iOS 11 is finally available today for your iPhone and iPad, and among the many new features included in the update is Apple’s ARKit framework allowing developers to more easily create augmented reality apps and experiences. Here are some of the best ones you’ll want to try out after updating.
To date, augmented reality has been more of a novelty than a genuinely useful tool on your smartphone. Seeing virtual pocket monsters appear in real life certainly added to the enjoyment of Pokémon Go, but who plays that any more? So hopefully, the same way the addition of the iTunes App Store made the original iPhone more interesting, ARKit will allow developers to help augmented reality find its true and useful calling.
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Confirm your dream will car will fit in your garage with Edmunds
Ensuring a $US500 ($628) IKEA couch fits in your living room isn’t anywhere near as important as ensuring a $US35,000 ($43,962) SUV will actually squeeze into your garage. So starting today, the Edmunds car shopping app will allow users to scan their garage or parking spot and then place virtual versions of different vehicles inside to confirm they will actually fit. It isn’t a replacement for a test drive, but why get your heart set on a giant Cadillac Escalade if you won’t be able to close your garage door once you get it home? [iTunes App Store]
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Find your lost keys with Pixie
There’s an endless list of companies who make tiny Bluetooth trackers you can attach to objects so they’re easier to find with the assistance of your smartphone. But Pixie’s trackerswill now take advantage of Apple ARKit to make it a lot easier to actually find something you’ve lost. Looking through your iOS device’s screen you’ll now see visual clues directing you to the lost object, instead of having to rely only on sound only like you’re hunting for torpedoes in a submarine. [Pixie]
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Battle zombies with ARZombi
If there was one augmented reality iOS game that was inevitable, it would be a first-person zombie shoot-em-up. ARZombi looks like it’s one of the first to deliver a satisfying experience where players try to protect their homes from hoards of slowly advancing undead humans by blasting them away with shotguns, grenades, and other weapons. You can also try to board up your doors and windows in the game to keep the zombies at bay, or just sit back, order a virtual pizza, and calmly wait for your own zombie transformation. [ARZombi]
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Source: Gizmodo