Weekly Mashup 66

© HP

When holographic imaging met virtual reality… Digital Arts

HP's futuristic new Zvr display – announced in Vegas at the CES show – combines sensing and imaging technology to project full 3D images into thin air, which users wearing 3D glasses can manipulate without touching the screen.

© ODG

Military tech company to release AR smart glasses for all Forbes

Osterhout Design Group has spent the last six years building smart glasses for the military, but now they’re looking to break into the consumer market. Look out for these army-grade smart specs, theoretically to be sold for less than $1,000 by the end of the year.

©3DHead

The 3DHead virtual reality headset is quite… berserk Gizmodo

Far, far simpler than an Oculus Rift, the 3DHead is more or less just an Android tablet strapped to your head inside a helmet. Seriously.

DJ QBert turns album artwork into DJ controller using interactive paper DJ City

The turntablist funded his Extraterrestria album via Kickstarter, raising enough fan money (over $128,000) to partner with Algoriddim, the developer of djay app, and Novalia, an interactive paper firm, to produce some seriously cool interactive album artwork.

© Vuzix

Intel invests $25m in smart glasses manufacturer Vuzix Fast Company

US computer chip giant Intel has bought a 30% stake in smart glasses builders Vuzix in attempt to crack into the wearables industry. The investment was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, where Vuzix is exhibiting a number of new products.

App usage grew by 76% in 2014, with shopping apps leading the way TechCrunch

People continued to use mobile phone applications more than ever last year, with an overall rise of some 76%, according to a report by Flurry, a mobile analytics firm owned by Yahoo. Best-performing categories included shopping, utilities & productivity and messaging. Games grew too, but slower than usual.

© Mix

The best mobile apps of 2014 Fast Co. Design

Personal quantification guru Reporter, danger alarm Panic Button, storyteller Storehouse and collaborative drawing app Mix are just some of the apps picked out by Fast Company Design as the most wonderful ones to hit the market in 2014.

China predicted to be leading augmented reality consumption in 2015 TechNode

2014 was quite the year for Chinese tech companies, and 2015 is looking to be even bigger, particularly when it comes to augmented reality, according to Sonny Xin, head of China operations for AR company Metaio.

Five ways technology improves public services in developing countries World Economic Forum

From enabling people to carry out participatory budgeting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to enabling easy monitoring of school facilities in the Philippines, here are some amazing tech apps, software and initiatives improving public services in the developing world.

The future is here, and it is augmented reality on mobile Pitch On Net

Today’s customers are ‘mobile’ consumers, and brands must capture their attention in imaginative and innovative ways – predominantly via augmented reality marketing, says Amar Thomas, BlackBerry India’s Country Marketing Manager.