News

Google beefs up AR and VR with stickers and new Daydream View

Published

October 5, 2017

Daniel Morial

Both augmented and virtual reality are starting become true mainstream products, thanks to the efforts of tech companies to push them forward. Google has invested a lot since it introduced AR and VR to consumers, and their latest announcement makes them more fun to use.

Augmented Reality

With the new Pixel 2 phones, Google is pushing AR outside the Tango platform (Google’s design to develop AR phones) and makes it available even without additional special cameras. We saw Apple come up with great AR content with their new iPhones, so Google is not backing down.

According to Google, the Pixel 2’s rear camera is calibrated and optimized for AR. It’s able to track surrounding areas even in low-light scenarios, and render AR objects in a smooth 60 frames per second. To advance this, the company has AR Stickers. They are like your typical emojis or Instagram stickers, but more playful and lively.

You can play with AR food and drinks stickers with the Foodmoji pack, and with AR balloons for a unique birthday greeting. Google promised to release more fun moving stickers in the future, just in time for the upcoming holiday season. Pop culture is also coming to AR Stickers with characters from Stranger Things, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, NBA Stars, and the cast of Saturday Night Live.

Apps and games will also take advantage of the new AR prowess of the Pixel 2 with programs from select partners. With Houzz, you can layout and design your house’s interior through your phone. If you’re a fan of League of Legends, you’ll enjoy real-time action gameplay through an AR map. And lastly, Lego is working on an AR app which lets you build models and make it come to life.

Virtual Reality

Google also announced a newer and better Daydream View headset for VR, which is fully compatible with the new Pixel 2 and other Daydream-ready Android phones.

The new VR headset has high-performance lenses, which promise better image quality and a wider field of view compared to its predecessor. It doesn’t differ much in terms of appearance, but it now has a sleeker two-tone fabric material and also comes in three new colors: Fog, Charcoal, and Coral.

New hardware comes with a larger content library of more than 250 titles. Google releases “only-in-VR” moments with exclusive content for Daydream like front-row seat experiences in concerts, original YouTube VR titles, and IMAX 3D movies — all available on your phone.

The Daydream View will be available later this year for US$ 99.

[irp posts=”19363″ name=”Lenovo introduces Star Wars: Jedi Challenges augmented reality experience”]

Related Topics:AR Stickers Daydream View Google

News

Honor is reportedly working on a 14000mAh battery

How much is too much?

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Nothing goes together more than a Chinese smartphone brand and the relentless pursuit for a bigger battery. For years, Chinese brands have engaged in a war for this particular component. Now, the latest salvo has been fired. Honor is reportedly working on a phone with a gigantic 14000mAh battery.

Today, the biggest battery capacity you can find on an Honor phone is 11000mAh. The Honor X80 Pro Max already offers a battery that can last you more than a single day. At this point, it’s certainly more than enough for our daily needs.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a smartphone brand is currently working on a 14000mAh battery. Though the leak does not explicitly pinpoint Honor, the emoji used (a wolf) is historically used to imply the Chinese brand in Weibo parlance.

A 14000mAh is just absurdly huge. With a battery larger than some powerbanks, battery anxiety becomes moot. It’s bordering on “can we bring this on a plane” territory.

As with all rumored features, the next question is when this battery will arrive on a consumer-ready device. Given how serious the battery wars are for the Chinese market, it’s only a matter of time.

News

Nothing Phone (4b) shows up online, spoils some specs

It’s a step below the Phone (4a) series.

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Yesterday, Nothing officially teased the Phone (4b), an all-new line positioned below the Phone (4a) series. At the time, the teaser revealed nothing but the design of the upcoming phone. However, ahead of its July 7 launch, the Phone (4b) suddenly appeared on Geekbench, spoiling a few of its mysterious specs.

According to the listing, the Phone (4b) will run the SM6650, more popularly known as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. It’s a modestly powered processor built for the budget to midrange segments of the performance spectrum. Having this processor does confirm that the phone belongs to the step below the Phone (4a), bringing affordability to a name other than CMF.

Besides the processor, the new phone will come with an Adreno 810 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Inside, it will ship with Android 16 out of the box, but this will likely be upgradeable to Android 17 later this year.

It’s already confirmed that the Phone (4b) will be quite the looker. The phone will slightly depart from the design philosophy of the Phone (4a) series. Though it will still have a sizable rear island, the camera setup will just be a small vertical strip on the top-left corner. Additionally, the lighting element typical of all Nothing phones will be a small horizontal strip on the bottom-right corner.

Thankfully, the wait for more specs won’t be long. Nothing has confirmed that the phone’s launch is set for July 7.

News

Polaroid says, enjoy the beach before AI ruins it

“We know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it.”

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Tongue-in-cheek marketing is a soothing balm for a world where false promises are more often advertised. But, what happens when those tongue-in-cheek jokes strike a nerve and make you think, “maybe this isn’t a joke anymore”? Polaroid, a huge proponent of analog technology, has put up such a billboard to enjoy the beach “before the data centers drink it all up.”

Right in front of Coney Island (and right in time for summer), Polaroid has a simple message: “Go jump in the water before the data centers drink it all up.”

Though funny by itself, the message plays on an ongoing fear that today’s data centers, built for AI, have such a high water requirement that each query takes up gallons every time. This is, of course, slightly hyperbolic, but data centers are indeed exerting a lot of pressure on their area’s resources. They take a lot of water for cooling and electricity to keep open.

In a statement, Polaroid says that they’re not anti-digital. Rather, “we know we have to live alongside it, but we’re deeply pro-human and know what humanity gives us. And we know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it. That’s a fight worth fighting,” says Polaroid’s creative director Patricia Varella, via LBB.

Now, this isn’t a completely altruistic ad. It’s still advertising the new Go Generation 3. Still, if you’re looking for a product to go alongside today’s shifting sentiments against AI, a Polaroid might be it.