Testing Microsoft’s HoloLens

Unlike Google Glass or Oculus Rift, Microsoft’s new HoloLens headset inserts virtual objects into your real-life world. Although the augmented reality glasses are still in their prototype phase, Microsoft gave GigaOm a demo of its four current applications: Holobuilder, Holostudio, Onsight and a HoloLens version of Skype. Each allow for vastly different functionality including 3D modeling, gaming, Mars exploration and video-chatting. HoloLens is slated to …

Next-Generation Drones

Ex-MIT and Google X engineers, who now form the startup Skydio, are developing a way to keep drones from crashing. In a short online video, the team demonstrates a drone’s auto-pilot system that uses real-time 3D mapping of its surroundings to avoid collisions. A “magic wand” app also turns your iPhone into a controller, giving you the ability to direct the drone simply by pointing …

Macintosh-Inspired Mac

Taking cues from the very first Macintosh computer, German tech site Curved/labs came out with a sleek new design concept for the next Apple iMac. Up front, the new design is heavily influenced by the iMac’s ancestor with the screen, memory card slot and logo placement almost identical, while a side profile view reveals a sleek, slim frame resembling a bent sheet of metal.