[Will this bring haptic-based mediated romantic intimacy to the mainstream? The story is from Fast Company and features two more images. –Matthew] Bringing Romance To The Apple Watch Chris Wetherell, founder of Avocado, the romantic social network, tells us why being in the age of wearables might be better than ever. John Brownlee April 7, 2015 Every designer I have spoken to about designing for the Apple Watch says the same thing: 99% of all possible app features are going to be better on your iPhone than on your wrist. But for apps like Avocado, the social network for romantic…

[According to this story in Hyperallergic (which includes three more images), augmented reality has the potential to let people experience perfect 3D facsimiles of art, including pieces they otherwise never could see. –Matthew] [Image: Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Untitled” (1981), oil stick on paper, 20 x 15.9 inches] Gallery Uses Augmented Reality to Exhibit Modern Art by Matt Stromberg on April 16, 2015 LOS ANGELES — At galleries and museums, art is increasingly competing for attention with the needy screens of visitors’ cell phones, but at the Echo Park storefront gallery Smart Objects, staring at your cell phone is the only way…

[This looks like a particularly compelling example of Google’s use of technology to allow people to ‘visit’ places they normally can’t; this story from the Daily Mail includes a large selection of images, two videos, and sidebars on the history of Abbey Road Studios and the iconic Beatles album cover. –Matthew] The virtual mystery tour! Beatles fans can now take a digital tour of Abbey Road studios using Google The world famous studios have never before been open to the public But in a Google first the web giant has made an app with a virtual tour Includes archived Beatles…

[Reminiscent of a home holodeck… this is from Fast Company, where the story includes a large photo gallery and a 0:31 minute video; more info and images are available in the coverage at designboom. –Matthew] This Apartment Travels From Tokyo To Paris In An Instant Thanks to a few projectors, a blank interior design can transform into anything. April 10, 2015 Mark Wilson It starts as a blank white room. A white bed. A white comforter. A white table. A white couch. But moments later, thanks to the magic of a few projectors, the space gets all new materials, finishes,…

[Is this part of a trend toward acceptance of doing important things via presence-evoking technology? The story from CNET includes another picture and two videos. –Matthew] Get married online with Ikea The Swedish DIY-furniture manufacturer has launched a service that allows users to hold a virtual wedding online. by Michelle Starr April 13, 2015 Are you a long way from family and friends? Or do you simply want to get hitched without the hassle of having to deal with the logistics of a big wedding? If you have a webcam (or several), Ikea — moving out of flat-pack furniture —…

[These projected protesters create eerie, and likely presence-evoking, images; this story is from Inquisitr, where it includes another photo, translated tweets, and a 0:58 minute video. –Matthew] Virtual Protest: Activists Launch Hologram Demo Against Spain’s New Anti-Protest Laws [Video] Anne Sewell Posted: April 11, 2015 There was a massive turnout in the streets of Madrid on Friday evening, protesting Spain’s new draconian anti-protest laws. There was no police brutality and no arrests were made, as in reality, no one was actually there. This was most likely the world’s first virtual protest and it looked pretty darn impressive. In an effort…

[This story from Adweek (where it includes an additional picture) is about promoting brands and products with presence experiences in an interesting setting, one with some unique challenges (see the last two paragraphs). –Matthew] [Image: A screenshot from Geometry Global’s campaign promoting Jim Beam Devil’s Cut bourbon] Is Virtual Reality the Next Big Form of In-Bar Entertainment? Jim Beam and Dos Equis have been quick to embrace the trend By Lauren Johnson April 9, 2015 Would you strap on an Oculus Rift headset at your favorite bar? In the latest example of how marketers are embracing virtual reality, alcohol brands…

[Another creative use for presence; this story is from Digital Trends, where it includes the 4:58 minute video of the proposal. More details and pictures can be found in SlashGear’s coverage and with the video on YouTube. –Matthew] Watch this man propose to his girlfriend with a VR headset By Andy Boxall — April 8, 2015 Mike Rios doesn’t do simple marriage proposals. When he decided to pop the question to his girlfriend Maggie Jensen, he went all out to make it as memorable as possible. How do we know this? Because he turned the whole thing into a viral…

[This story from The New York Times (where it includes another image) sets the stage for rich discussions about different types of presence: Technology marches on, “But will passengers ever set foot on [a] plane piloted by robots, or humans thousands of miles from the cockpit?” –Matthew] Planes Without Pilots By John Markoff April 6, 2015 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Mounting evidence that the co-pilot crashed a Germanwings plane into a French mountain has prompted a global debate about how to better screen crewmembers for mental illness and how to ensure that no one is left alone in the cockpit.…

[Looking for evidence that presence-evoking technologies are ‘important’? This story from TechCrunch, which includes another chart, presents new forecast analyses for the AR and VR markets from Digi-Capital. –Matthew] Augmented And Virtual Reality To Hit $150 Billion, Disrupting Mobile By 2020 Posted April 7, 2015 by Tim Merel (@DigiCapitalist) Editor’s note: Tim Merel is the managing director of Digi-Capital. Virtual reality and augmented reality are exciting – Google Glass coming and going, Facebook’s $2 billion for Oculus, Google’s $542 million into Magic Leap, not to mention Microsoft’s HoloLens. There are amazing early-stage platforms and apps, but VR/AR in 2015 feels a…

[Here’s an unusual context for presence: ‘Fake food’ is apparently common in Japan’s restaurants, and now it’s expanded into fashion; this story from Munchies includes several more pictures. See also “Japan’s newest trend: Bacon n’ eggs on the iPhone” from CNBC (!). –Matthew] This Japanese Fake Food Artist Makes Ramen and Bacon Wearable By Hilary Pollack April 1, 2015 In Japan, fake food is more than a menu enhancer or a quirky decoration: It’s a straight-up artform. Making an egg appear gelatinous, a bowl of noodles appear still-warm, or a piece of bacon appear juicy requires more than just a…

[This story from Newsweek only begins to raise some of the implications – for presence and otherwise – of customizable robot personalities stored in the cloud. –Matthew] [Image: MIT’s social robot Nexi; from Popular Science] Google Patents Customisable Robot Personalities By Luke Hurst 4/2/15 at 12:02 PM Google is preparing for a world in which robots possess human-like personalities after filing a patent for the technology in the United States. Quartz, a tech and business news website, reports that the patent, awarded this week to the technology giant, will allow for the downloading and customization of robot personalities which could…