Hasta La Gadget!

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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The Layar Reality Browser for Android has already managed to stir up quite a bit of interest in its current state, but it looks like the mad geniuses behind it aren’t about to rest on their slightly augmented laurels just yet, and they’ve now announced that they’re adding full 3D capabilities to the app. That, of course, doesn’t mean you’ll have to start wearing goofy glasses every time you walk outside, but you will soon be able to tag real-life objects with 3D text, or place 3D objects in a real-world space (like the Pac-Man fever dream above, for instance). Of course, the potential uses for the upgrade are limited only by the developers working with it, and they’ll have a bit of time to toy around with things before the 3D-enabled version of Layer launches to the public in November. Head on past the break for a quick video, and hit up the link below for a closer look at what’s in store.

Continue reading Layar goes 3D, reality now more augmented than ever

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Layar goes 3D, reality now more augmented than ever originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s this, another fun tech demo from Sony? Just a few days ago we got a glimpse of the PS3VR library, which allows seamless zooming from far away to very, very close indeed. The company also showed off voice recognition tech and it’s now applying the same idea to the PlayStation Eye, fulfilling earlier promises of advanced facial recognition for the PS3. It’s called the Vision Library and, once a face has been analyzed, the machine can tell it apart from others, determine orientation, identify gender, tell what expression that face is… expressing, and then superimpose some big-eyed anime head right on top of it real-time. We fear this might take some of the fun out of cosplay night, but could make life rather more interesting for freaks with bovine fetishes. See for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Video: Sony’s Vision Library for PlayStation Eye recognizes faces, creates nightmarish human-cow hybrids

Filed under: Gaming

Video: Sony’s Vision Library for PlayStation Eye recognizes faces, creates nightmarish human-cow hybrids originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following a Netherlands-exclusive release back in June, SPRXmobile has now taken its so-called Layar “Reality Browser” for Android to the global stage and advanced it to version 2.0 in the process. Perhaps the first commercial augmented reality app to launch on a large scale, Layar’s got a good amount of momentum behind it — the company claims that 100 developers are already hard at work developing reality layers that users can toggle, and an additional 500 developers are being added into the mix with the latest release. Version 2.0 adds favorite layers (because we’re sure you’ll be stalking friends and foes all too often using the Tweetmondo layer), map and list views, and enhanced search capabilities, but the real secret to Layar’s power might ultimately lie in the third-party ecosystem if they can get enough content providers on board.

We grabbed Layar off the Market and took it for a quick spin; we’re having trouble getting it to aim correctly, though Google Sky Map is having the same issues, so we’re fairly certain that we’re dealing with a phone or location problem rather than a Layar one. The key thing with an app like this is going to be speed and fluidity, and even on our Magic’s relatively lightweight 528MHz core, it’s plenty usable. The Google-powered Layar local search — arguably the most important reality layer bundled with the software — is a little annoying to use, primarily because the search box has no history or suggestion capability which means you’ve got to type out a full search every time you want to use it. Ultimately, though, the app’s very young (as is this whole category of technology, for that matter) and we’re stoked to see where this goes over the coming months.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

Layar augmented reality app now available globally, lets you hunt down tweeps with cold, calculated precision originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just got a brief glimpse at the new PlayStation Eye-based augmented reality EyePet game from Sony, which is on track for a holiday release on the PS3. It’s no Project Natal, but what the game lacks in gesture-based interaction (though we were able to pet and play with the little guy pretty intuitively) it makes up for in extensive adorability. You can naturally play, feed, groom and customize your pet — even teach the thing to draw shapes and bring them to life in a sense — but it’s surprisingly fun to just watch the little dude scamper around in seemingly real space. The title will be available both as a standalone game and as a bundle with the PlayStation Eye. Check out a video of the game in an early beta state after the break, and you can find Joystiq‘s E3 impressions of the game here.

Continue reading Sony’s EyePet beta hands-on: it’s probably the most adorable thing ever

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Gaming

Sony’s EyePet beta hands-on: it’s probably the most adorable thing ever originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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