Hasta La Gadget!

Remember that time last year when Esquire embedded an E Ink display in its front cover and everyone you know rushed out to buy one, and how the scheme saved the once-doomed print magazine market? Well, it appears that the periodical (and the industry as a whole) are again in need of a dramatic technological sales boost — this time in the form of augmented reality. When the mag hits the newsstand on November 7, readers (and their webcams) will be have a chance to scan some QR codes and partake in the technology that’s been known to teach children about architecture and help jaded club kids party underwater — except this time the unsuspecting public can look forward to seeing Robert Downey Jr. emerge from the front cover to spew what the AP calls “half-improvised shtick on Esquire‘s latest high-tech experiment for keeping print magazines relevant amid the digital onslaught.” With that kind of content — alongside a computer-animated snowstorm and a dirty joke or two from Gillian Jacobs — can anybody doubt that traditional media will soon be back on its feet?

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Esquire hopes augmented reality will trick people into reading originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Layar now adding layers of augmented reality to iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Imagine if you could browse the web through your eye vision: A review of a restaurant when you stare at its sign, or the times that a bus will arrive while standing at a stop.

That’s the idea behind Layar, an augmented-reality browser available for Google Android smartphones. Layar allows a user to view their environment through their camera lens and see real-time Points of Interest (POIs) from the physical world, providing a mixed reality. In the Layar Reality Browser, you can discover and save specific POIs depending on what you are looking for.

Layar is a unique AR app because it allows third-party developers to contribute layers to their platform. Other AR apps pull their data from search engines, Wikipedia or review-based sites. As location-based features grow, such as Flickr and Twitter, allowing you to tag your location to your content, the ability to see how others are interacting around you in real-time is a compelling element in AR technology.

Layar provides an easy-to-use interface with four clear sections that list layers by name and description. For example, “i-Metro, locate the public transportation stations and stops around your area” allows you to judge its relevance without having to open it. You can sort the layers by popularity, search terms and favorites.

During my testing, I found many of the layers were well done and useful. However, the open platform of Layar has attracted some not-so-polished layers with kinks that need to be worked out, mostly involving usability. For example, BuildAR, a layer that allows you to create your own POIs, has a difficult account sign-up process: You need to type their domain into a separate browser, sign up, then return to BuildAR, and it’s not clear where you’re exactly putting your POI.

This small example could serve as a clue for Layar to implement a user-rating system to hold developers accountable and maintain a standard of experience. Personally, I wish I didn’t spend as much time as I did fiddling with BuildAR. The description made it sound interesting, and I initially thought I was doing something wrong; a rating system would have informed me that the problems were with the software.

In November, Layar will be further expanding their platform by incorporating a 3D grid into their layers. Developers will be able to build 3D objects and assign actions such as sounds or clicking on the object for a link.

Layar is a free application available in the Android Market.

See Also:

• At the Dawn of the Augmented Reality Industry
• If You’re Not Seeing Data, You’re Not Seeing
• Digital Contacts Will Keep an Eye on Your Vital Signs

Miruko is the creepiest gaming device we’ve seen in a while — but it’s also downright awesome. A robotic interface boasting WiFi and a built-in camera, it’s designed to be worn and used in augmented reality, real life gaming situations, able to detect things — like monsters — that are invisible to the human eye. Once the robot detects the presence of said monster (or zombie), it fixes its gaze on the object, allowing the gamer to follow its line of sight and then.. you know, destroy it — using an iPhone camera. It’s also capable of locating and locking in on specific objects and faces, making it really useful in hunting down whatever imaginary creatures that have been following you lately. Check the coolness in the video after the break, but keep in mind — we’ve been able to see the invisible monsters all along.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

Continue reading Miruko wearable gaming eyeball robot turns the creep factor up significantly

Filed under: Gaming, Robots

Miruko wearable gaming eyeball robot turns the creep factor up significantly originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We first talked about the augmented reality Sekai Camera app for the iPhone a while back, but now it’s gaining momentum in a real way. The innovative app allows users to view the real world through the lens of a mobile device to bring both digital and analog life together. Below is a test video of the app in action, and you won’t be disappointed.

Tonchidot, the company that created the app, clearly has eyes on a profitable retail application. BEAMS started experimenting with in-store navigation on the iPhone in their CULTuART shop, but augmented reality would allow a deeper experience that is brought to the user, rather than initiated by the user.

Point the camera at an item and get instant information about it: No QR Codes, RFID, or complicated interfaces to navigate. The integration with GPS makes even more possible with video/audio tours, neighborhood guides, and travel in general.

Augmented reality has been the buzzword of choice of 2009 for marketers everywhere, but most of the commercial uses so far (like, around 99%) have been pretty lame, but things are looking up, at least in Japan.