Apple gets patent for a VR headset that uses an iPhone for VR display

Apple has recently been awarded a patent for a VR headset that uses iPhone which serves as a virtual reality display. The headset is similar to Samsung’s Gear VR, Facebook’s Oculus VR or the Google cardboard.

The patent granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is titled “Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic Device with Display” which is described as head-mounted display system to which a portable electronic device having a screen such as a smartphone, could be physically coupled. The iPhone mounted in the headset would communicate with it through connectors and act as a virtual reality display in front of the wearer’s eyes. According to the patent, coupling the iPhone with the headset “temporarily integrates the separate devices into a single unit.” The gadget would have an optional remote to control the VR experience.

Although granted recently, Apple had filed the patent application way back in 2008 which shows that the Cupertino giant was considering the VR headset project long back, even before the Gear VR or Google Cardboard projects were announced. Apple’s VR headset would work in a similar manner. You could insert your iPhone or iPod inside the headset frame and enjoy watching videos. The headset offers a picture-in-picture feature that allows you to watch your surroundings at the same time.

Various additional features could be incorporated into the headset such as additional memory; spare batteries; controls such as buttons, switches, dials, touch pads or screens; camera, antenna, receiver, microphone, speakers, cooling system and much more. The headset and the portable device would extend their capabilities to one another enhancing the user experience.

If Apple does decide to build its own VR headset, it will no doubt be an excellent one and would provide tough competition to other similar gadgets out there. On the other hand, although it has applied for patents, Apple hasn’t shown much interest in building such a device yet.

Source USPTO

Via Appleinsider

Apple gets patent for a VR headset that uses an iPhone for VR display

Introducing the Samsung Gear Virtual Reality Headset

Samsung Electronics launched the next generation Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition in wearable technology,enabling users to fully engage themselves in a cinematic virtual reality atmosphere. Powered by Oculus, a Facebook company and a leader in virtual reality technology, Samsung Gear VR brings a completely innovative way to consume and experience mobile content.

South Korean giant claims that the newly announced Gear VR has been optimised for the Galaxy Note 4 smartphone, providing stunning and engaging visuals at a mobile-leading resolution. The Galaxy Note 4 features a 5.7-inch Quad-HD (1440×2560 pixel) Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 515pi.

“The Samsung Gear VR goes far beyond expectations of how mobile technology can be used to consume content, and is a powerful representation of the progressive innovation of the Gear series. We are pleased to have partnered with Oculus VR to bring this incredibly immersive mobile content experience to consumers,” commented by JK Shin, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

With the Gear VR Innovator Edition, users can sit in the best seat of a theater, can be on-stage of a performance with full 360 3D video, and can enjoy gaming like it’s never been seen before – inside stunning worlds where imagination becomes reality. It continues Samsung’s leadership in the Super AMOLED display technology through innovative technology and compelling wearable design to expand the definition of mobile life.It is completely wireless, so users can be fully engaged in virtual worlds of film, gaming, 360 degree video, and education/experimental content without being tethered to a computer.

John Carmack, CTO of Oculus said, “We are thrilled to reveal the Gear VR Innovator Edition, a state-of-the-art mobile VR experience powered by Oculus. The deep technical partnership with Samsung has enabled us to create a virtual reality headset with world class resolution and performance, all on a completely mobile platform.”

The Samsung Gear VR will be available in Frost White through the Samsung online channel and selectively by carriers this year. Moreover Gear VR has gone up for pre-order via a third-party retailer MobileFun in the UK, revealing price of $249 (roughly Rs. 15,100).

Full details and product images are available at www.samsungmobilepress.com and www.oculus.com/blog/.

