Sky Seige, Android AR

Well, maybe you can't get your Droid X, just yet, but at least you can play Sky Siege, an AR FPS sim for all android-compatable smartphones, from Simbiotics.

And, if you score high enough, you can unlock a special "helicopter" mode.

sample graphic from simbiotics page

Go, and see.

Putting the Art in AR. ART+COM

Let's take a moment, if we may, to back up from the pure tech aspect of Augmented Reality, and look at it from the artistic side. We know AR is likely to be around a while, but do we want it to all be "talk bubbles"? Of course not. To give the Digital Art Layer a more concrete permanence (ironic, I know), we can't forget to add art to the augmented layer.

To that end, if you don't know him/them already, I'd like to introduce you to Joachim Sauter , the Founder and Director of Design at Art+Com, a design house for interactive media. They have some visually stunning projects going on.

The video from The Creators Project must be seen to truly appreciate the art.

From The Independent: "His work covers everything from technologies including augmented reality, (dinosaurs in the Berlin’s Natural History Museum becoming digitally fleshed out through the use of cameras and 3D modelling software), to mixtures of digital and physical reactions; one of the most impressive of his examples was a Tokyo installation in which the footprints of participants go from ripples of LED lights to physical waves on a nearby water feature. Much of it has to be seen to be believed (perhaps proving his point), but the central argument of much of work is the same: that we’re in the midst of a digitally-enabled ‘renaissance of the space’, as the talk was titled."

It's my personal hope that the creativity and ideas, such as fostered at ART+COM do indeed filer over to the Augmented Layer in AR, because AR serves as a potentially explosive art medium, given the chance. Yes, AR needs it's technicians, (artists of another sort, really), but who will paint the unseen?

Go, and see.

Hoopla for Hoppola!

 Now Here's an idea that will get you digital graffiti artists salivating: Hoppola! First, of course, "the vid":

Well, it certainly looks easy, huh? with no software download, Layar integration, and simple interface you can augment the actual spot where "Harry met Sally ", our "Our first Kiss", or "Joe X got dumped here" . Just imagine, the legions of Layar 'developers' could outnumber those on MySpace and Facebook..oh. wait a minute. Maybe that's a bit *too* accessible. Again, the need, in advance, for an "AR Filter"

"HOPPALA! Augmentation provides an easy way for non-technical creatives to start experimenting with augmented reality and Layar. Create your own augmented reality experiences with just some mouse clicks and publish your work at Layar, the world‘s largest augmented reality platform."

Define "non-technical creatives", plox.  "I iz l33t enuf 4 Layar.". *shudder*

Full article at Wired.

Go, and see.

X marks the spot...on the empty shelf.

In bittersweet news today, the awaited Droid X from Verizon sold right the heck out. Yay for the brand, and for the competitive feild of open source smartphones. Boo, if you just *had* to get one NOW.

According to Android Central,
"And just as we figured, stores have mostly sold out, and Verizon's website now has the badge the Droid Incredible hopefuls have come to know all too well -- the Droid X is now labeled as "Will be shipped by 7/23." (Note that it says "by" and not "on," m'kay?) Hopefully we won't see that date march steadily backward like we have the on the DInc."

Says Verizon
"This has been a very good day one for Droid X sales. Customers were in line at midnight in some markets, in other places there were lines when the stores opened and in other stores there has been a steady stream of customers. We have been successful at keeping up with early demand but at present inventory in some parts of the country inventory is either low or out. (It truly varies around the country.) Since we have weekly shipments planned, customers can still order phones and can expect them to be shipped on or before July 23. This link shows you some of the excitement from midnight in Columbia, MD."

As for me, I likka-to-see  iPhone not getting each and every bit of smartphone spotlight, ( and their antenna issue response by the execs just makes the corporation look that much worse). I'm no Verizon fan, but I am a Droid fan... more specifically, an "open source" fan.

go, and see.

Moovision, and the future of digital clutter

Well, it's been out for "a while", now, Ben&Jerry's , the Ice Cream brand with the granola-crunchy, tree-huggy , greener-earth, fair-for-everyone appeal, has released "Moovision", in their Augmented Reality app for iPhone, "Scoop of Happiness". If you want, you can read about it here. (And of course, being a videophile, I have to post a demo of it, too):

Moo Vision

Now, don't get me wrong, I like Ben and Jerry's. I remember going to Vermont, to the B&J factory, and trying to share a "Vermonster" with my siblings in place of lunch...(we failed to finish it). I support their methodologies, and their ethics, and it's why I chose them for this piece, to soften my criticism of the near inevitable influx of "AR for the sake of AR". I can't help but be reminded of this video. Come to think of it, we need to have a "Spam" filter in AR's future. "Add company x to my AR block list".

