Augmented Planet » iPhone

Traveller AR First Look

lester — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:30:44 +0000

Ask anyone who grew up in the 80s what their all time favourite computer games is and there is good chance they’ll reply with Elite. They simply don’t make games the same any more. Back in the 80s it was all about the game play, and boy did Elite have it in abundance.

Over the years there have been many attempts at producing the next Elite clone, all of which have failed to live up to the original. Even when the original creators tried to recreate their success with the truly dreadful Elite 2 and Elite 3 they failed to be anywhere near as successful.

You may be wondering why I mention Traveller AR and Elite in the same breath. When you load the Traveller AR game its clear to see where the inspiration has come from. The game is very Elite like, you start with a basic ship, travel between the numerous space stations located in the galaxy while trading cargo in an attempt to build up your money and to equip your ship. Along the way you’ll meet with alien races and humans alike that want to relive you of your precious cargo forcing you to engage in combat.

Traveller AR picks up some of the best bits from Elite and the other wannabe clones. For example, when you dock you are able to access a message board where you can sign up for special missions that earn you money or equipment. Additionally, the game is a MMORPG that supports thousands of users so you have that social aspect of encountering real people as you play. You can send them messages too via the in game chat system.

It is difficult not to compare the game with Elite as there are so many similarities, but rather than dwell on those and as this is an AR blog we should focus on the augmented realityness of the game. The games use of AR in my limited playing time has been of the superficial kind, eg. It turns on your devices camera window so the action takes place around you rather than on a space backdrop. I’m never really a fan of this as playing with your living room as the backdrop provides no value to the gaming experience in my opinion. However, the games designers do claim that the AR feature utilizes your GPS position and providers you with bonuses based on your playing location. While I haven’t seen that in action yet, presumably it’s open to scenarios where visiting your local Starbucks earns you special rewards. They also say that you’ll be able to use the AR functionality to discover and interact with nearby players.

Traveller AR is currently billed as being a beta release which means it is still undergoing development and ironing out some of the bugs. As such the price is currently £0.69/$0.99, but that will increase once the game is out of beta.

Without doubt Traveller AR is an ambitious project and I am expecting great things, if you like space trading games, or want to remember those good old Elite days then this could be the game you are waiting for so get it now while is on special offer.

Traveller AR is currently available for iOS devices and can be Installed from here: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/traveller-ar/id463521846?mt=8

Give your iPhone movies the FX treatment with AR

lester — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:36:56 +0000

Unless you have access to a special effects studio, your iPhone movies will be a bit on the bland side. At this time of year its probably endless hours of aunty Doris sitting around the kitchen table, tucking into Christmas dinner and telling you how they don’t make turkeys like they used to.

To spice up your iPhone movies and to convince everyone that you’re a budding Spielberg, take a look at the new, free Action Movie FX application from Bad Robot Interactive. The application uses augmented reality to overlay computer-generated graphics such as explosions and crashes directly into your movie.

The application is extremely simple to use, just record the scene, add the effect and then share with friends via Facebook or email. The application comes free with two effects, missile attack and car smash but other effects are available as in-app purchase. (£0.69 / $0.99).

You have probably seen similar applications that overlay AR generate graphics in the camera window but the production values in this app are of a whole new quality. Check out the video below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiXwNqOWXj8

You can get it from here.

RC vCar The Next Best Thing To Owning A Car

lester — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:05:57 +0000

If the sky-high cost of fuel has put you off owning a car, the next best thing is owning a virtual car. RC vCar from Pop Culture Software is an entertainment based application that displays a virtual car in the camera window of your iPhone. Using the virtual joystick on your iOS device you are able to control the cars movement, lights and horn.

