Burbank, CA — More than 20,000 developers and creators descended on the back lot at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank recently to explore how technology is changing the way consumers experience gaming, sports and entertainment.
The fourth-annual AT&T SHAPE conference included interactive exhibits, speaker sessions, and immersive entertainment experiences. These activities gave attendees a firsthand look into how new technologies will shape the world around them.
This year, the exhibits — including volumetric video, augmented reality, virtual reality, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence — had “a new level of quality and sophistication,” according to AVP of AT&T Entertainment Carolyn Billings.
“It’s really, really showing how fast the technology is advancing and how it’s going to shape entertainment,” said Billings.
This year’s event also had a new addition to the lineup: the introduction of 5G.
“This year was particularly exciting because this is a year with a 5G network moving from a concept to a reality,” said CEO of AT&T Communications John Donovan. “The creators, the storytellers, the technologists came and put together some things that make these next steps that we’re going to take, I should say leaps, tangible, and that’s really exciting.”
One of the most talked-about 5G companies of the weekend was Magic Leap, the highly-hyped, ultra-secretive startup that is creating some of the most advanced augmented reality headsets on the market.
Founded by Rony Abovitz, Magic Leap has been hailed as one of the next big companies of the future. This future, according to Abovitz, will merge the digital and physical worlds to create a new reality with 5G.
“The future isn’t escaping the real world,” said Abovitz in his Into the Magicverse speaker’s session. “It’s breaking expectations of the real world.”
For more information visit www.shape.att.com.
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