Rich features of Junaio cause rush in developer sign-up

April 14th, 2010
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San Francisco/Munich, April 13th, 2010 – The number of registered developers for the mobile augmented reality browser platform junaio has rapidly grown since the announcement of opening up the API four weeks ago and has reached more than 200 until now. With its open API, junaio gives developers and content providers the opportunity to create their own channels with state of the art augmented reality applications.

junaio`s open API allows developers to create their own AR applications with numerous features. It is easy to use and does require only basic knowledge in programming, e.g. XML and server side programming, such as PHP to create state of the art augmented reality applications. The platform experienced a run from developers and can announce over 200 developers – only four weeks after they opened up their API for the public. “We are very pleased with the number of developers. The feedback we receive is that junaio is a great opportunity for developers to create state of the art applications without spending any money”, states Peter Meier, the CTO of metaio, the company behind junaio.

The creative potential of junaio is vast: AR Mashups, multiplayer games or scavenger hunts, interactive, indoor and outdoor exhibitions, tours with animated 3D characters, edutainment right on the spot and location independent gaming. It is up to the developer to challenge his imagination and become as creative as he wants to. Starting is very easy, developers only need to register for an API-key on the website.

Junaio flowchart

Developer contest promises a reward of US$5000

Furthermore metaio wants to directly reward the effort of their developers and thank them with US$ 5000 for the developer who creates the best channel. Everybody registered as a developer and sets up a channel before June 16, 2010 takes part in the competition automatically. The five channels with the most subscribers will be shortlisted. An independent jury with AR- and IT-business experts will then select the winner. Among the jury members are Robert Scoble, ReadWriteWeb´s Chris Cameron, Mobile Consultants Christine Perey and Ken Blakeslee, Industrial AR expert, enthusiast and blogger Thomas Carpenter and finally Prof. Dr. Geiger from Duesseldorf University of Applied Sciences Department of Media Mixed Reality and Visualization.

Developers can register on junaio`s website.

junaio @ ARDevCamp in Berlin on 24th April, 2010

Developers who are not sure yet how they can use junaio`s different features should consider joining the Developers camp at the AR DevCamp in Berlin on 24 April 2010. The junaio team will give an insight in what developers can do with the new junaio API in free and moderated coding sessions. In addition, ideas for new channels will be collected together and findings will be taken into consideration in the future developments of junaio. The session will be a good starting point for the developer contest and the chance to win the $5k challenge. metaio is looking forward to a prolific session at ARDev Camp which will take place at Beuth-Hochschule für Technik, Luxemburger Strasse 10, 13353 Berlin. Registration starts at 8 a.m.

Please visit the ARDevCamp page for more information and free registration.

Outstanding feature: indoor usage

One of the most outstanding features of junaio which differentiates it from other AR browsers is its ability to use it not only outdoors but also indoors. This makes it especially interesting for usage in museums, exhibitions and shopping malls where GPS data is not accurate enough: http://www.youtube.com/junaio#p/a/u/1/lULKsnRniO0

Outstanding feature: dynamic reaction

junaio`s dynamical reaction can be illustrated by the example of BART. In San Francisco junaio partners with BART, the Public Transportation Service in the Bay Area. The junaio user can not only find the nearest train station but he can also get the time of the next possible train connection – in realtime at his current location.  http://www.youtube.com/junaio#p/a/u/0/nbAVMrNQhJI

The future of Augmented Reality gaming

February 28th, 2010
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This is one of the best examples and visualization of how augmented reality games will look like. the head mounted display will be replaced with augmented reality goggles or glasses and will overlay the added elements onto what you are seeing in real time and will allow you to interact with them.

Check the video:

Top 16 AR Business Models

September 14th, 2009
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Personalized Media have developed a list of the top 16 Augmented Reality Business Models.

Will AR be the evolution of computer interaction?

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1. IN SITU:

Aiding sale by seeing projects placed in the environment before completion. The benefit of a customer or client seeing a finished project, before it is complete. For example 1) real estate agents can scan and show an empty house full of stylish furniture or 2) an architect who can show the billion dollar client the skyscraper as a model perfectly aligned with the other buildings on the empty site and 3) Customers who want to see what the clothes look like on ‘them’. The list of applications goes on.

2. UTILITY:

Selling life enhancing AR applications perceived as useful. Development and commercial sale of applications such as underground train orientation, bus stops & times, traffic alerts, airport gates & plane arrivals etc: all overlaid in real space. Sometimes called AR browsers as they cross reference what or who you are looking at with anything or everything off the web.

3. TRAINING:

Hands-on with complex equipment and work scenarios. Using ‘outline’ recognition this allows us to be virtually ‘hands-on’ with complex equipment in difficult-to-practise work scenarios. Bomb disposal, surgery, flight simulation. . Indeed according to wikipedia the actual phrase Augmented Reality was coined by Tom Caudell in 1992 while at Boeing where workers trained to wire aircraft on AR systems. A massive industry for the developer community charging b2b rates.

4. SOCIAL GAMING:

Both connotations of the word, pay-per-play mixed reality games in physical space. The potential to run pay per play (e.g: virtual paintball style) games in physical location and also live connected betting on sports or other competitive play – e.g: You point your iPhone at the horse and wirelessly place a bet – mid race! (odds adjusted of course) or using basic surface AR you play with others in a new kind of ‘games’ room!

5. LOCATION LAYERS:

Blended guides to new places, tourism, enhanced travelling or themed space. For travellers just arrived at your city, theme park or other experience you can provide them with pay for tools that will help them take the most ‘mutually beneficial’ route after they arrive. Free data from wikipedia, local bloggers or more commercial entities add depth.

