Wikitude Announces Optimized SDK for Tethered Smartglasses and 5G-Enabled Devices

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The company is the first to offer optimized AR software for the full spectrum of tethered smartglasses starting with Epson® Moverio® BT-35E

SALZBURG, AUSTRIA/SANTA CLARA, CALIF. – May 29, 2019 – Wikitude, the largest independent augmented reality platform, today announced support for all leading wearable technologies and has expanded its offering from standalone devices like Hololens to a new spectrum of smart glasses that plug into compatible smartphones, such as the Epson Moverio BT-35E. Epson is now the first AR device manufacturer to partner with Wikitude to deliver the new optimized AR experience to users with tethered devices.

“Our partnership is jump-starting the next generation of immersive AR computing, enabling users to experience realistic and highly engaging AR content with Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) connected to 5G smartphones,” said Martin Herdina, CEO of Wikitude. “Wikitude is pleased to partner with Epson, a market leader in designing these fashionable, robust devices for real-world solutions.”

AR-glasses powered by smartphones are the future

Smart glasses that are plugged into phones are game changers in the market. The heavy computing is now managed by smartphones instead of the HMD. This makes smart glasses slick and lightweight, almost like sunglasses, they become much more affordable and can be used outside of Wi-Fi coverage.

“Wikitude was one of the first AR platforms to offer a Moverio-optimized experience. They continue to evolve and improve their solution to support the next generation Moverio products,” said Eric Mizufuka, product manager, augmented reality, Epson America, Inc. “The BT-35E is a great example of a device that combines phone-centric, USB-C connectivity1, light-weight design, and sub-$1,000 pricing that AR use-cases demand today.”

Wikitude SDK optimized for Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855 Mobile Platform

Another new and powerful converged effort is between Wikitude and Qualcomm Technologies to bring hyper-immersive AR-experiences to the next level. The Wikitude AR platform is now optimized for Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform, which means consumers and enterprise professionals with devices powered by Snapdragon have the ability to experience AR as realistic as it can get with real-life environments seamlessly blended into the virtual world.

“Qualcomm Technologies continues to drive leadership and scale in XR by offering a compelling experience to XR viewers tethered to Snapdragon-powered devices,” said Hiren Bhinde, director, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The Wikitude platform opens new opportunities for developers to create immersive experiences with features like plane detection, image, object, and scene tracking, all seamlessly integrated and fully optimized for standalone HMDs and the next generation of AR devices.”

The market’s first ‘one-suits-all’ AR SDK

The Wikitude platform is the only technology that offers comprehensive compatibility for developers and brings a unique feature set with plane detection, image, object, and scene tracking, all seamlessly integrated and fully optimized for the next generation of AR devices. This opens new opportunities to build more compelling, lightweight apps for gaming, industry, and enterprise experiences than ever before.  

The Wikitude solution is the only one of its kind that runs across all operating systems (iOS, Android, and UWP) and devices, so AR developers can port them easily from smartphone AR to new headsets”, said Philipp Nagele, CTO of Wikitude. “Developers will particularly enjoy working with our optimized AR SDK that brings reliability and a proven platform for building consumer and enterprise level solutions.”

A demonstration of the technology will be held at the upcoming AWE USA conference in Santa Clara, May 29th-31, 2019, at the Wikitude booth (#419).                                                                                                       

About Wikitude

Wikitude is the leading independent augmented reality platform for phones, tablets, and smart glasses with more than 100,000 registered developers, 25,000 published apps, and 1 billion app installs. Wikitude enables developers, agencies, and enterprises to create AR experiences that delight, amaze, and provide a tangible return on investment.

Download presskit and pictures at: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wikitude-web-hosting/pr/wikitude-awe2019/pr.zip

Press contact

Get in touch with us: media@wikitude.com


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