Microsoft expands HoloLens 2 availability, adds 5G/LTE dongle support

Man wearing HoloLens 2 Source: Windows Key

What yous need to know

HoloLens 2 goes on auction this fall in 15 new markets.
HoloLens 2 at present supports 5G/LTE Ethernet dongles.
Azure Spatial Anchors have left public preview.
Microsoft highlights how HoloLens two is helping during COVID nineteen.

Microsoft's HoloLens 2 appears to be a striking with its professional and enterprise target market. The company is speedily expanding availability to more markets due to potent demand and involvement.

Moreover, today at Build, Microsoft is besides announcing some related news effectually Azure mixed reality cloud services, enhanced features with HoloLens two including Ethernet for 5G/LTE support, and more usage cases from customers.

HoloLens 2 headed to 15 more than markets

Alex Kipman with HoloLens 2 Source: Microsoft

Although announced in February 2022, Microsoft didn't ship HoloLens two until months later on in November. At the time, the $iii,500 headset launched in ten markets, just just six months afterward, Microsoft is already expanding its availability to 25 countries.

Here is the consummate listing. The new markets are in assuming, and they will get HoloLens 2 starting this autumn:

Australia
Canada
China
France
Germany
Republic of ireland
New Zealand
Nihon
U.k.
United States
Netherlands (New)
Switzerland (New)
Kingdom of spain (New)
Austria (New)
Sweden (New)
Finland (New)
Kingdom of norway (New)
Kingdom of denmark (New)
Belgium (New)
Portugal (New)
Poland (New)
Singapore (New)
Republic of korea (New)
Hong Kong (New)
Taiwan (New)

Microsoft has also added new features to HoloLens 2 with a contempo software update:

Reconfigure and seamlessly ready new devices for enterprise production, with Windows AutoPilot
Enroll HoloLens with your Mobile Device Management organization using a provisioning package
Manus Tracking improvements
Support for boosted system voice commands to control HoloLens, hands-gratis
Expanded USB Ethernet enables support for 5G/LTE dongles

The addition of USB Ethernet support is exciting. HoloLens ii is congenital on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 merely without support for 4G LTE. At the time, Microsoft cited the lack of interest from customer partners in the feature, but obviously, things are irresolute with the advent of 5G. While HoloLens 2 itself still does not support 4G or 5G, customers can now use a USB Ethernet dongle with wiring to an LTE/5G portable device to enable connectivity anywhere needed.

And for the kickoff time, in summer 2022, customers will be able to buy HoloLens 2 from Microsoft Store both online and in physical stores.

Azure Spatial Anchors is now by and large available

Part of what powers Microsoft Mixed Reality is the reliance on Azure, specifically Azure Spatial Anchors (ASA), which lets developers "map, persist and share 3D content at existent-world calibration." The cross-platform technology allows devs to create apps on Android, iOS, Windows, and other mixed-reality platforms that rely on real-earth mapping (shared coordinate systems) to ensure a seamless experience.

While ASA has been around for a while, it is now going from just a preview to full general availability starting today.

Some other important Windows mixed reality tool is Azure Remote Rendering (ARR), which, starting today, is now in Public Preview:

Azure Remote Rendering lets enterprise developers in industries such equally manufacturing, technology, construction, and retail bring the highest quality 3D content and interactive experiences to mixed reality devices, such equally HoloLens ii. This service uses the calculating power of Azure to render even the most complex models in the deject. It streams them in real-fourth dimension to your devices, so users can interact and collaborate with 3D content in amazing detail.

More information nearly both technologies is available at Microsoft's Mixed Reality Dev Days consequence, which starts May 21 through May 22 using AltspaceVR. Registration is free and open up.

HoloLens 2 making a departure in the existent world

HoloLens 2 Source: Windows Fundamental

Finally, while Microsoft'south HoloLens 2 and its mixed reality ambitions are ofttimes hypothetical, there are some existent-world examples of the engineering science beingness used. Microsoft highlighted iii examples of institutions using its technology every bit a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Health Services (United kingdom): A consortium of major industrial, technology, and engineering businesses from beyond the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors accept come together to produce medical ventilators for the National Health Services. Microsoft HoloLens devices, running PTC'southward Vuforia Skillful Capture software, are being used to railroad train thousands of first-line workers on how to assemble the equipment beingness guided by visual, 3D, immersive instructions every footstep of the way. In the event these workers need help with associates, they are leveraging Dynamics 365 Remote Aid enables hands-free video calling on the HoloLens to let operators collaborate with experts on a PC or mobile device.
Case Western Reserve University (US): Remote learning at one of the nation's premier enquiry institutions and medical schools has merely taken on a new dimension. For the first time, instead of working together on campus, all 185 first-twelvemonth students from Case Western Reserve University'southward School of Medicine are using Microsoft HoloLens 2 and the university's signature HoloAnatomy mixed-reality software, despite the physical separation created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The remote-learning awarding of HoloAnatomy is believed to exist the offset of its kind in the world and the latest advancement in the educational employ of the holographic headset by Case Western Reserve.
Avicenne Infirmary/APHP Group (France): HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist are being used on the front lines past doctors and nurses. Mixed reality is enabling multiple medical professionals to jointly participate in visits and consultations while limiting the number of healthcare employees exposed to each patient. And, by using mixed reality to admission virtual 3D copies of patient records, they are eliminating the passing of physical charts and reducing the number of times a doctor or nurse needs to impact equipment, helping them to minimize exposure while ensuring excellent patient care.

Deployment of #Hololens2 @Microsoft at @HopitalAvicenne @APHP @univ_spn in the ex orthopaedic Departement to minimise patient/doctor-nurse interaction in the frame of #Covid19 patients management: day2 @LaurentSchloss @adcayrac @Othmanchiheb pic.twitter.com/v3U8liHWCt
— Thomas GREGORY (@tms_gregory) April ane, 2022

For those wondering about HoloLens ii ever coming to the consumer market place, unfortunately, there are no plans for this generation's hardware to make that jump. Notwithstanding, Microsoft is on the right track in pursuing holographic technology while making an impact with professionals and developers effectually the earth.

All hope is not lost for consumers and fans of mixed reality, though, as HP is likely to reveal more information most its "next-gen VR" head-mounded brandish very soon. That headset, which was teased back in March, is made in cooperation with Microsoft and Valve. Likewise, we could come across some updates to Windows 10 Mixed Reality later on this yr.

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