6. VIRTUAL DEMO:

Display to promote sale, of product in pre-release or remotely via catalogue etc: To promote advance sales before the consumer gismo hits the stores, an AR display or the device/s so potential customers can manipulate it, see it from all sides, even customise the order. We may see future stores displaying the majority of items on the shop floor as AR while the item is shipped to your house before you get home! The reverse of this, an AR catalogue that pops up models to help you build or see the product in 3D.

7. EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION:

Pay-per-visit educational services to museums, ancient sites etc: Pay-per-visit (ppv) to visit highly experiential museums, theme parks, zoos, ancient sites or exhibitions but with a higher purpose of providing deeper levels of information & visual sense than a simple plague or hard to follow guide book ever will. The sleepy animals in the zoo come to life, the ancient fossil is animated into an overlaid Google Earth, the Battle is enacted ‘on the original battlefield.

8. ENHANCED CLASSIFIEDS:

An AR directory that promotes local 3rd parties product & services overlaid at the location. One of the obvious apps where someone in a city or town looking for a specific item could be ‘guided’ to it. A very affiliate model where the company that owns the Augmented Reality listing mechanism will take a slice of any fulfilled sales. A lot more to this of course.

9. 3D VIRALS:

Branded company or personal promotion & ads using ‘cool’ 3D toys. Pattern based 3D model that entertains and is spread virally. The YouTube moment as a million links to cool ‘3D stuff’ that takes place next to you. Already we see some AR apps that allow you to record scenes of you interacting with said ‘3D viral’ and pass those around too, titillation, quirky giveaways– JibJab-type, put ‘you’ in the cartoon but revered, they are with you in 3D space.

10. PERSONALIZED SHOPPING:

Walking around stores made relevant, opt in personalization and targeting. The oft mentioned Minority Report example. But in the pulled model, here you can deliver information to potential customers scanning stores, streets or shelves for discounted or personally relevant products.

11. COOPERATION:

Service industry for augmented virtual meetings. We are all familiar with video conferencing, a few have dabbled in 3D virtual world get togethers but AR meetings are a game changer. The potential here using ‘discrete’ personal screens is to have the inevitable remote meeting with live feeds of your colleagues, blended into your room – pay-per-ARmeet

12. BLENDED BRANDING:

The equivalent of hoardings, virtual poster ads. Once given a reason to be scanning outdoor areas with their AR devices the potential to deliver topical, timely and relevant ads or branding into the scene. Again care must be taken as AR spam (like social network spam) will quickly irritate, but like free to air TV, using various sponsored or freemium biz models will mean a certain amount of branding will be acceptable.

13. AUGMENTED EVENTS:

Pay-per-use of enhanced sport or pop concerts. At live events spectators can pay and then scan their view of the ‘match’ for the latest information on sporting achievement or pop star gossip and of course tracking trails or watching replays in situ, merged over say a static real sporting scene.

14. INTERTAINMENT:

New form experiential TV and films. Following on from my ‘AR story’ post, we know people will pay a premium for a new kind of ‘film’ experience where you ‘live the experience’. How about one that plays out at ‘your’ place. Semi customised marker or location AR apps will layer Brad or Angie into your lounge, onto the coffee table or your ‘composited’ in real time into the latest Mixed Reality TV show. Combined with 3D viewing technology will make Blu-Ray seem so 18th century.

15. UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMS:

Creating AR for internal or exploded views of complex objects. Primarily useful in training or helping sell something where physically taking it apart is not possible a view of a car or other complex object can be enhanced. Labels or even an exploded view in real time can help get the message across.

16. RECOGNITION & TARGETING:

Pushing ‘relevance’ to outdoor consumers – facial recognition linked to online data. To be used with care! It will be interesting to see how privacy laws affect this but in a pushed model you could ‘scan’ visitors to your store, identify their faces, do background links to their ‘social networks’ followed by personal targeting while they are shopping. We all know this is going to happen!

via: personalizemedia.com

Cartoon Network: last but not least.

July 16th, 2009
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Before the first phase of augmented reality has taken hold, the Cartoon Network is already claiming to have launched a ‘next-generation’ AR campaign to promote its ‘Incredikids’ show.

Cartoon Network: were first with next-generation AR

Cartoon Network: we're first with next-generation AR

The Turner Broadcasting-owned channel reckons it’s the first to use AR technology to create an ‘interactive 3D gaming experience’ for children. (???)

According to the broadcaster, the Incredikids AR game can be accessed without user downloads, creating a ‘brand new’ form of ‘instant play’ gaming.

The AR app comprises three interactive virtual environments – an urban racing scene, an underwater submarine and a futuristic space chase – set within a five-level game hosted on the show’s dedicated website.

Participants are encouraged to battle against Incredikids villain Syracticus Lazarus before uploading their scores to a game leaderboard so they can compete against each other.

“There’s nothing like this out there,” claimed Barnaby Dawe, vice president of marketing and communications at Turner Broadcasting. “We’re championing true digital marketing innovation.”

The launch of the AR game forms part of a wider digital marketing drive promoting Incredikids. Activity includes a social media drive across key children\s sites, including Vizwoz.

source: http://www.revolutionmagazine.com

ARFortune: dice game

July 5th, 2009
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A simple AR example using physics. Dice game using jiglib (for physics) + FLARToolkit + PV3D.

Try it here: http://www.arvertising.com/AR-Game-Dice.shtml