more and better information to make decisions. This new work extends our longstanding, trusted relationship with the Department of Defense to this new area,” a Microsoft spokesman said in an emailed statement.

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

The U.S. Army and the Israeli military have already used Microsoft’s HoloLens devices in training, but plans for live combat would be a significant step forward.

HoloLens is one of the leading consumer-grade headsets, but a large consumer market doesn’t yet exist; a video made for the European Patent Office this spring said it had sold about 50,000 devices. That’s about half the number the Army expects to buy through its augmented reality program, which is called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS.

With the contract, the Army immediately becomes one of Microsoft’s most important HoloLens consumers. It expects devices to vary from their consumer-grade counterparts in a handful of key respects. In a document shared with companies bidding on the contract, the Army said it wanted to incorporate night vision and thermal sensing, measure vital signs like breathing and “readiness,” monitor for concussions and offer hearing protection. It said the winning bidder would be expected to deliver 2,500 headsets within two years, and exhibit the capacity for full-scale production.

Women love Tech

Better with a screen.
Wants a small device
Moved to a larger screen

And that summarizes why Microvision's interactive display is perfect for this market.
(And third party players -- Google, Lenovo, JBL...)

Women love Tech

First things first – I really like the Google Home Hub for my home. As a not too huge a fan of voice-only smart home assistants, the display screen on the Home Hub is my favourite thing about it. But, a smart home assistant should do more than just look pretty. How does the Google Home Hub do overall – how does it fare compared to the Amazon Alexa smart devices, for example? How about other third party smart displays that have Google Assistant built in, such as the Lenovo Smart Display or the JBL Link View? Are there any features that Google definitely needs to improve on? Let’s have a look below.

The size and design – 10/10

You may think a perfect ten score for a tiny 7-inch screen is odd, but personally, I find the Google Home Hub’s screen size remarkably suitable for not just our apartment, but any size home. The screen size reminds me of my beloved Google Nexus 7 tablet that I used many years ago – one that fit my reading/sketching/video-viewing needs resoundingly well, before Google (and I) inevitably moved on to a 9 or 10-inch tablet.

Smart Homes, Google Assistant poll

Simple question. How often do you use Google Assistant?
Simple answer: A lot and more and more.

Very good news for us.

Android Police

The Author's Comments:

I find my own use increasing with time. I use it for things I probably don't even need to just because it's there, it's an option, and it allows me to externalize tasks — anything to ease my descent into monomania. But I know plenty of people that still eschew it entirely on privacy grounds (or even just the embarrassment of talking to a phone or empty room).

One of those reports...

In general I'm dismissive of such reports. (On this subject I'm doing the research myself.)

But this one had an interesting headline I haven't seen before that I agree with.


Pico Projector Market

Pico Projector Market will Generate Massive Revenue in Future- A comprehensive study on Key Player: Standalone

Pico Projector Market Report 2018

 Nidhi Bhawsar November 17, 2018

 

The latest release from HTF MI highlights the key market trends impacting the growth of the Global Pico Projector market. The study highlights influencing factors that are impacting or reinforcing market environment such as Government Policy, technological changes etc along with key market drivers. The research study forecast Revenue Opportunities and Sales Volume Area taken into consideration the primaries from industry experts and includes relevant data such as (revenue, market Size, growth rate, and product price) by important players such as Standalone.

Roku Wireless Speakers

I like to see this company getting into the smart speaker space. They're a very easy customer for display only in a product like this, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit to find that it's already on the agenda.

I see I missed their original announcement in July.

TechCrunch

In July, Roku unveiled its entry into the voice-powered speaker market with a pair of Roku TV Wireless Speakers designed to work with the company’s lineup of partner-built smart TVs. Those speakers will now begin to ship to customers starting on Friday, November 16. They’ll also go on sale in advance of Black Friday at a discounted price, Roku says.

The speakers were previously available for pre-order and will normally retail for $199.99.

However, Roku will sell them starting on Sunday, November 18 through “Cyber Monday,” November 26, for $149.99.

The company had earlier said the speakers would begin shipping in late October, so this is a bit of a delay on its part. But they’re still here before the holidays and in time for Black Friday, which is what’s most important.