The app comes in two flavours. A free lite version which includes 1 car and no gaming aspect. Here you get to drive the car around any flat surface much like you would any RC car. The full version which retails for £0.69 ($0.99) includes 8 cars, each of which can be customized and a gaming aspect which involves avoiding obstacles and collecting virtual coins.

vCars

Formula 1
Nascar
Go-cart
Baja Ram pickup
Audi racer
Pink convertible
Police car (with working light bar)
School bus (with working stop lights)

As the game doesn’t require a marker it can be played anywhere and on any surface. The augmented realityness of the game reminds me of early AR shooters such as AR Invaders. The gameplay takes place in the camera window but there is no interaction with real objects so it’s possible to drive off a table or through objects. Still for the meagre asking price it a bit of AR car based fun.

Try the lite version here or jump straight into the full version here.

RC vCar In Action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIOcfaM42mA

junaio 3.0: The next step in mobile AR

lester — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:54:20 +0000

When Google released Google Goggles a year or so back I’m sure it caught many of the incumbent AR browser providers off guard. Goggles in case you don’t know is an image recognition application that enables the user to scan images of wine labels, works of art or even architecture and have the image identified. The biggest grumble developers have with Goggles however is there is no way to gain access to the library of images or to extend the Goggles client. The good news for developers and users alike is junaio 3.0 nudges the junaio browser a step closer to Goggles and offers some unique additional functionality.

junaio has been around for a few years now, it originally started life as an augmented reality social networking browser where communities of users could drop 3D objects in the virtual world and others could add to the 3D scene. It was actually fun to see what people were doing with your scenes and how it was being extended. In version 2.0 junaio moved away from the ‘creating 3D scenes’ landscape and became its own augmented reality browser enabling users to locate their nearest restaurant, bar, or other geo-code content, and also became the first AR browser to support natural feature tracking to bring printed content to life.

Version 3.0 builds on the previous success and adds a number of new features including the ability to recognise 1D barcode (the kind you find on the back of products in your kitchen) and QR Codes. The barcode functionality is an interesting addition as not only does it recognise the product but should you scan a humble can of baked beans, it is able to give you recipes ideas based on the other ingredients you scan to help you cook the perfect meal. Perfect for trying to figure out what to do with those left over cans stashed away at the back of the kitchen cupboard.

junaio has always had a great image recognition engine that enables users to recognise images and either display 3D objects, link to videos or websites, but version 3.0 takes this concept a little further. Now any object can be viewed in the junaio client and once the scan button is pressed, further information about the object can be retrieved. There is no messing around with trying to figure out which channel to load making it even easier to find content. This works as long as the image is in the junaio or a partners database but you can see the comparisons here with Google Goggles as developers or companies with large amounts of image resources can now expose those through the junaio client.

The updated junaio client can be downloaded free for both iOS and Android from the respective store. It’s the essential app for any iPhone/iPad or Android user.

junaio 3.0 in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNjhM7T7DJ4

August Bunnies – A Belated Easter Post

lester — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:58:57 +0000

Firstly I know that summer has come and almost gone leaving us well into August so I’m a little ashamed to be talking about an Easter augmented reality application. The truth is my inbox is a nightmare to keep under control and sometimes it takes me awhile to get around to posting about all the great solutions you send my way. This Easter based iPhone app from Irregular Apps makes an appearance rather than being consigned to the archive of missed opportunities since it uses image recognition to recognise the common egg, the sort that you probably have tucked away in your fridge. Simply point the camera at the egg to interact andt watch those August Bunnies go.

On the bright side, the app is now free so think of it as being a demo you can show over breakfast tomorrow before tucking into your boiled egg. (Grab it here)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=58IEP1udwVQ

Mobile Face Recognition Coming Soon?

lester — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:01:34 +0000

I stuck my neck on the line at the beginning of the year and said that 2011 would be the year of face recognition. It’s nearly August and so far face recognition technology for mobile devices has yet to make a significant appearance.

I was somewhat disappointed that Apple didn’t announce face recognition with iOS 5 back in June, particularly as they acquired Swedish company Polar Rose (famous for the demo below) at the end of last year.

