Meta’s New Avatars:
Aigerim Shorman, General Manager for Avatars and Identity at Meta, said in a blog post January 31st that Meta’s new-and-improved 3D avatars are being standardized across it’s platforms. They will be available on Meta Quest, Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. Facebook launched their Oculus avatars back in 2016 and have upgraded since. This push to have the avatar styles consistent across the platforms is likely to help with adoption of the feature due to familiarity. Meta is also releasing a feature for its avatars called Personal Boundary in its Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues virtual reality platforms to combat harassment. The avatars will have a two-feet radius bubble, so they won’t be able to go within four feet of each other. Social distancing going virtual.
Snap Inc. joins the Alliance for Open Media
Snap Inc. joined the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), a non-profit providing next-gen, open-source digital media technology for the public. Snap plans to collaborate on advancing open standards for media distribution over the web.
Nextech AR’s ‘ARitize Maps’ app
Nextech AR launched a beta version of its free ‘ARitize Maps’ app, which lets you spatially map your location and enhance your space with interactive, location-based AR experiences. 3D AR objects placements, as well as audio and more features. The app will be available for both iOS and Android.