Already, we've seen AR as the newest gimmick in advertising. ARTags, markerless AR (like Juniao's Glue). I have the "AR Edition" of Esquire,(which told me I needed a better video card), a handful of Avatar iTags,(which work just fine),  ect. Advertisers are blazing the trail for AR..and I fret about the direction, and it's implications.

Now, I know, "Hey, they paid for it, they should get what they want", which is fine. At the very least it will help distribute a more common awareness of AR in the general public (of whom which is still generally unaware). Problem is, is all they see AR as is an advertising medium, or a virtual game medium, or even a 'geek toy' medium, then the future and scope of AR is going to be really limited.

There are plenty of apps out there, but few, (if any) have risen to become the "must have" app. The Internet was a much quieter place before the "WWW" App came out. Again, it comes to standardization, and there's plenty of 'industry changing' changes coming down the virtual pipe, but right now, you may as well point your AR browser around, and view the Wild Augmented West. "Hey, look, those two browsers are having a dual at high noon!".

I suppose that with a greater influx of smartphones..(and not just the iPhone).. and agreement of the different archmages on a common set of parameters, when the dust settles, we can get a unified 'baseline' for AR, and develop from there. If AR becomes a "product x is the new product a", consumers will tire quickly, and move on to whatever shiny pixels the advertisers send at them next. And, with the general attention span of Mr. And Mrs. Average Consumer being what it is, it's about time someone really gets their interest, and educate them.

Since AR is (generally) a "view only" experience ( AR will never take out your trash, or wash your dishes) without the inclusion of telepresence or robotics, developers should take heed, else this technology will just be the next best way to watch Hulu " on the go", and we can already do that.

Eco Friendly AR Water Bottles

Greensender.com is now marketing customizable AR-marked water bottles with it's 3DBottle product.

The new 3DBottle from Greensender

Following the rising trend with Home Depot and Atomic Greetings, these water bottles feature an AR tag that will display a user-defined video, (this one in a pop-up drive in theater).They also have a downloadable .pdf and test marker to let you 'try before you buy". Soon enough, we'll have ARTag keychains, coffee mugs, and any other swag you can slap an tag on. I like this idea. The more portable, everyday objects I can carry around are that many more personal videos I can view, or show off, at whim.

From the website:

"3DBottles are a Greensender original product that uses a new technology called Augmented Reality to bring a new level of fun to your reusable water bottle. Enjoy the surprise every time you show it off to someone new. And keep it fresh by uploading a new video at any time at no additional cost to you. Let this personalized, custom laser-engraved bottle serve as your mini screening room throughout the year for your favorite home videos."

Thanks to ChipChick for the tip!

go, and see.

AR! There be pirates, mate,

Thanks to Optricks Media , Ltd, Those of you with Nokia, Sony-Ericsson and Samsung Smartphones running Symbian OS can now let the lead fly, anywhere, at any scale. AR! Pirates. :

"Use your phone’s camera and screen to shoot and sink virtual ships that appear integrated to the real world via augmented reality. (Ed: But there's no Johnny Depp....) Play at any scale! Use coins as markers for small ships on your desk or play with gigantic ships in the park using three flying discs (or paper plates from your picnic lunch). But be careful–the larger the markers, the more active you have to be when playing the game!"

Thanks to Augmented Planet for the tip.

Go, and see.
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Augmented cards.

Hot on the heels of the Home Depot Gift cards, Atomic Greetings has personalized greeting cards, enhanced with user-defined video. Videos for making, (and viewing a card can be found at AG's YouTube channel HERE )

Atomic Greetings EVX marker sample

Read the full article at Augmented Planet.

Go, and see.
Stay Augmented

It'sa meee...mARio.!

Okay, had to add this, 'cuz it's just so cool. Andreas Heikaus,  a student at the Hannover University of Applied Science and Art has come up with a really neat presentation, using the cinema technique of "Match Moving" has brought Old Skool to the Great Outdoors, in a very visually compelling way.

Super Mario Bros. from Andreas Heikaus on Vimeo.

Says Andreas "This video was part of my Bachelor thesis at the University of Applied science and art Hannover. The Super Mario Bros. game, released on the Nintendo Entertainment System, is not longer bound to the television size and get interactive with a new environment. The emphasis of my thesis is on the matchmoving work. It is the process of matching CG elements into live-action footage."

Althoug I'd hesitate to call it "true AR", it's a darn impressive piece of work, and could easily be confused for high-end AR. (and it's fun to watch). Nicely done, Andreas!