History, Hololens and SLAM

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping -- An application for CONSUMER LiDAR.

Sure, you can use Hololens to view something programmed, and to design something new... but if you want to include something that already exists --- Laser scanning is where to go. (20 million points per second - 30 meters)

So, for education, training and collecting data SLAM with MVIS consumer LiDAR.

To experience it.... Near eye displays.... Microvision is there too.

When I look at this tech, instead of getting less enthusiastic about it, I get MORE enthusiastic about it, because it will revolutionize education, and make the people who use it much more productive.

40 years ago a lot of people wondered why people would want a computer in their home. There won't be any wondering about why people will want this and very few people have heard of this so far.


Holoforge





French History at Geekwire.


Regarding SLAM  GEO SLAM

E-mailed these guys about getting one of their units last year and they quoted a price of $34,000 and then you'd still need to purchase processing from them. I expect MicroVision's LiDAR to appear at an extreme discount to that price.

Sharp & Foxconn

When Foxconn made a bid for Sharp

Noticed this back in 2016, and somehow it get's posted as new news today. In 2016 we were sure, because of Robohon, that MicroVision had something going on with Sharp.

Maybe clickbait, or maybe for some other reason, it made the news feed.  This happens, but fairly infrequently... I'm not sure how or why it happens.


From Today Stocksbeat

New York Times 2016

Apple's Turmoil

Apple is in the middle of some turmoil.

They can't improve their phones enough to inspire a new flood of consumers for the new models.

That's good for us -- what phones need is a great new feature. 

Under all of that is that Foxconn has been rumbling for some time about making their own brand of smartphone (possibly through widely recognized name Sharp?)

If Apple has been treating Foxconn like they have often treated other suppliers, they may have created big trouble for themselves.


Apple Lacks and APP for Foxconn

Huawei AR Glasses

I think we have a good shot in being in all of them.

The leaks... they come from the developers, and they, like Apple, have developers building AR applications without the glasses... yet... expect it to explode on the scene.

And they seem to be tight with Foxconn

And Foxconn seems to be everywhere

CNBC

• Huawei is planning to launch its own augmented reality (AR) glasses, Richard Yu, CEO of the company's consumer group, told CNBC.
• Yu said the product would not be ready to be commercialized for at least "one to two years."
• Other technology giants like Facebook and Apple are reportedly working on similar products.

The Chinese technology giant already has augmented reality apps on its latest Mate 20 Pro smartphone.

But Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's consumer business, told CNBC in an exclusive interview that AR glasses are in the works which could take the experience to the next level. These would be wearable spectacles that allow people to experience AR.

Samsung Foldable phone?

People are taking this seriously at $1700?

Projection that's less bulky with a much larger screen at half the cost seems pretty easy by comparison.


engadget

 the "Galaxy F" -- a name that's been floated about before, along with "Galaxy X" -- and will debut in March, around a month after a 5G-enabled S10. But it won't come cheap: Yonhap believes the bendy phone will be an exclusive device that could cost as much as $1,770, though it adds the company hasn't "settled" on a price.

Future of Education

I'm looking for a video I posted some time ago, and have been reviewing.

This was really cool.

Ed Sim Award

Hololens

This is going to be way huger than we think. This is making significant strides in enterprise applications while being nearly unheard of among the general public.

The other day I met someone who works for Thyssenkrupp. I mentioned a technology I follow that they're using and she immediately said "Hololens." It's Utility is well known.

I have 95% + Confidence, Microvision is in a coming significant release of this product. (And the product will "take the world by storm.")

Techspective

This week Microsoft had an update for their HoloLens technology which, I think, currently has the best shot at defining one of the major evolutionary pivots for personal computers. Right now, it reminds me a lot of the early days of the PC market. But instead of replacing calculators, typewriters, mainframe computers, and rolodexes this technology is replacing manuals, remote trainers, tablets, and wearable PCs.

What is particularly fascinating given how slow PCs came into hospitals, is that the HoloLens was just certified for medical procedures. This may help address my fear of hospitals by preventing problems like that poor woman that recently went in for back surgery and came out with one less Kidney (surprisingly she wasn’t particularly thankful).
But much like the PC evolved into a far more comprehensive tool, I expect HoloLens (and augmented reality (AR) in general) to evolve as well—not only in hardware (I’m really looking forward to seeing HoloLens 2 next year) but in how and where it is used. You see, I can foresee a time when we might put this thing on in the morning and not take it off until right before we go to sleep (if then).

