Marco Polo

My daughter introduced me to the Marco Polo video walkie talkie App. It’s hillarious. This is a non-interactive video messaging solution.

Marco Polo makes it easy to send selfie video messages. Use it anytime. Make a quick video short. Your recipient contact receives a notification once you’ve started recording your message, They are able to watch you live or watch later.

The App has video filters to make you look cool and voice alteration for funny voice response. I find myself using the helium voice because it makes my kids laugh. To change the video filter, swipe left and right on the screen.

I find this App more convenient than FaceTime. You don’t need direct contact and if you don’t like your message, just redo it. And sometimes it’s easier and faster to send a quick video instead of typing on your mobile. 

Best Camera recommends trying this App

About Wattpad by Rob Adamson

Checkout Wattpad. I post articles occasionally here on Best Camera along with other writers, photographers, and coders. I thought it would be fun to tell you about Wattpad. This is a site where writers publish chapters of their books as they finish them. They receive feedback from other writers and readers.

This service is pretty slick. And they have a companion App.

Download the Wattpad App Here

If you are working on a new book or just want to read free stories from creative writers, check out this site.

Apple's New AR Measure Tool

If you write a generic App, you run the risk of Apple or Google competing with you. But if you can take your App and include unique features, you might be Ok. Camera Apps are a good example. Apple and Google have their own default Camera Apps. But there are many Camera Apps that are both better and different. Apple did take the flashlight App idea, and they took the Bump phones together for file sharing idea. Those Apps are now toast.

So the trick is to create an App that is both universal and also unique enough that it would make no sense for Apple or Google to compete with you. These giants will not change their entire business model to compete with a unique App that is not a common tool. Famous last words.

Let's look at Augmented Reality. Currently, 7% of all AR Apps are length measuring Apps. This is according to Sensor Tower, an analytics outfit. We have all these measuring Apps because every tutorial on AR coding includes a measuring example. There's over 2 million downloads of 80 or so measuring Apps.

This brings us to Apple Measure, the new standard in AR measuring. There are competitors like AR MeasureKit. But those could soon become obsolete. So what is so great about Apple Measure? It helps you accurately measure objects or walls and it is free. But it's not available until IOS 12. 

Tesla the Radio Astronomer

The greatest human inventor in the history of the Earth believed that humans would someday make contact with other worlds. Tesla did not believe that we are alone in the universe. His answer to the Fermi Paradox would have been that we simply have not found them yet. We need better instruments.

He believed that his radio cameras might have picked up signals from other worlds.

If true, Tesla wins the award for the Best Camera App ever. 

Imagine Earth without Tesla’s inventions. His alternating current. Even today, as we move away from burning fossil fuels, our entire future depends on Tesla. Was he in contact Aliens. Did we receive a gift from the stars?

MondlyAR

MondlyAR is a fascinating new language learning App that uses speech recognition with AR. It’s designed to supplement your learning experience with interaction from a virtual learning assistant. 

The VR assistant is a character named Mondly, a virtual teacher. She will show you objects, characters, dogs, cats and even planets in your real world. Mondly is an advanced sci-fi language learning experience.

Computerized AR components help you learn words and phrases. It’s remarkable. You get personal conversation and interaction with Mondly, and she has her own speech recognition technology.

Imagine your own AI tutor magically conjuring a bulldog on the street as you walk. Then it teaches you how to pronounce bouledogue in French. It’s fun and it works. A retention guru.

AR Reviews - HP Reveal (formerly Aurasma)

Augmented Reality has endless possibilities. This technology is no longer just for movies. So here at Best Camera, we will spend the next month reviewing the Best AR Apps for 2018.

HP Reveal lets you interact with the world in AR ways, but it also lets you share your Augmented Reality experience. Reveal lets you animate and use interactive digital content on images and videos in physical locations. 

It’s addictive. Switch between reality and the animated world. There’s a step by step wizard to help you create what the developers call Auras for sharing.

Record yourself a video or edit a photo. But then with HP Reveal add 3D characters. Have fun sharing your own creations. And now with HP behind the App, you can print photos, posters, birthday cards and more.

The Reveal mobile app is available on iOS and Android.

Favorite Photographer

My favorite photographer just sent me these photos

Her website is nataliegildersleeve.com

Her Instagram is @nataliegildersleeve

"We return to these pictures, over and over again, because there’s something precious we want to remember...

There — in that look between smiles!

And there — in the ease after the pose.

Often, it’s the fleeting moments between our ideas of how we’re supposed to look or act that we most want to remember."

Natalie Gildersleeve