According to 9To5Mac however a couple of APIs have been discovered in the latest beta of iOS 5 that give credence to face recognition making an appearance later this year. The newly discovered APIs are:

hasLeftEyePosition
hasRightEyePosition
hasMouthPosition
leftEyePosition
rightEyePosition
mouthPosition

Polar Rose

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QBLKBYrgvk

Polar Rose are were not the only company experimenting with mobile face tracking. At Mobile World Congress in February I met with US based company Viewdle who were showcasing some amazing demos.
They recently released a beta of their Android face recognition app which can be found here. I haven’t looked into it yet so feel free to share you comments.

Perhaps the last half of 2011 will be the year of face recognition.

Viewdle

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A10tgE9YQDo

AR! Pirates

lester — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:37:33 +0000

If you have an iPhone and you’re looking for a little natural feature tracking gaming, or just want to earn a few office guru points, take a look at the new(ish) AR! Pirates game from Special Move Games. The game is a novel first person shooter that pits you against fleets of approaching pirate ships. As the game is an augmented reality game you’ll need a few pieces of gold (three coins will do just fine) to create the playing surface. Simply arranged the coins in a triangle pattern and the level will be drawn over the coins. While keeping the coins in the phones camera window shoot your cannon at the attacking pirates before they steal your treasure.

The game is simply enough to play and is certainly demo worthy when you pick up your change at the bar and want to impress your friends over a beer. I’ll be keeping in on my phone for demos in the future. However there is an annoying aspect that I found. While the game is free from the App Store it is ad supported. Unfortunately the advert is right at the top of the screen and I found the pirates often sailed behind the ad making them hard to shoot. There is a $0.99 (£0.59) in app purchase that gives you more levels and I assume removes the ads.

AR! Pirates is the most fun you can have with the coins in your pocket (unless you know better). You can install it from here

AR! Pirates in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=al7StPimtRs

String AR Demos You Need To Try

lester — Mon, 16 May 2011 09:30:43 +0000

Having just finished a post about the amazing String AR SDK I wanted to follow up with a post for those of you who are not developers. If you are looking for some cool augmented reality demos that you can play around with and obtain the much coveted demo God status, take 10 minutes to download the String AR iPhone (iPad) application and prepare to amaze your friends and colleagues. These demos are guaranteed to provide that AR wow factor.

The demos include:

Scrawl – AR drawing

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pl_4Cn9Bl4

Pharaoh’s Fury - an augmented reality game

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEVOheUrm0w

Proto – cute 3D alien

Clayful – mouldable virtual putty

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7u6luBO2Lo

Sneaker – view 3D sneaker (trainer for the rest of us)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6VPK-OyQwo

The above demos, which I’m sure you’ll agree are pretty amazing, are part of the String Augmented Reality Showcase application that you can download completely free from iTunes. Once you have downloaded you’ll need to print, or point you camera at the markers to trigger the AR. The markers that can be found here.

Augmented Reality Powered By String

lester — Mon, 16 May 2011 09:30:08 +0000

Many developers ask me about natural feature tracking SDKs for mobile devices. One of the cool SDKs I like is the String SDK.

If you are already familiar with AR you’ll notice that String lives somewhere in middle of fiduciary markers and natural feature tracking. Tracking images combines the high contrast black border of a marker and a complex natural image in the centre. This mix actually works well. With a marker users can identify it as having special significance when presented to a camera (much the same way users identify QR Codes as having significance). With NTF images the challenge is telling the user that the image as has significance without providing a large amount of instructions. Combining the two therefore goes someway to solve the identification problem.

The String SDK which is currently available for iOS with an Android version in the works is powerful enough to build some pretty amazing solutions. I normally say that any AR demo is only as good as its 3D objects, that’s still true as eye candy sells, but String does an amazing job of recognising the markers even in poor lighting.

String AR Drawing Demo

Possibly my favourite String demo is the Orange carton demo which is amazing when you see it live.