Building Information Modeling Revolution

If you're following Microvision, you're way ahead of the curve on knowing about Mixed and Augmented reality. Most people seem to still think it's the stuff of science fiction and is a century away.

Read the enthusiasm in this article.

When people who are trying to get other things done see this, its utility is readily apparent, in practical use it has direct significant positive impact.

MicroVision's near-eye display is the best.

It will be part of everyone's AR solutions. 

Building.co.uk

"A revolutionary new technology using ‘mixed reality’ merges real and virtual worlds to visualise physical and digital objects co-existing and interacting. It is transforming the stairlift sector but its potential for the construction industry goes far wider – could it spark the BIM revolution we’ve been waiting for?"

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

Now imagine the timespan from survey to installation drastically truncated fourfold to just 14 days. Also imagine a fully digitised workflow process that enables manufacturing of the stairlift to begin even before the end of the initial site survey visit. Picture too a means by which during that initial visit, both client and engineer are able to visualise a digital reproduction of the final stairlift design and make any alterations deemed necessary in real time.
Building Information Modeling

Comcast into Smart Homes

This space is going to be a gold rush.

....and this entry is interesting, as a content provider, it's going to have an even bigger urge to provide large screens in small packages...

Comcast.. C|Net
Comcast, however, has already built a platform that supports smart-home devices like connected door locks, thermostats and lights though the biggest screen in every house: the TV. Its X1 system primarily serves as way for Comcast's cable video subscribers to watch their TV programming, but it also supports smart-home devices already. X1 has also already integrating streaming video services like Netflix and YouTube, and it has a remote that responds to voice commands.

Foxconn may import skilled workers to Wisconsin Plant

I'm sure they will have some special skills needed which won't be readily available in Wisconsin.

France24.com

NEW YORK (AFP) - 

Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer Foxconn is struggling to find enough skilled workers for its planned facility in Wisconsin and may bring in personnel from China, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The report said Foxconn, which makes devices and components for Apple and other tech firms, is facing a tight labor market for the manufacturing plant, which is getting some $3 billion in incentives from the midwestern state.

The company has pledged to hire 13,000 workers at the southern Wisconsin site, but some reports say the total may be lower as Foxconn scales back its initial plans.

Nvidia Holodek

Watching their presentation now... new advancements being announced.

Laser scanning and Near Eye displays...

....Real time collaboration is the killer application.

.... extremely rapid penetration of the tech being used... 

Use in Architecture....

Really cool that they can visualize themselves inside a full-scale version of their own (potential) creation...

Much of this is about IBI using Holodeck in the real world to do work, and it's increased their productivity, improved their ability to collaborate -- they can explore a lot of design options quickly. The Avatars they use for non-verbal communication they find to be very important -- seems gimmicky at first, but key to using it to collaborate.

If the new video is available, I'll post it, it's amazing stuff. If you had any doubts about the future of AR / VR.... you can put them to rest.

Learning curve is very shallow.... easy to learn and use, people become quickly adept at using the tools. Very intuitive.


The video is from a year ago....

Galaxy Beam 5

First time my searches have hit on one of these in a while.

I would take this with a good deal of skepticism for the time being.

Yes, Foxconn does business with Samsung, and does assemble phones for them.

This isn't a mainstream publication, but doesn't have disreputable qualities...

Digital Overload

The users’ attention will definitely be drawn by Galaxy Beam 5’s stainless steel body and built-in projector. Buyers can choose from various colour options – Black and Midnight Blue. Besides, they will be happy to find out that the phone has extended autonomy: it can function for 25 hours without being charged even of the user plays movies. This is possible thanks to the 5,350 mAh massive non-removable battery.

These specs will turn Samsung Galaxy Beam 5 into one of the most wanted smartphones in 2019.

Bixby... Samsung

Samsung's Bixby voice assistant was specifically mentioned during a recent Microvision presentation. Much like Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa.

