Move over Google Glass, Canadian companies want in on augmented reality

Augmented reality – looking at the world through an overlay of computer-generated information — was once the stuff of science fiction. But now, with Google's latest project, Google Glass, AR has been thrust into the mainstream.

The company wants its ultra-stylish, high-priced headband to change the way we view the world.

The world, for now, being the U.S., as Google Glass isn't going to be sold in Canada in the near future, no matter how eager some enthusiasts may be.

But that doesn't mean there isn't a Canadian alternative for a wearable computer. Take Epson's Moverio.

Yes, the California company that makes printers and projectors also makes a wearable, transparent display in glasses form, which has been modified into an AR training tool by Edmonton-based Scope Technologies.

The original display "really came out of the R&D side of our projector labs," explains Eric Mizufuka, product manager of Moverio at Epson America in Los Angeles.

"We've been working on projectors for 20-plus years and this particular product has been in existence in our labs for the last four to five."

Samsung Galaxy Note III to have 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU: Rumour

Samsung is on a roll not only with the devices that it is announcing globally, but with the upcoming devices making rounds on the rumour mills. The Samsung Galaxy Note III has been a highlight of these mills for quite some time now and there is new information circulating the Internet about its specifications.

Earlier, we had heard rumours that it would sport a 6.3-inch display. Then we heard some more gossip that it would have a 5.99-inch display. The information about the 5.99-inch display seemed to be stronger though, coupled with an expected 1920x1080 pixel resolution. Now, information is popping up which suggests that the Note III will have an 8-core CPU along with an 8-core GPU. The 8-core CPU is believable as it can be the Exynos 5 Octa, the same chipset that is powering the Galaxy S4. The 8-core GPU is something we will believe when Samsung officially announces the device.

For the rest of its specifications, the Galaxy Note II is expected to house a 13MP camera and also 3GB of RAM. The phablets will run on the latest version of Android, which could either be 4.3 or 5, depending on what Google announces at its annual I/O event. The OS will of course be skinned with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. We can also expect some of Samsung’s shenanigans to make an appearance on the Note III such as Smart Stay, Smart Pause, S Health, and more.

Gmail and other Google services temporarily unavailable today in India

The Gmail server was reportedly down this morning in India, however things seems to be going fine now.

The glitch has not been reported officially by Google on their website or blog, however users on Twitter were grumbling that Gmail could not be accessed for over an hour.

Users were receiving a 502 error while trying to get through any Google service.

Tweets suggest that users from India were facing a problem. The head of Mumbai Financial Times, James Crabtree said he has been told that the reason for the outage was a power cut in Gurgaon.

502 errors happen because of weak IP communication between servers. Previous reports suggest that Google users have faced similar problems, but this time a wide array of Google services were affected.

Users complaints against Gmail were all over Twitter. One of the Twitter user tweeted "The world is coming to an end . Gmail is down!"