Posts Tagged Layar
10 Worst Uses of Augmented Reality in 2009
Posted by Tom Carpenter in AR Games, augmented reality on December 20th, 2009
Tis the season to reflect and review the year that’s about the scuttle its caboose into 2010. It’s been a huge year for augmented reality after decades of R&D, finally hitting the public’s awareness. Unfortunately, not all applications of the nascent technology showcased its possibilities. Instead, some slapped it into use without careful forethought and understanding of why augmented reality will be one of the most important technological aspects of our collective futures.
So I present what I believe are the 10 worst uses of augmented reality in 2009. I’m only looking at the commercial applications of AR, because R&D should be given the freedom to test code without stringent use-cases to guide its development. And often the commercial AR was bad because it was rushed onto market in a lame attempt to cash in on growing hype.
10. Hangman
While I never found an actual release of this game, the demo alone at the Tampa Internet and Technology Summit 2009 made me grimace in pain. Hopefully HD Interactive scuttled their AR plans after this demo and redrew their strategy. When I first saw this video, it inspired me to write this post.
9. Firefighter 360
The “360″ in the name is appropriate because you’ll be spinning in circles putting out fires. This app is similar to many others released that have a live camera feed, but don’t actually connect to any real world objects. The fires and firetrucks are reached through a console controller style interface. To really be AR, I would expect players to have to move around.
8. Mosquitoes
The description for the game reads — “This fun game uses the compass and accelerometer for a super realistic ‘augmented reality’ effect.” If you have to use the word super for your game, then you’re probably not going to be successful. If the mosquitoes actually landed on me or I had to move around the room to attack them, that would be cool, but once again the only thing I’m getting out of this game is dizziness.
7. Arcade Reality
Another AR shooter that could be played in a virtual environment for the same effect as the augmented one. They at least get points for multiple game play modes.
6. Dodge Avenger AR Campaign
As Rouli has been chronicling, augmented reality for selling cars jumped the shark last spring. Dodge didn’t get the memo and released this PC based campaign last month.
5. Virtual Makeup
Games Alfresco found this scary gem of an AR video in its Not Ready for Primetime post. We’ve seen lots of compelling try-on kiosks for other products like shirts, hats and jewelry, but turning your customers into scary clowns probably isn’t a great idea.
4. Avon Perfume
I’ll be the first to admit I could be missing something in the translation, but didn’t anyone tell Avon that perfumes smell and augmented reality is primarily about vision? And how many people sit around posing pictures with their perfume bottles.
3. Twitter 360
This one is more about timing and scope than anything. The Twitter 360 app received much press including this spot on the Augmented Planet, but that same week, Layar came out with its 3.0 version which made Twitter layers possible within its browser. The lifespan of these narrowly focused apps are going to become shorter and shorter as the reality browsers and big name companies like Google get into the game.
2. Best Buy Campaign
I could have picked from any number of paper marker based augmented reality campaigns, there were a ton of them this year, but I chose Best Buy from last spring as the unlucky example.
1. Always Feminine Hygiene Ad
An epic fail for so many reasons. Besides being a typical paper-based marker campaign, the use of augmented reality had no tie-in with the feminine hygiene product. The usage was so bad I had to rant about it in July.
There we have it, ten of the worst uses of augmented reality in 2009. While augmented reality is on the rise and many applications are impressive uses of the technology, we still have quite a few stinkers in the bunch. Usually the culprit is misunderstanding of the technology or rushing it to the public without deciding if its actually fixing anything. Blake Collins from OneZeroThrice expanded on this trend in his post about Who is, and Who Isn’t Augmented Reality.
And because I’m a nice guy, if you made it to my 10 worst list or you want to stay off of it for next year, I’m offering up my post about the 10 Things Your AR App Must Have to Succeed to help you mend your errant ways. I wrote it in anticipation of the over-hyped iPhone 3.1 OS, but it can be applied to any usage of the technology. While its certain there are misguided plans hatching at corporate conference rooms all over the world right now that will make us groan and roll our eyes at their attempts at augmented reality, I’m buoyed by the knowledge that it only takes a few proper applications to change the world.
Popularity: 46% [?]
Augmented Reality App Review on AOTS
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on December 10th, 2009
I have a confession to make: I watch AOTS (Attack of the Show) almost every day and not just for Olivia Munn. If you’re a hardcore gadget and game nerd like myself, this show is crack. Though I was excited to see them discuss augmented reality for the first time, I thought they could have picked some better apps. They discussed Pocket Universe, Twitter 360 and Google Goggles. I agree with Goggles but would have like to have seen one of the older reality browsers shown like Wikitude, Layar or Junaio.
The spotlight on AR was nice, but I’m hoping they do some more in-depth reviews of the nascent technology in the future. I’d even lend them a hand with the research.
Popularity: 12% [?]
V2 Instituite for the Unstable Media AR Talk
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on December 10th, 2009
Both Wikitude and Layar spoke at this Ecosystem event for augmented reality hosted by V2 Instituite for the Unstable Media and PortalToYourDreams. First half of the video has standard AR talking points, but after halfway point, I like the idea of seeing a person’s “aura” comprised of their metadata. Would people act differently if you could instantly know they’d never given a dime to charity or cheated on their SATs? Instant-karma feedback loops.
Popularity: 8% [?]
10 Games That Could Be Made with Layar 3.0
Posted by Tom Carpenter in Steal This AR Idea!, augmented reality on December 4th, 2009
The new Layar 3.0release brings more functionality to the reality browser. To help people envision what the service can do, Layar touts five new use-cases:
Five Layar 3.0 Use-Cases
1) Architecture Showcase – Visualize the final building at a construction site.