 

Product Specifications for Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition:

 

Gear VR	Optical Lens	96˚ Field of View
	Sensor	Accelerator, Gyrometer, Magnetic, Proximity
	Motion to Photon Latency	< 20ms
	Focal Adjustment	Covers Nearsighted / Farsighted Eyes
	Interpupillary Distance Coverage	55 ~ 71 mm
	Physical User Interface	Touch Pad, Back Button, Volume Key
	Connection	microUSB 1.1 connection to the Galaxy Note 4
	Dimension (Headset)	198(W) x 116(L) x 90(H)mm
	Contents	Available through Oculus Store
		microSD Card(16GB) in-box: A collection of 360-degree videos and 3D movie trailers from major studios will be pre-loaded.
	Marvel’s Avengers; Age of Ultron offers Samsung Gear VR users to have exclusive access to Tony Stark’s Lab inside the all new Avengers Tower.
	IMAX offers samples of Hollywood and documentary films in a virtual theatre with Samsung Gear VR ? the next best thing to a live IMAX experience.
	DreamWorks VR from DreamWorks Animation allows Samsung Gear VR users to interact and laugh with DreamWorks characters and content in a whole new way like never before.
	Legendary’s Pacific Rim Jaeger Pilot is an immersive content experience that puts viewers at center of the action with Samsung Gear VR.
	Cirque du Soleil Media presents a 360 live-action 3D VR experience, featuring an act from Zarkana filmed by Felix & Paul Studios for Samsung Gear VR.
	M-GO Advanced, a new paradigm for digital video VR applications, offers an unmatched interactive search and discovery experience with Samsung Gear VR.
	Vevo offers more than 100,000 HD music videos, live concert events and original programming can be enjoyed in an immersive, full-screen theater experience on Samsung Gear VR.
	Protocol Zero (working title) from DENA offers Samsung Gear VR players to infiltrate enemy grounds undetected in blackout conditions with hi-tech optics including night vision, X-ray vision, and thermal vision.
	Qualcomm Vuforia connects the physical world with digital experiences to demand attention, drive engagement and deliver value through a mobile vision platform that enables apps to see with Samsung Gear VR.

 

Introducing the Samsung Gear Virtual Reality Headset

Google Cardboard offers Weird respond To Virtual Reality

At the end of Google’s I/O keynote, the company casually said it would be handing out pieces of cardboard to attendees, asking that folks use the #cardboard hashtag to document their experiences.It wasn’t a late April Fools joke from Google, especially after spending more than two hours not doing much onstage.

Instead of spending $2 billion for its own virtual reality technology, Google is taking an absolutely “simple, fun and inexpensive” approach for people to experience VR. “That’s the goal of the Google Cardboard project.” This is probably the most unusual product we’ve ever seen from Google—and there have been some damn weird ones. Maybe that is why Google neglected to mention Glass onstage at I/O keynote?

Google Cardboard is a transformation into an awesome virtual reality headset. Along with the headset, Google launched an Cardboard Android app with a variety of demo applications.It includes Google Earth flyover, a VR-enabled Street View demo,360-degree video viewer where users can drive through Paris and Tour Guide, , where users take a virtual tour of Versailles. But the main idea is for developers to write their own VR apps using the accompanying software VR Toolkit, which was also released in the I/O conference.

Google Cardboard app is a 188MB file that works on any phone running Android 4.1 or later. The app and headset are fully compatible with Google Nexus 4 and 5, Motorola’s Moto X, Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5 and the Galaxy Nexus.With the app installed, you can place the phone inside Cardboard, close it up using the attached Velcro tabs, and an NFC tag inside the box automatically launches the app.

Google has posted instructions for building cardboard of your own.”We’re keeping the hardware and software open to encourage community participation and compatibility with VR content available elsewhere,” Google’s VR Toolkit developer page explains

Q: Can we use a pizza box for the cardboard?

A: Yes. Make sure you order an extra large.

You can also use a diaper box, a package from Amazon, a large-sized cereal box and maybe even an iMac box. Just check your apartment complex’s dumpster for the best and weirdest selection.

 

Google Cardboard offers Weird respond To Virtual Reality