Sein brings us another video of his SREngine project.  I found the feedback graphs on the sensors at the 2:08 mark interesting, which would allow you to use the app more efficiently, but otherwise there’s not much to go on.  I hope Sein gives us more information on his blog soon.

With the iPhone OS 3.1 launch set to debut next month, I wanted to explore the features that are going to help make some AR apps succeed over others.  We’re going to be seeing a spike of releases since many have been working towards this moment waiting for the iPhone to become AR enabled, so its a good time to get those apps in tip-top shape. 

And while I’m personally smartphone agnostic, these are features that should be present on any app, no matter what the platform.  But the OS3.1 release will connect the hype of AR with the hype of the iPhone, so that’s why we need to talk about app features now.  Call it Hype2.0 if you’d like.

And now for the features:

1 – Solutions Not Gimmicks

The best products and services are solutions to a problem.  Going to your webcam to open up a 3D version of the product has lost its luster as a tired gimmick.  Find a reason that augmented reality can be useful for your customers.  And if you’re a car maker looking to use AR, listen to Rouli. 

Don’t be like Always, the feminine hygiene company, please…

2 – Social Connections

The reason these social connectors like Twitter and Facebook work is because they allow us to be nosy neighbors seeing what next person is doing.  The term “Keeping up with the Jonses” applies here.  Give your app a way to connect other people in creative and interesting ways.  Even if its seeing the high score along with a picture of you dodging a cannonball.

 3 – App Search

Google dominates the search wars because they’re the best at it.  Many functions of AR require pulling information from the data sphere and if it gets hijacked by spammers then the app will quickly lose its purpose.  No one wants to pull up a restaurant layer to find a nice place to eat in a new town and get a porn layer instead while your three smiling children peer over your shoulder. 

4 – Alacrity Wins

I could say apps need to be quick, but they need to be more than that.  The Webster’s definition of alacrity is “promptness in response” or “cheerful readiness.”  Apps should anticipate what the user wants and get it quickly.  If it takes 10 seconds for the camera to identify where its at so you can decide which way to walk, no one is going to use it.  If the processor is too slow, move your heavy lifting to servers off the smartphone.  Life moves quickly, your app should move at the same pace.  

5 – Unique Style

If you want your business to grow, your style should be tasteful and easily recognizable.  When people see your products they should instantly know who created it.  Already the Layar symbol has stuck into my head as a good product identifier. 

6 – Not Another Vista!

If I let my kids cook dinner for themselves they make cereal.  My wife will take six hours to make an exquisite dinner that uses every dish in the house, including a few of our neighbors.  The kids eat cereal because its easy to do.  My kids are your users.  They’re not going to make Chateaubriand no matter how good it tastes.  So make your apps simple to use. 

7 - Save the Trees, Please

Please don’t make me print out another marker to see your version of augmented reality.  We might be able to say that AR is a green product, but for all the papervision markers we’ve had to print out.   

8 – Now With Less Spam

 For the AR apps that allow user added content, we need to make sure we’re not besieged with spammers like the regular Internet.  While this might be an impossible request, at least consider the spammers in your product design. 

9 – Tell Me A Story

Augmented reality was built by programmers, but it needs artists to grow.  Don’t forget to tell me a story and engage my emotions.  AR is a wonderful new medium with potential to tell stories in ways never told before.  The story can exist all around us or even in our living room. 

10 – FUN!!!

Now matter what the purpose of your app, even if its a serious one like saving the rain forest.  Don’t forget to make it fun (and maybe include a little magic).

Seinichi Kanemura shows us once again, how one man can make a difference.  While it might be difficult at first to understand what his SREngine Lite product is doing in the video, if you pay close attention at the 1:50 mark, you’ll see part of it.

The iPhone takes a picture of a restaurant menu, then the engine embedes pictures of the items from the menu into the picture (I’m assuming using object/word recognition): roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, and hot chocolate. 

While much of the details are lost in translation about his new product.  This section from his website did offer some insight.

Advantages of SREngine Lite

1. We do not need a marker, there is no need to print the posters and extra marker.

2. We do not use the sensor, there is no need to worry about the sensor error.

3. The only devices, it is not necessary to have a big server and it works lightweight and agile.

4. Can reduce costs.

The direction of the product, SDK and a license as a software engine that AR will be provided to the project.  Release date at this stage is unknown. 

Sein explains on another post that “the final goal of the SREngine project is to provide AR-based social networking service.” 

So based on what we’ve seen from previous videos, the camera, using pattern matching, can identify scenes (posters in the videos).  Then the user can put information in about the particular scene (restaurant, location, etc) for others to access.  The SR Engine can even identify scenes from angles so the user doesn’t have to be in the same spot the picture was taken.  

His SREngine seems to have been nominated for the NCM2009 awards, but I couldn’t grasp any more details from the translations. 

Once again, Sein’s progress with his SREngine is impressive and I’m sure his product will become an important part of the AR landscape soon.