String Orange Carton

For developers looking to build standalone mobile NFT apps the String SDK should be high on your list of tool to try. You can find out more or download the SDK from: www.poweredbystring.com

Combining AR with Art with Konstruct

lester — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:58:49 +0000

James Alliban, one of the leading AR developers in the UK recently released his first iPhone application to the App Store. The application which was developed using the amazing String SDK is a clever mix of augmented reality and art.

If you follow Augmented Planet you will have seen some of James’ amazing FLARTookit demos in the past, the iPhone app is just as entertaining. Simply install the app, select from one of several factual graphics and then point your iPhone camera at the marker. The application responds to sound drawing structures over the marker.

After a few beers it’s one of those apps you’ll want to crank up the stereo and watch the light show.

The app is free from the Apple App Store and can be installed from here.

Incidentally, James is a guest speaker at the Augmented Planet event in London on the 1st and 2nd of June. If you want learn more about developing augmented reality applications book your ticket now.

Konstruct in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kJF3GQF3YI

Red Bull Racing – Amazing Augmented Reality Game

lester — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:19:55 +0000

I have seen some interesting augmented reality games that use markers enabling you build a custom game environment. Augmented Reality Tower Defender for Symbian and Drift from Slapdown Games are two that spring immediately to mind. Red Bull however have taken the concept to an entirely new dimension

I have to admit when the press release arrived in my in-box yesterday I thought I had misread it. The concept of using cans of Red Bull to build your own unique augmented reality racing game for your iPhone seemed like a far-fetched concept. Amazing Red Bull has done exactly that.

To play simply arrange cans of Red Bull in the circuit you would like to race. Once you have created your perfect circuit use the Red Bull application to scan the tops of each can. The application uses Advanced Sensor Fusion (a combination of gyroscope, compass and accelerometer input) to track the motion of the phone between the cans and metaio’s natural feature tracking technology (the same technology used in the junaio browser) to identify the Red Bull cans.

All that wonderful data is then processed by the application to build a 3D track based on your unique design. If all that wasn’t enough you can also share the track with your friends and challenge them to beat your time.

The game is truly ground breaking and will be a tough app to beat in this years Readers Choice Awards. The game has been developed in conjunction with Circ.us, which is a leader in uncovering remarkable uses for gameplay, animation, 3D and cross-platform creative execution.

Take a look at the game in action here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSM8Dap-AFE

The application is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store here.

Professional Augmented Reality Browsers for Smartphones

lester — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:47:57 +0000

The last few months have been a blogging wilderness from me and for that I apologise. The reason being is; I am pleased to announce, I have been working on an augmented reality book titled: “Professional Augmented Reality Browsers for Smartphones: Programming for junaio, Layar and Wikitude”.

The book is aimed at developers and focused on teaching mobile developers how to build AR content for these platforms. It will be published by the nice guys over at Wrox Press hopefully in May. As of today I am just one and a half chapters away from completing the book with an angry editor on my back. Hopefully by Sunday night I will be complete. Then begins the nightmare task of dealing with the edits from the editor and reviewer.
For more information about the book take a look here:

Maybe, just maybe. Those of you that manage to attend AP2011 in London on the 1st/2nd of June will find a copy in your delegate bag.

Wikitude 6.0 iPhone Release

lester — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:26:23 +0000

Wikitude, the leading browser for iPhone and Android devices has recently received an iPhone refresh. The new version, version 6.0 features a brand new slicker user interface that shows you exactly how many POIs will be visible before you load the World. This very useful feature saves you loading a World only to find nothing is visible nearby. Another cool feature that users will appreciate is the customizable home screen where just like the iPhone home screens you can tap and hold the screen to rearrange or add new worlds.

The old style UI is still present under the surface and can be accessed by selecting the ‘Browse Worlds’ option which enables you to search for popular Worlds or by A-Z listings. The Worlds you find here can be added to the new style home screen by clicking the + button so you have complete control.

