Junaio 2.0 Now An Augmented Reality Browser

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Junaio 2.0 Now An Augmented Reality Browser

Submitted by lester on Friday, 5 March 201010 Comments

The new, all singing, all dancing Junaio application appeared on my iPhone a few days back. I was expecting more of the same but with more 3D images to chose from, what I got was a pleasant surprise.

Junaio is no longer just an augmented reality 3D photo/social networking tool, thanks to new functionality Junaio is now an augmented reality browser similar to the likes of Wikitude, Layar, or WhereMark. With the new channels feature you can browsers for nearby services like Shopping, Games, Nightlife, nearby tweets etc. Live view, the augmented reality view of the world now gives you a wikipedia view so you’ll be able to see where the nearest tube station is located as well as any pictures that have been uploaded by other users. In Junaio 2.0 everything revolves around the notion of channels, as a user you get your own channel that you can share with friends, or you can subscribe to their channels and overlay and view their content.

It’s such a big step forward that I was surprised that Metaio didn’t make more fuss about the release. Normally Metaio release a cool video and send over a copy of the press announcement, but I was unable to find anything. The website doesn’t reflect the new branding or reference the 2.0 release and the general lack of fanfare makes me feel like 2.0 escaped in to the appstore rather than being released, I raised an eyebrow for sure when I first loaded it and saw Junaio 2.0 Alpha on the splash screen. I searched through the twittersphere and found nothing other than a few users complaining about the new UI, which I have to say I like. The concept of channels is a little confusing at first but it doesn’t take long to figure it out and everything is easily accessible from the home screen.

I’m not sure about backwards compatibility as the pictures I added with the first version seem to have disappeared, but I am using a new account and think they might be in a channel somewhere. Incidentally you can now work with pictures in your phones gallery rather than having to take new pictures. Great if you have the perfect picture and are feeling creative.

On the home screen there is now an option to take pictures of augmented reality markers, in the screenshot you’ll see an AR marker with the trademark Junaio dragon flying above it. We’ll just have to see what that feature is for once we get a bit more news.

Like all good applications, Junaio have an open SDK for developers who want to build content and extend the platform. If you are looking to build content then take a look here:

Android users relax, Junaio is comming soon
iPhone users download from here:

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10 Comments »

Peter Meier said:

Hello Lester,

I am Peter and the project manager of junaio. Thanks a lot for your feedback! We were really taken by suprise by Apple letting us through in 2 days. Servers are still a bit slow and as you mentioned, press release isn’t ready, yet.
I can confirm, we have become an open browser plattform now. You can use the open API as a programmer or create your personal channel and join your posts with friends (this is the standard) or everyone (you can make it public through: Channels ->configure my channels -> username channel -> manage this channel). Yes, and the markers is one of our unique features. The hold the GPS-position of the location and you can print out your own junaio markers next week!

Regards, Peter

- 5 March 2010 at 3:06 pm

lester said:

excellent Peter.

Normally you guys are pretty slick with your launches. 2 days must be a new record so no wonder you were caught by surprise.

The new UI looks impressive and I am keen to try the marker functionality. I’ll be keeping an eye out.

- 5 March 2010 at 3:21 pm

Shane said:

This seems like a lot of fun but I’m racking my brain trying to figure out how to create a “scene.” Been able to get the 3D figures on the screen, but I have no control over where they’re placed and when I try to edit online it seems that nothing I do is registering as a scene. Looked at the help section but no luck there. Any ideas???

- 5 March 2010 at 9:55 pm

@remcovrOOm said:

Is this browser also comming to Android?
If so… please sent me info and releasedate.
Info@androidworld.nl

- 6 March 2010 at 2:50 pm

Spyder X said:

I’m with Shane. Have we lost the ability to place and resize images with this release? I can’t seem to find any way to do it.

- 8 March 2010 at 3:07 pm

Lisa Murphy said:

Hi Shane and Spyder,

junaio 2.0 as you know is a major update to junaio 1.6. The current version now has the ability to add 3D contents directly into location via visual overlays. We have taken back the editing the scenes as it gets complicated for the users and will be focusing on more channel creations. There’s a lot of additional new features, which we will be announcing tomorrow. So stay tuned.

@remcovrOOm, the Android version will be ready soon. We will send you the date once announced.

Thanks,
Lisa

- 9 March 2010 at 4:01 am

ScavengAR and Junaio | Augmented Planet said:

[...] course SXSW is over now but there is still plenty to do with the Junaio browser. Take a look here for more [...]

- 17 March 2010 at 1:37 pm

ScavengAR and Junaio | Augmented Planet said:

[...] course SXSW is over now but there is still plenty to do with the Junaio browser. Take a look here for more [...]

- 17 March 2010 at 1:37 pm

ScavengAR and Junaio | Augmented Reality said:

[...] course SXSW is over now but there is still plenty to do with the Junaio browser. Take a look here for more [...]

- 17 March 2010 at 3:38 pm