I think that some of the best early mainstream leaks will likely come from developers as they see interactive touch & projection accommodations in the code for these systems. 

Third-party developers are a lot less disciplined about secrets than in-house developers.

c|net

The mobile giant plans to open its Bixby voice assistant to third-party developersin an effort to compete with Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri and Google Assistant, according to The Wall Street Journal. At an event in San Francisco next week, Samsung will reportedly detail how developers can create "capsules," which work like Alexa's skills, to make Bixby do things like turn on a TV or find a recipe for dinner.

Customs and Border Patrol

Augmented Reality is going to be everywhere and it's going to come faster than we anticipate --- because it's going to be so useful.

Imagine the tediousness of the task a customs officer would have, looking at and in packages, and trying to figure out, with written descriptions whether or not things are counterfeit, legit, or concealing something else.

The efficiency and effectiveness of the people working here will be increased dramatically by this tech.

Holding the maker of the best AR display is going to be gold.



GCN - Technology, Tools & Tactics

In the latest project, CBP agents are using Microsoft HoloLens augmented-reality headsets to inspect goods for intellectual property rights violations.

Instead of referring to paper guides to verify the authenticity of an imported product, the agents use a HoloLens-enabled mobile app to instantly access product details and compare the reference images to the physical object they are examining. CBP is also considering an app for consumers that would allow them to test items such as pharmaceuticals to know if they are legitimate.

Nissan Leaf Ad Picture

Searching for more Background information.... but this is what they are imagining or working on.... 

Motley Fool... pay attention to Smart Speaker Market. -- UPDATED

In the right place at the right time, finally.

Google Smart Screen Walkthrough



Motley Fool

Keep an eye on this space

These tech giants' next big market focus is the home, and we're still in the early stages of this gold rush. Right now, Amazon still has a slight advantage because it was an early mover with its Echo devices, and its smart speakers remain an easy and natural way for consumers to buy products from its website.

Google is gaining ground with its Home and its Nest devices, but Facebook's Portal could hit a roadblock, given that users may have had their fill of Facebook-related privacy fiascos.

This market will be worth $138 billion by 2026, but the bigger opportunity for each of these companies is to lock users into their ecosystems, and then sell more ads or, in Amazon's case, more products.

It's clear that all three companies are looking to connected home devices to help them increase their interactions with users -- and if they do that successfully, it'll lead to more sales across their businesses.

CE PRO   --- Historic Period of Growth for Smart Homes

New Technology Led by Displays

“I have been in CE for 30 years and there is nothing more exciting than the smart home. There has never been a category that I was so skeptical about that I am now so bullish about,” commented Baker.  “Smart home is great but when all these other products are connected, it is even more exciting.”

While some integrators have soured on selling displays due to the lack of margin, Baker noted that display technology will continue to evolve and presents a strong opportunity for integrators.“The TV is not going to sit in the family room and not be connected to a bunch of other devices. It is just not going to happen,” he said, citing health and wellness is a great example of connectivity to the displays.

He specifically believes Amazon will make a big push into display connectivity because it does not have a cell phone play.

Baker believes the changing form factors of TVs – rollables, transparent and high design – will be a big new trend led by MicroLED, OLED and 5G TVs that direct stream signals (he dubs that category as Devices as a Services (DaaS))

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The growth is primarily going to be driven by online spending. He noted that 6 percent of consumers are spending 75 percent of their disposable income online, but  40 percent of consumers still spend less than 10 percent of their disposable income online

“Online has not peaked at all. There are huge dollars coming,” he noted. “We are headed into a historic period of growth. We are at cusp on awesome new products.”

CC thoughts

I've received several requests for my thoughts about the CC....

The big picture answer is that I have little doubt about how big Microvision is going to be.

As I've made clear before, it's a bleeding-edge company transitioning to a leading edge company, and in those situations timing is always an issue... delays are always possible.

One of the key things in the conference call -- that some will interpret as a negative -- is that the NRE is not necessary. That means the company has done a good job anticipating the needs of OEMS... that's huge to the positive in my view -- and says that one significant situation that COULD cause a delay won't. (They have a destination for engines... if they needed to be adjusted, then they're re-engineer, test again... and possibly find the new thing comes up short... this hurdle has been bypassed.)

