The potential to revive "dead" media.

 Well, we've all heard that "print media is dead/dying", right? A disposable print medium will never keep up with the insta-click updated internet, right? Perhaps not. Take this video, for instance, from Kompas, one of Indonesia's largest newspapers.

"A newspaper?" you ask? "That's so 20th century". But wait! Recently, Kompas began distributing on the iPad, as well. Paperless newpapers. We'll see plenty of that.

But, ever so often, I've heard "reading digital isn't *the same* as holding wood pulp fiber in your hands. True, enough, but what if your "newspaper" was nothing *but* augmented? Blank pages filled with QR codes, ARtags, ect, that are "hot linked" to the distributor's daily issue, or *past issues*. "One paper, to read them all" kind of thing. Instead of buying new paper, every day. You buy a single, heavy-duty "paper". More often than not, news agencies that distribute print also have a web presence. Why not link the two?

The one drawback to this, at the moment, is the lack of affordable HMD's. You can't very well read your newspaper while holding your smartphone, right? Just imagine, for a moment if you will, the above issue of Kompas, while wearing a pair of Vuzix Wrap 920AR's. That might be the game changer. Media producers could minimize their overhead, environmental impact could be reduced, and you could carry the Boston Globe, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, ect, ect, in one "paper", that you never have to "forget" on the commuter rail.

Oh, Brother. The AirScouter

Coming to you from Japan...eventually, the ( protoype) Brother AirScouter, a retinal scanning HMD for AR applications.

Although, in in trying to research this, I found another HMD to watch: The Kopin Golden-i :

Here's the video from the SlashGear review:

Pricing on these units are still a bit hefty, (and I'm holding out on a Vuzix Wrap 920AR) . Time, and marketing, will tell.

Go, and see.

Adobe throws it's hat into the ring

BIG news, on this one. Software, and internet behemoth Adobe, archmages of such 'little' things as flash, shockwave and the ubiquitous.PDF file, have announced the future of flash...and yes, it's 3D. The announcement is a teaser, of sorts, since full details won't come out until Adobe MAX 2010. Oct 23-27, in Los Angeles. but a recent blog post by Thibault Imbert, (Adobe product manager) , hinted that the 3D API is "coming in a future version".
( To the rest of us, that means, basically, "it's on it's way").

Quoteth Imbert " We will share plans with you at Max during this session, I tell you, some serious stuff is coming for 3D developers ". That's not a light statement, coming from Adobe.

Adobe MAX Conference Event

This is one competitor the "little guy" developers are gonna have to take very seriously.

Go, and see.

Stay Augmented

News Brief:

Total Immersion has launched it's D'Fusion for Adobe Flash Player.

D’Fusion for Adobe Flash Player gives developers the ability to create AR applications using Flash ActionScript and Marker Less Tracking Lite (MLT) technology. According to the company, unlike other AR applications, D’Fusion for Adobe Flash Player does not require additional AR-specific markers on material to trigger the experience. The software also incorporates a security mechanism designed to prevent third-party misuse of media. ( Ed: 'mis-use'? How is *that* defined, I wonder)

Metaio launches its Unifeye Mobile Software Development Kit (SDK) 2.1 for iPhone. According to the company, the update takes full advantage of the iPhone iOS 4 camera access API to create image based augmented reality experiences on the iPhone, the world`s first and only software development kit for creating mobile AR applications.

Layar celebrates it's first year! (Ed: Okay, I'm a sucker for scrappy underdogs)
Read more about this "Little Engine that could" at Games Afresco.

 mtrip travel guides go on sale for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
A new iPhone travel guide app has gone on sale offering augmented reality, an automated itinerary planner, no roaming charges and guides for nine top US and European cities. mTrip Travel Guides also comes with a navigational tool that identifies where the user is and suggests the best route to either on foot or by public transport.

 (article clip, via Travolution)