Acer’s Chromebook Tab 10 is the first tablet to support Google’s augmented reality platform, ARCore.
The device, which is also the first tablet to support Google’s ChromeOS operating system, will be getting AR support this fall as part of an update to its educational features. It means that students will be able to access Expeditions AR with a larger tablet screen rather than a smaller smartphone display. It’s not clear if this update will mean that anyone with a Tab 10 will be able to access ARCore apps, though it’d be a missed opportunity if not.
Whereas Google’s original Expeditions VR app took students on virtual field trips with the help of Cardboard headsets, the AR version instead focuses on 3D models for science lessons and more.
The Tab 10, meanwhile, is mainly billed as an educational device, though anyone can pick one up. It’s got 4GB RAM and a 2048×1536 QXGA resolution display. ARCore itself got a big update last May that added shared experiences through a technique known as Cloud Anchors. It’ll be interesting to see how such a feature could benefit the classroom.
Elsewhere, Google recently released 30 new activities and lessons that you can explore in VR via Google Earth. They include trips to Mars and the National Geographic Society. The company is also going to be adding support for its new VR180 format, which offers 180-degree videos and images with increased clarity over 360 media, to its tour creation options.