They also made clear that products will appear next year.

• They announced a 24 million "black box" contract. That will be revealed sometime between now and mid next year. (it's still a secret)
• They announced a display only contract.
• They have not yet announced whatever is going to happen with the interactive display contract(s?)

So, I expect an interactive display contract announcement very soon

We were also told that once the "black box" project development is complete, that Microvision can sell the results to whomever they want. (As this is the case, it is almost certainly NOT a hardware company: Software, search, social media) prime suspects are Microsoft, Google, Amazon or Facebook.

And... once the tech is in the hands of more than one player, the desire for secrecy will be turned on it's head. When you're the only one, you want to be quiet. When you're in a field of similar players, you want to be as loud as possible..... so I expect a lot of noise about MVIS very soon.

Whether or not dilution is required or a contract or other income shows up before long remains to be seen... but I think the next announcements will come fairly rapidly.

Spatial -- Media Attention -- FDA Approval

Augmented reality is going to do great things.

So far, MVIS has the best near eye display I've seen. (I may have a chance to try Magic Leap today, it's the only one I haven't tried yet.) Nothing out there is as good as what I tried with Microvision.

The business & medical & technical applications for it are going to be fantastic.

And, as you can see by where reports are coming from, they're on the edge of being on mainstream media.
FDA approval for medical applications is pretty nice as well.

The market in general is in turmoil (I expect that turmoil to last until November 6) MVIS is a small boat in a large turbulent ocean, and we'll feel the effects of that.

After listening to the CC today, I expect that we will soon be hearing a number of announcements.

MSPoweruser

Variety

Maxim



Associated Press Novarad


SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 24, 2018--The OpenSight® Augmented Reality System is the first AR medical solution for Microsoft HoloLens cleared by the FDA receiving 510(k) clearance for use in pre-operative surgical planning. Building upon decades of Novarad’s experience in image processing, OpenSight renders 2D, 3D and 4D images of patients interactively, while accurately overlaying them directly onto the patient’s body. The solution, along with patented virtual tool technology and an integrated targeting system, allows doctors to see the patient and into the patient simultaneously to more accurately plan surgery.

Third Quarter

NO NRE REQUIRED -- BECAUSE WHAT WE HAD READY WAS Closely aligned to what OEMS were already looking for.

Mike Latimore: Three product families? From three separate companies?
Interactive display / april 2017 contract / & display only.

Product LAUNCH in 2nd Half 2019.

It will be ready for customers, just like we said.... exactly. 


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MicroVision Announces Third Quarter 2018 Results


REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ:MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and sensing technology, today announced results for the quarter ended September 30, 2018.


Revenue for the third quarter of 2018 was $11.6 million, compared to $5.4 million for the third quarter of 2017. MicroVision's net profit for the third quarter of 2018 was $0.3 million, or $0.00 per share, compared to a net loss of $5.8 million, or $0.08 per share for the third quarter of 2017.

“I am pleased with the progress we made in Q3 while targeting Tier 1 technology leaders who have the capabilities to bring our innovative solutions to market. During the quarter, we completed the technology transfer to our display-only licencee that we announced in May and continue to make significant progress on our product development,” said Perry Mulligan, MicroVision’s Chief Executive Officer. “Based on the team’s execution, I believe we are positioned to potentially support the launch of three product families during the second half of 2019, which could position us to achieve profitability in late 2019. To support these product launches, we are now working with our module manufacturing partner to be ready for our 2019 sales opportunities and to minimize the associated working capital requirements,” Perry added.

The company has implemented Revenue Standard ASC 606 for the year beginning January 1, 2018. The Company transitioned to the new standard using the full retrospective approach, and per the standard, historical periods have been adjusted as if the new standard was in place for historical periods.

Financial Results Conference Call

The company will host a conference call today to discuss its third quarter 2018 results and current business operations at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT. Interested parties can listen to the company's conference call by accessing the MicroVision website’s Investor Events Calendar page or dialing 1-877-883-0383 (for U.S. participants) or 1-412-902-6506 (for participants outside the U.S.) ten minutes prior to the start of the call using pass code number 4343681. A replay webcast of the call will also be available from the MicroVision website’s Investor Events Calendar page.