With version 6.0 the UI is much simpler with less buttons and clutter. The distance functionality for example is now no longer found buried in a menu but is accessed by clicking the radar display.

One thing (still) missing from the new version is the ability to test your Worlds on the iPhone by entering your Beta-World key. World developers will still need an Android device for testing.

Update
An update to the blog entry.

Developers building Wikitude Worlds are now able to test their Worlds using their iPhone. The setting to enter your beta key can be found in the iPhone’s setting menu. In addition to testing Worlds you can also set your latitude/longitude location to simulate your location. Useful for when you want to test your content.

Android owners will have to wait a little longer for the update but iPhone owners should take a look at the refresh. The video below shows you all you need to know about the update.

The new Wikitude in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAcAHgUge-8

AR App Gun

lester — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:12:46 +0000

If you are looking for that little extra realism with your augmented reality games, AppToyz, a UK games company could have the answer.

The AppToyz solution is a gun shaped holder for your mobile phone. There is no electronics in the device, instead the trigger controls two rubberised fingers (for want of a better word) which tap the screen. Of course games will need to be designed specifically for the AR gun to ensure that the fingers tap in the right places. In the video below you can see the gun in action.

I’m not sure about this one, I worry about my expensive phone flying through the air in the heat of an AR battle. It will be interesting to see if developers begin to build compatible games.
From what I understand the gun will be priced around £15-$20 ($25-$30) mark.

The AR Gun in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N64IQN1MtdI

Word Lens – Augmented Reality Translation

lester — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:25:49 +0000

When I first got interested in augmented reality some 18 months ago, one of the first demos I saw was a translation application running on a Symbian device.

The demo was a Youtube video of a traveller holding up their Nokia phone to a street sign in Japan. Instantly the Japanese text was translated into English and displayed in the camera window. I lost the demo but always found the idea of using augmented reality for translation fascinating.

There have been other augmented reality translation mash-ups since then, all of which required you to take a picture of the text, highlight the text area and then press submit. To be honest very few of these have worked well. I used to do live translation demos at augmented reality events that I spoke at, but most of the time they would fail with even simple three or four word sentences. Either the light wasn’t just right or it just completely messed up a word.

With access to the camera feed, reading the text and doing a live translation on the fly without forcing the user to take a photo is obviously a much more compelling solution. Enter Word Lens from Quest Visual for the iPhone.

Word Lens is a new augmented reality translation application reads text visible in the camera window, translates it, and then overlays the original text with the translation. Better yet the dictionaries are downloaded to the phone so you don’t incur expensive roaming charges while abroad. Word Lens currently supports Spanish & English and the languages are available as in-app purchases. (normal price $8.99 but currently on 50% discount for $4.99 until 31^st December).
Even if translation is not your thing, the app is free and it comes with a demo mode that enables you to reverse or blank out words. Perfect for those drunken look what my phone can do moments over Christmas.

Take a look at the video below, is this not the future of translation?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2OfQdYrHRs

Get it here:

The New Yell AR Browser

lester — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:19:21 +0000

Yell is one of the most popular yellow page business directories in the UK. The iPhone application enables users to find everything from restaurants to pubs to florists and everything in between.

A year ago we reviewed the application fully when Yell first added augmented reality functionality to the client. If you have used an augmented reality browser before you’ll know sometimes that it can be difficult to select POIs when they are hidden behind each other. Yell solved this problem with one of my favourite features, a rather nifty targeting recital that gave a visual indication on what you were looking at.

The new version of Yell bears no resemblance to its predecessor and has been completely revamped. One of the big differences you’ll notice with the augmented reality view in the new version is the addition of an onscreen map. This rather handy feature saves switching between the AR view and the map view to get your bearings. AR is great for figuring out what is around you and the general direction but it’s not useful for navigating and homing in on the target.

