Weekly Mashup 69

A world with no branding: Augmented reality goggles block out all branded logos International Business Times

Students at the University of Pennsylvania have built a piece of software that blocks out all branded logos when the wearer looks at the world through a pair of augmented reality goggles. Using similar technology to other virtual reality and augmented reality headsets, this head-mounted display consists of a camera, goggles, a custom-built cardboard housing and a 7-inch display.

The unstoppable rise of the smartphone app: Google boss on the marketing platform in all our pockets The Drum

‘Mobile apps have become a cornerstone of people’s lives,’ said Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt, speaking on The Future of the Digital Economy panel at the World Economy Forum, explaining that the battle has begun for tech providers to provide one that offers the most expansive and useful ecosystem for advertisers and consumers online.

Samsung, movie studios, Silicon Valley start-ups… But whose virtual reality solution will win? New York Times

Oculus Rift piqued everyone’s interest in virtual reality (VR), and now the whole world’s developing their own VR experiences – but what’s next? Oculus’ Jason Rubin says: ‘Entertainment will be the cornerstone in the short run [but] has so much potential in so many ways: education, architecture, tourism. The entertainment gets it started but the entertainment is not the end of it.’

Clouds Over Sidra: UN produces immersive virtual reality film following Syrian refugee girl Tech Crunch

A remarkable new film created by the UN and shot using a Samsung Gear VR 360-degree platform offers viewers an immersive virtual reality film about life inside a Syrian refugee camp. Clouds Over Sidra follows a 12-year-old girl named Sidra in the Za-atari camp in Jordanwhere 84,000 Syrian civil war refugees are currently living.

Lights, camera, 3D action: Facebook-owned Oculus VR announce movie project Oculus Story Studio BostInno

Comprised of a multitude of film and game developers, Oculus Story Studio will seek to produce “immersive cinema,” with the purpose of letting viewers step in and become part of the story. Oculus Story Studio has already debuted its first feature, titled “Lost,” at Sundance. The piece, directed by Story Studio creative director Saschka Unseld, places the viewer in the middle of a dark forest populated by a mysterious creature.

Want to know how you REALLY feel about people? Wear this wristband, download this app Mashable

A new app will let you know how you really feel about the people in your life by tracking your heart rate and informing you whether you’re scared, happy, relaxed, nervous or excited. Pplkpr could be handy if you’re trying to figure out how you feel about a new relationship, and could be REALLY good if you could strap it to your pet and see how they really feel about you…

Bye bye, telly: Big brands pull out of Super Bowl TV ads in favour of mobile marketing Mobile Marketer

Mobile is now seen as a more effective way for brands to reach their consumers than television, if a number of big automotive companies pulling out of TV advertising slots during the US Super Bowl is anything to go by. Volkswagen, Jaguar and Lincoln have all opted out of their long-term sponsorships of the big game, concerned that it is simply not cost-effective.

Omni-connectivity, cars as computers, virtual reality: Unilever CMO’s five 2015 tech trends Marketing Magazine

Unilver’s chief marketing and communications officer Keith Weed has highlighted his big tech predictions for 2015. And they include the total connectivity of mobiles, computers, cars and homes; computerised cars as the next big media platform; ultra-high definition 4K TV screens; 3D printing and virtual reality.

Meet the Meta headset: Augmented reality company raises $23m for new augmented reality goggles Venture Beat

Californian augmented reality player Meta has raised $23m in funding for a new augmented reality headset. It comes one week after Microsoft announced their upcoming AR headset the HoloLens. Meta’s headset features sensors and projectors, and through it wearers see a virtually constructed world with which they can interact.

Could augmented reality Lego make time-consuming 3D modelling a thing of the past? Maybe… Arch Daily

An augmented reality app that uses location-mapping and gyroscopic sensors to generate scalable digital models real built is currently in development by London-based studio Gravity. The program Lego X uses an algorithm to intuitively smooth out Lego’s sharp edges and join corners, allowing for easy modifying and seamless 3D printing.