Several AR Links

Interesting use of language in here.

When the glasses you "dream about" are a ways away, doesn't mean version one isn't imminent.. 

Facebook Confirms AR Glasses

TechCrunch Sessions... AR



Oculus big plans to expand in greater Seattle Area

Informative video about Google Smart Screens

The presentation is rather flat, but the information in here is good.

9to5 Google

Focals by North -- Thalmic Labs,

Some Amazon participation... 

And a quick search reveals Microvision & Thalmic Labs intersections in patents.
CNBC -- 

Automaker "frenemies" - CNBC

When you have a KEY bit of technical know-how in a space where bitter rivals are cooperating so they can get the technical job done... that's a good place to be.

A very small, very high resolution LiDAR for self-driving cars or ADAS.... that's a nice thing to have in your portfolio.

This article mentions nearly every automaker in the world.



From Ford to Volkswagen, rivals become frenemies to share the cost and risk of building self-driving cars -- CNBC

The sheer cost and technological burden of developing self-driving cars, electric vehicles and other advancements has companies that have historically been fierce competitors becoming, at the very least, frenemies. They're forming new alliances, joint ventures and agreements to help develop and build new technologies that may take years to get to market and even longer before turning a profit. While some Odd Couple alliances are more successful than others, all share a common cause.

***

Volkswagen announced almost a year ago that it plans to spend $40 billion to develop autonomous and electrified vehicles through 2022. It is expected to invest billions more by 2025 when it hopes to have 50 all-electric vehicles filling out the product lineup of brands ranging from mainstream Seat, Skoda and VW to exclusive marques Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini. And the German automaker isn't alone.

Google Home and Fuchsia...

See the recent video about Apple... how to get developers to develop for something they don't know exists yet...prediction, it's been going on with Google already too.... ( Apple Video Post )

Looking for it in the links below, I'm not a code wizard, but I see some interesting things in there.. consulting some code guys to see if my suspicions are plausible.

Fuchsia Code
"supported pixel formats"
Androwish

Dice.com

Within the Fuchsia source code is mention of an Amlogic chipset, which was always curious because Android typically uses Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Speaking with Ars Technica, Google’s Vice President of Product Management, Diya Jolly, confirmed the Home Hub is running an Amlogic chip. (Ars also covered some of the Hub’s grittier hardware details, such as the 1GB RAM and smaller-than-expected 7-inch display. There are no available specs for the screen, but it’s not being billed as one you’d want to watch a movie on, so we’d have to assume it’s low resolution; tech site What Hi-Fi? says the screen checks in at 1024×600.)

From there, 9to5Google poked through the Fuchsia code and found mention of two devices: “Astro” and “Estelle.” Although earlier rumors suggested that “Astro” had an Amlogic chipset and 7-inch screen, sources speaking to 9to5Google said that “Estelle” is in fact the Google Home Hub. In other words, “Astro” was likely a design spec for “Estelle,” which is the actual reference device.

But the Google Home Hub, née “Estelle,” is not running Fuchsia. Yet. Jolly told Ars Technica the Home Hub runs on the Google Cast platform, which is typically utilized for displaying mobile content on your TV via Chromecast or streaming audio to a proper home stereo.

Developers aren’t welcome to the Home Hub yet. When asked why the Google Home Hub runs Cast rather than Android, Jolly said: “There’s no particular reason. We just felt we could bring the experience to bear with Cast, and the experiences are the same. We would have easily given the third-parties Cast if they wanted it, but I think most developers are comfortable using Android Things.”

In any case, it seems Fuchsia isn’t quite ready for prime time. As 9to5Google notes, Google has curated a list of pull requests into a branch dubbed milestone-1011, which tells us it’s trying in earnest to get a barebones version of Fuchsia ready soon. Ars Technica speculates that Google used Cast in lieu of Android Things because the Google Home Hub has weaker hardware than most Android Things devices.

This also means the Home Hub is not truly native, underscored by the fact that Home Hubs at Google’s event were in ‘demo mode.’ Nobody was given a glimpse at how we’d interact with the hardware, beyond voice controls asking for recipes or the weather.