While the map is a welcome addition and very useful, it does feel like it was developed independently. For example, the POIs shown on the map are identified by numbers but the POIs shown in the AR window are identified by name only. Additionally the map is not zoomable so while the map can show 3 POIs the AR window may have 20 or more. But what I would really like to see is the map orientate itself with the direction you are facing so you can use the map to navigate to the target and see the POIs in relation to the map. It will be interesting to see if the map gets perfected and if others copy the map idea.

The rest of the application has be updated significantly to give excellent integration with the phones functionality, for example you can call the business directly with one click or even share the details via SMS/Facebook/Twitter with friends. Useful if you are trying to tell a group of people where to meet.

If you haven’t taken a look at Yell for a while or if you are looking for a local search application then Yell has had a serious revamp and is well worth a look.

Get Yell

AR Invaders

lester — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:03:09 +0000

Those pesky aliens are at it again, invading our cities, forests, living rooms and just about anything else they can. The last line of Earth’s defence is you. God help us.

AR Invaders and Look Up are two new games courtesy of Soulbit7 that bring the classic alien space invaders genre up to date with a fresh augmented reality feel. The game uses the tried and tested augmented reality formula of enabling the camera window so the action takes place in 360 around your surroundings. You can also team up with other members of the Earth’s Resistance Forces (or your friends) to drive back the alien hordes.

Regardless of whether you decide to take on the aliens alone or with a friend, you’ll need quick reflexes as the aliens don’t hang about waiting for you to shoot them.

AR Invaders / Look Up in action

While it appears are two games, AR Invaders and Look Up, they are both in fact the same game. The difference being AR Invaders is exclusive for the iPhone 4 as it makes use of the gyroscope. iPhone 3G users however can still play the game via AR Invaders.

iPhone 4 owners can download the free AR Invaders Lite version to give the game a try. (Full price $1.99) AR Invaders is on special offer of $0.99 so get it while its on special.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl_L0ilxqzs

junaio and Augmented Reality Revolutionize Print Advertising

lester — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 21:43:13 +0000

Metaio and their junaio augmented reality browser are busy working with partners to change how we interact with print. The latest campaign to use their junaio glue platform is the product of a collaboration between Sausalitos and Coke zero in Germany.

In the campaign, users interact by using their Android or iPhone to view the advertisement printed in various newspapers and magazines. Once the Coke zero advertisement has been identified by the junaio platform the advertisement comes to life with additional content providing the viewer with a richer experience.

The Coke zero campaign is the latest in a series of high profile augmented reality campaigns from Metaio. Previous campaigns have included an augmented reality stamp for the UK and a special edition of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung`s supplement magazine that was distributed to over 500k homes in Germany.

Some day all print will be like this

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTeJW3IDrI0

junaio is free platform that enables developers to build sophisticated natural feature tracking applications like the one shown in the video. For more information about junaio take a look at: www.junaio.com/glue

Shop till you drop with GoldRun

lester — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:05:52 +0000

I have seen a few augmented reality applications that crossover into the world of combining location with discount vouchers, but GoldRun mixes the the theme by rewarding users by encouraging them to seek out and interacting with content through augmented reality.

GoldRun is a novel concept. Spread out around your city are various virtual objects for you to collect and tasks to complete. Collecting or successfully completing a task will earn you rewards in the form of, prize draws, access to exclusive events, or even discount at certain stores. The tasks are varied and can be as simple as travelling to a location and interacting with a virtual object, or perhaps trying on virtual augmented reality clothes and sharing the results with your friends on Facebook. Some tasks enable you to gain access to store discounts and require to you visit a store such as H&M and locate a predetermined item in the store. Once you have found it, take a photo, and then when you checkout you show the photo to the store clerk who will apply a special discount to you purchase.

It not all visiting shops and looking for discounts however, when you collect objects you’ll be told what reward you receive so you have the incentive of going back to discover new items .

The approach is certainly new and it has a game play feel, it will be interesting to see how this grows in the future. If you are shopping for an item, the compulsive shopper type, or even someone who just likes window shopping, then GoldRun will undoubtedly be for you, particularly in the run up to Christmas when securing a discount is on everyone mind. Ultimately GoldRun’s success will be down to what stores they manage to get interested and what promotional content they can bring to keep users engaged and looking for more. But I cant help think I wish I’d thought of the idea.

