Microsoft developing a Mixed Reality App for Android?
A while ago, Microsoft initiated a search for developers to create a 3D scanning and augmented reality app for mobile devices. The job post involved the search for a Principal SW Engineering Manager for its 3D scanning and augmented reality on mobile devices team.
The existence of an application like this could improve the viability of Microsoft’s 3D efforts on the desktop and may also provide an opportunity for users to view models created in Paint 3D using ARKit and ARCore on their mobile devices.
Considering the lack of Windows 10 Mobile handsets and the issues the platform has been having, we assumed the app was targeted at Android or iOS. It was pretty clear that it wasn’t for Windows 10 Mobile.
Samsung phone spotted running the View 3D app
We might have missed it, but Microsoft might have given us the answer back in May. We are referring to their promotional video for Story Remix which showed a Samsung phone running Microsoft’s View 3D application, which is now the Mixed Reality Viewer.
Back then, the company painted the whole thing as being part of user workflow and the ability to capture information on the phone they already own, and then process it on their PCs. It wasn’t clear if Microsoft was referring to transferring media via OneDrive.
But now, it seems pretty clear the company plans to develop a dedicated Mixed Reality app for Android (and probably iOS) that would allow users to capture images, view 3D models and possibly scan items in 3D. Microsoft promised this last feature for Windows 10 Mobile, but it never got to see daylight.
Indeed, it seems that Microsoft has completely lost interest in Windows 10 Mobile, focusing on other platforms instead.
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