matt - September 2nd, 2010

Augmented Reality On Tablets Is Finally Here…

I’m personally still on the fence regarding tablets in general, but it’s refreshing to finally see an electronics manufacturer (Samsung in this case) get it – and by get it I mean how suited AR is for tablets with front and back facing cameras.  This is the new Samsung Galaxy tablet with more details from Crunchgear and from the Galaxy product site.

matt - August 29th, 2010

The Future of Augmented Reality + Facebook Music Video

In the past, we’ve seen how Augmented Reality might fit into everyday life and also how it might tap into someone’s social network and display relevant info.  This entertaining French music video takes both concepts a bit further to show how social media (in this case Facebook) and AR could function together in the future.  I also like the Telepresence dance concept which is already gaining traction in Teleconference form like this example from NTT.  (Video link via @Chris_Gillespie)

matt - August 27th, 2010

Augmented Reality & Rock Band

Great video showing how games like Rock Band could leverage Augmented Reality in the future.  (Via Immersivetech.org)

matt - August 23rd, 2010

Facial Tracking Via Mobile Phone

Pretty cool video via Engadget showing real-time facial tracking on the front facing cam of the Nokia N900.  More details here.  Amazing…

jack - August 19th, 2010

Why You Will Soon Be Deleting Your Location Based App

As most of you know, yesterday, Facebook launched “Facebook Places” (their foray into the location based app marketplace). And even though Places is currently “coming soon” to “my region” (which is the tiny town of Los Angeles by the way), I can promise you that I’ll soon be done with Foursquare and moving forward with Places. And my guess is you will too. Here’s why: My friends and family are already on Facebook. It’s that simple. At the end of the day a community site, just like an offline community, is about the people. The power of these apps is not the “game-play” it’s the people/community and the experiences that they are subsequently able to facilitate. Imagine checking in to a restaurant, and seeing that an old friend and his wife just checked in at the bar across the street. Wouldn’t you meet them for a drink? Which would be more important: Minor details in the way the app functions, or the access it gives you to your community? I think for most people, it will be the later.

As we’ve seen, community sites take years to “tip” and unfortunately for Foursquare (and their competitors) they just didn’t have a large enough window. Will some people stick with the app they’re currently using? For the time being, probably. Will the “masses” adopt one of those apps now? Doubtful. Why would they use another application when the same functionality (in their eyes) is built in to an app they already have (let alone, most people currently have no idea what the heck Foursquare and Gowalla are…)?

I think we’ll see an exodus, as people that use a different app migrate to where the people are, Facebook. And while Foursquare was a brilliant idea, my guess is that it will soon be remembered fondly… the location based “Friendster” if you will.

So, that’s my two cents… what do you think?  Please comment below, or you can find me at: http://twitter.com/jack_benoff

matt - August 19th, 2010

Viral Campaign Meet Video Chat….

Via Mashable comes the Last Exorcism viral campaign on video chat site Chatroulette.  This is one of the better ones out there though is showing the trend of how easy it is to use prerecorded video/animations on video chat.  Similar to how chat bots took over Instant Messaging back in the day, initially it will be hard to tell if you’re having a conversation with a real person.  At least with video, you can have an augmented reality experience which makes it a bit more interesting…

matt - August 16th, 2010

Viral Videos and Politics Don’t Mix – Vermont Senate Candidate Old Spice Guy Remake

I’m not sure if Politicians looking to take advantage of the latest viral video sensations or social media crazes really know what they’re getting into.  First we had Mike Weinstein trying to channel Footloose through an 80’s inspired ‘viral video’.  And now we have Vermont Senate Candidate Dan Freilich trying to recreate the magic of the Old Spice Guy video response campaign.  Does it work? We’ll be political ourselves here and let you decide :-)

matt - August 16th, 2010

Google Goggles Live Demos At NY/LA Augmented Reality Meetups!

google-goggles

Google will be giving demonstrations of the new Google Goggles technology at the upcoming Augmented Reality NY and Augmented Reality LA meetups.  If you haven’t seen Google Goggles before, I suggest checking out the embedded video below.  This is a game changing technology and sure to be a killer app for any mobile device.  Both events are usually livestreamed so even if you’re not in either city, you can still watch the presentation…

ARNY (Augmented Reality New York) meetup is this Tuesday, 8/17 – more info here.

ARLA (Augmented Reality Los Angeles) meetup is this Wednesday, 8/18 – more info here.

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