GoldRun is available free for the iPhone and is currently aimed at the US market with a focus on NYC, but it should be hitting the Android in 2011 and I’m sure the list of shops and rewards will increase.

There was no video that I could embed, but you can find a video on the GoldRun website.

Ghost Blasters AR Game For The iPhone

lester — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 23:15:50 +0000

Release just in time for Halloween but unfortunately the email sat unread in my inbox for the last week or so, it’s the new augmented reality game Ghost Blasters for the iPhone.

The game sees you take on the role of a ghost hunter where using your iPhone as your trusty energy radar you can track down and locate the ghosts that are present around you. Once you find one of the many different types of ghosts that are present in the game, they become visible in the camera window where you can use your laser to extract their yummy ectoplasmic goodness. The game is the work of French developers MomorProds, and for their first foray into the world of augmented reality gaming they have done a pretty good job. It is well worth a look.

The game is free for the Halloween period, so bear in mind my lateness with the news, snap it up now from the Apple App Store to get it while its still free.

Ghost Blasters

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wclHgUOJuwQ

Ghost Blaster fans can also visit the Facebook page

Google Goggles available for the iPhone

lester — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:25:27 +0000

The long awaited Goggle Goggles image recognition application has finally arrived for iPhone users.

I know, I know… Goggles is a visual search application. But some day this is what AR will become. Every object will be known and identified in seconds and will provide associated real-time context.

If you are not sure what Google Goggles is, or why it is exciting, Goggles is an image recognition application that enables Android and iPhone owners to take pictures of objects such as:

Landmarks
Wine labels
Logos
Books
Text (translation)
Contact info

By taking a picture of any of these classes of objects, the image is recognised and submitted to the Google search engine. If you take a picture of a landmark the landmark is identified and named without you having to type anything into a search engine. Useful if, you don’t want to type, or if you don’t know what the object is to begin with.

To test the functionality, I loaded the browser on my laptop and searched for Tower Bridge. I took a picture and retrieved a Google search page full of related results correctly identifying the picture as Tower Bridge. Similarly to test the Art recognition functionality I searched for Mona Lisa which was also correctly identified.

The translation appears to work well. It would be interesting to try it out on something complex like a menu, but the text I tried came out fine.

Olá eu gostaria de
um pouco de queijo no
brinde, por favor

I tested the contact info by taking a picture of my business card. The data is scanned and you are given the option to add the contact to your contacts list. At the same time you are also given a Google search page with related results. In my case all the links looked relevant containing the Augmented Planet home page as well as my LinkedIn profile. The OCR require a few attempts in getting it to recognise my card but I expect that was down to poor lighting.

Wine label recognition worked as well, again you are at the mercy of the OCR and lighting so it may take a few attempts but complex images such as books and DVDs worked fine taking you to the relevant places where you can buy the product..

Interestingly, I took a picture of my cat and as expected it didn’t find a match. However it does attempt to be helpful by showing similar images which in my case included a few cats and a couple of dogs.

Google Goggles in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezc108DTaug

Having the Google application on your mobile phone is pretty much essential anyway, the voice search facility is also pretty interesting, but having the Goggles functionality built in makes it even better..

Get it here

Look-Up the Aliens are coming

lester — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:55:26 +0000

Augmented reality accelerometer games continue to be all the rage for mobile developer. One of the latest additions to the genre for iPhone owners is Look-Up which gives players the opportunity to fight off the ever present threat of invading aliens.

If you are not familiar with augmented reality games, they take place in your surrounding by enabling the camera as the backdrop. If you play outside the aliens will attack from over the top of your house, trees etc. The game takes place in 360 degrees so you’ll be moving around a lot. Your neighbours are sure to think you are being attacked by bees as you swing around cursing an unseen enemy. Inside for couch potatoes like myself, the game can be restricted to 180 degrees so you can sit peacefully on the sofa and still do your bit to defend Earth.