2) Storytelling: Beatles Tour – A visual tour of forty-three locations in London involving the Beatles. Each stop must be followed in order.
3) History Comes Alive – See the past reconstructed before your eyes with facts and 3D models.
4) Art, Messages & Fun Objects – Weird objects placed in unexpected places.
5) B2B & Personalization – Useful for businesses and social layers, enabling interaction with Twitter (take that Twitter 360!) and Foursquare services.
While these five use-cases expand the Layar reality browser (and more info on them can be seen here), I think they’re missing a huge use-case that’s now possible with 3.0. After reading through the Layar Developer Wiki, I found these functions that should help make Layar games possible.
Two Layar 3.0 Functions
* User added 3D objects – 3D objects up to 5000 polygons can be created with any 3D program (assuming it can create a Wavefront)
* Auto-Triggered Actions – POIs can trigger a URI (audio, video, webpage, etc) which can allow for additional programming aspects to happen. By utilizing functions within a webpage, most programming tools can be utilized within the Layar framework.
These two simple functions can add a lot of versatility to the program to make games. And while the 3D graphics are still pretty limited and animations aren’t yet possible, think back to the dawn of gaming when text based games like ZORK were all the rage, or simple 2D lines and text created time-sinks like Wizardry. Even simple sprites doomed many a night I should have been studying with Lemmings! The key to these games is that they should be locative, otherwise, what’s the point?
10 Games That Could Be Made with Layar 3.0
1) Capture the Flag – Instead of capturing flags on your opponent, hide flags in the city and capture your friends flags by visiting their locations.
2) Choose Your Own Adventure – Who didn’t read these cheesy books in grade school? Be a fun way to host a weekly bar-hop.
3) Simple RPG- a city based RPG that used locations as the “action areas.” Any math or combat resolving could be done through a URI webpage call and then reveal the 3D model (win=dead creature/lose=gravestone). Go into Joe’s Pub and kill a goblin for 5xp and then drink a pint to celebrate your victory.
4) Hidden Treasure- Clues and visual markers only seen through Layar can lead you to finding “special points” in the city.
5) Avatar Battles- Customize an avatar that does battle with others for control of locations. Think Foursquare crossed with Pokemon.
6) Economy Game – Buy and Sell real properties with virtual money. Must visit the location to purchase, can develop it with special actions (putting special 3D models in the area) and mark it with your sign.
7) Mystery Games- In a randomized Clue-style game, participants are given clues in different locations they visit and can ask questions using the URI webpage (pull down list) to figure out the daily murder.
8 ) The Hidden Story – A mosaic story could be told through the location in the city. For those that visit all of them, they can piece together the whole narrative that involves history, places and interesting people while the occasional 3D object might illustrate the narrative.
9) Planet War- Mine resources at locations, purchase tanks and other warfare equipment that can be places in areas you want to control. The website resolve winners and you see your battle regalia in the location. Take over your favorite eating establishment with a load of Panzers.
10) Lemmings!- I don’t really know how to do Lemmings! with Layar 3.0, but I’m sure someone much more creative than I can do it. It is the greatest game of all time, right?
Popularity: 35% [?]
Layar 3.0 Publishing Site is Up
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on December 2nd, 2009
Interesting options contained within the Layar 3.0 release. Auto-trigger actions and POI-to-POI capability will help people make games and other products. I’d love to see a good cheesy choose-your-own-adventure using real places and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy style zaniness.
Layar 3.0 Publishing Site is up
The Layar Publishing site is up, with support for Layar 3.0 layers! Developers can start making their 3.0 layers immediately by going to http://dev.layar.com
Changes this release:
- 3D Objects (see the Layar Wiki for details)
- Unlimited POI types
- Support for more textbox and slider filters
- New checkboxlist filter – there can be more than one
- User authentication – cookies
- Auto-triggered actions
- Local layers – a new way to define and find layers
- Flexible radius – Return as many POIs as you need, and then set the radius
- Improved layer validation, and automatic support for older client versions
- POI-to-POI capability, for story-telling and guided tours
If you find any problems, please help us out by sending bug reports to dev@layar.com.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Another Layar Interview
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on November 6th, 2009
Interview with Layar
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on November 2nd, 2009
Isabelle Okane interviewed Claire Boonstra from Layar at eComm.
Interview highlights:
* Claire wields her smartphone like a lightsaber.
* “Very soon will be head-mounted displays.” (Soon is translated in dutch as not next year)
* Tons of Layars available in Amsterdam.
*Layer 3.0 will include 3D (demo of windmills and dome foiled by a weak battery.)
* The 3D dome (not seen in the video) can be walked into and experienced as if you were in a different place including skyview and sounds.
* Release for Layar 3.0 in a few weeks.
Nice job Isabelle with the scoop.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Voodoo Experience Augmented Reality App
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on September 29th, 2009
The music festival experience can be quite overwhelming with copious drinks, flickering lights and nose curdling levels of patchouli in the air. Add Caribbean voodoo, the masked hooligans of Halloween and the general craziness of New Orleans, and you’ll wish you had a guide back to your friends at the Silversun Pickups stage when you wandered off following the sleeveless pink hoodie guy.
Zehnder has created a Layar for the 2009 Voodoo Experience on Halloween weekend to help make sure you can find your way, but only if you have an Android. The app gives locations, schedules and information about all the bands, food and beverage spots and all the other necessities of the music festival experience.
My only wish-list item for this app would be a way to geo-tag your approval of the band’s playing. That way if you’re stuck at a band coasting through a bad set, you can surf the geo-tags and find one rocking out.
Popularity: 9% [?]





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