There are numerous games in this genre but at £0.59 ($0.99) Look-Up gives you a pretty decent game, along with a multiplayer mode so you can fight for Earth with your friends.

Look-Up

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bps3FkX-_cY

(Get Look-Up)

Audi A1 Layer Marketing Campaign

lester — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:35:16 +0000

It’s interesting how advertisers are using augmented reality as a marketing vehicle to promote their products and build engaging content for consumers. One of the latest examples is the Audi layer developed by AR Door and Russian advertising agency, Rodnaya Rech.

The campaign takes the form of a layer for the Layer augmented reality browser available for Android and iPhone owners. Users of the browser are encouraged to travel to special points around 5 Russian cities where they can take a picture of the new Audi A1 car and post their picture to Facebook. To encourage users to take the time to interact with the campaign, users are entered into a competition when they upload their picture to the Facebook group.

I think few people would be interested in travelling to see a billboard but augmented reality is a unique technology that creates the desire for users to want to travel to see an advertisement. Neat stuff, our Russian readers can join the Facebook group here.

Audi A1 Layer Campaign

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV-euU8hZGM

Money Talks with AR

lester — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:22:48 +0000

They say money talks, thanks to a fun augmented reality application from Harmonypark and Sam Hare it really does have a voice.

Chatterbucks is a new iPhone application that uses natural feature tracking to identify £5 and £10 banknotes from the UK. Once identified a speech bubble appears giving Her Majesty the opportunity to deliver a personalised message to the viewer.

The application is a bit of fun that demonstrates the power of natural feature tracking for mobile devices. Developers have been surprisingly slow to build natural feature tracking applications for the iPhone so its good to see an app appearing finally. Sam and the guys at Harmonypark are working on a application that will recognise Japanese Yen and US Dollars so overseas readers will get to have some money fun soon.

Chatterbucks

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMtA6Z9XTdg

Bulmers Cider Pub Finder

lester — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:14:50 +0000

The team that put together the Tiger Beer augmented reality iPhone application have been busy with another augmented reality application, this time for Bulmers Cider.

The one thing that London has in abundance is pub’s, we have so many that we use them as our navigation beacons. Turn left at the Red Lion, keep going to the King George, and turn right by the Slug and Lettuce and you are there. Finding a decent drink is easy, but thanks to the new augmented reality application you can now find a decent pub that servers Bulmers Cider and has a garden where you can sit outside and enjoy your drink in the sun.

Like most augmented reality applications the functionality is simple, it will use your current location to inform you what pubs are around you, and as you hold your phone up you’ll see the locations of the pubs in the camera window giving you the general direction. The application displays a handy rating system so you’ll know if the pub is worth a visit. Since the ratings are taken from UseYourLocal.com you are not relying on people who have the application installed to add reviews, therefore there should already be reviews for a good number of pubs.

A general comment about the data provided by the RateYourLocal website. I checked my local pub and was surprised to see that it was missing. On closer inspection I found it was about half a mile away from its correct location. Either someone moved it over the weekend or someone somewhere is licensing a database that needs a serious clean up.

Like the Tiger Beer application you can also opt in to receiving Bulmers Cider related notifications. Based on the Tiger Beer notifications I received in the past, they are generally details about pubs that are offering 2 for 1 or free drink deals. They are not very intrusive so you don’t get spammed. If you opt in you’ll also get details about the Sun Lovin’ Criminals band that are performing on behalf of Bulmers and may appear in a pub near you.

For a marketing exercise, the Bulmers Cider app is a great way to reach out and engage with customers, especially the ability to send them promotions. For the consumer, if you’re a cider fan or just looking to explore a new pub then the app is great, signing up to the notifications may mean that you even manage to pick up a deal in the process.

Bulmers Cider AR App in Action