Robert Scoble interviews us!
Under our new guise of Mobilistar, we were interviewed by famous tech-blogger and start-up evangelist, Robert Scoble.
Augmented Reality Technology | Mobile Augmented Reality | Visual Search | AR Development
Under our new guise of Mobilistar, we were interviewed by famous tech-blogger and start-up evangelist, Robert Scoble.
If you are looking for a Popcode Developer, head across to Mobilistar – our new venture!
Over the last few months, we’ve been checking out the Popcode Augmented Reality platform, which has been developed by students at Cambridge University. One of several new AR platforms to emerge over recent months, Popcode runs on both Android and iOS devices.
Like Qualcomm’s AR Platform, Popcode uses Natural Feature Tracking (NFT). An image is used to trigger the AR experience, rather than a fiduciary B&W marker-based augmented reality solution. Almost any kind of image can be used. This is great news for marketers, developers and consumers. Gone is the need for customised packaging and, most importantly, the need to be in front of a webcam, sat at your PC. We love to imagine using AR to trigger immersive experiences in a store or from a magazine advert, not just to marvel at augmented reality technology, but generate revenue. AR offers a wide range of new revenue streams: Advertising, Content Downloads, virtual goods and immersive brand experiences.
Unfortunately, distribution of Popcode Augmented Reality applications is not possible outside of the entertainment category due to licensing issues, but that didn’t stop us from downloading the developer kit and testing out some concepts.
At the end of last year, we went along to the Science Museum with a rather well-known UK celeb, James May of Top Gear. We explored the concept of using Popcode to create an Augmented Reality Museum Guide. The paid app would have given museum visitors a unique AR experience. Watch this space, as museums + augmented reality have a very bright future.
The second concept is an Augmented Reality Packaging Concept. This is our first draft and includes some basic animation and a link to like / rate or buy the product.
Because there are no 3D capabilities on the Popcode platform, we have since honed and improved this concept using the Qualcomm AR SDK
Qualcomm AR Video | Augmented Reality Packaging
We have also recently used Popcode commercially on behalf of a client to augment T-Shirts, keep an eye out for details soon.
From the maker of The Beatles Augmented Reality application comes Exile on Your Street – an app that lets Rolling Stones fans mythologize the band in augmented reality. With the app, which works on iPhone 3Gs and Google Android phones, Stones fans will able to fly-post their streets, homes or offices with virtual interactive posters of the rock icons.
The app is the first of its kind in the world and was built by Howard Ogden of Augment Reality in conjunction with Polydor Records to celebrate the success of the recently re-released Stones’ masterpiece Exile on Main St.
Using their phones, people with the app will be able to ‘stick’ virtual posters to the places they pass. Attached to the posters they can add a comment, one of 28 tracks from the double album and a short video clip of the band. Friends or passers-by with the app will be able to look through their phone screens and see all the posters left by other users within a 2km radius. They can then listen to the tracks stuck to the posters, watch the video, comment on other people’s posters and leave their own.
The Rolling Stones app opens a unique window on the world and creates a new way to experience the legendary songs. Through the screen of the phone, ordinary streets become galleries of rock photos and the ability to anchor songs to places makes journeys into spatial mixtapes where new songs are activated as you or your friend walk past certain points.
Exile on Your Street is also available as a website and Facebook app which will let you leave posters for your friends anywhere in the world – using a map to drop the posters and songs where you want them.
The 18 posters available come from a selection of photographs taken by Dominic Tarlé during the Stones’ stay in Nellcôte, France in the early 1970s, when they recorded Exile on Main Street. The video clip is from the DVD available with the re-released album.
To download the app you need a smartphone with the Augmented Reality browser Layar installed – available for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and Google Android phones.
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About Augmented Reality: augmented reality mixes virtual computer-generated content with reality; for example when images of the real world are overlaid with virtual images. The computer-generated content can be pegged to particular locations and made to interact with the real world.
About Layar: Layar is a platform available on iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4 and Google Android phones which allows developers to build apps using augmented reality.
About Howard Ogden and Augment Reality: Augment Reality is a company set up by Howard Ogden to create apps for Layar, it has been behind several of the most high-profile Augmented Reality apps to date including the Beatles AR app released in December 2009, Find a Property and Dubai Metro.
http://www.augmentreality.co.uk/
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Exile on Your Street will available for free on Layar, Facebook and the web from 18:00 GMT Friday, 25 June
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Website: www.exileonyourstreet.com
Facebook app: http://apps.facebook.com/exileonyourstreet/
The Layar app: http://m.layar.com/open/rollingstones
This was originally posted at http://www.augmentreality.co.uk/blog/exile-on-your-street-the-rolling-stones-augmented-reality-app-for-iphone-and-android.html
This is big news! AugmentReality are the first of the premium Layar developers to offer a fully managed cloud based hosting system. For those projects for which even our ultra-fast dedicated server wont cope with, i.e. a Layar with intense use of Audio/Video/3D internationally – this is the optimum solution. Contact us for details.
50’000 downloads! 
Considering our oldest apps have been live just a shade over 5 weeks we think that’s pretty good going.
Coming soon we have our first international apps with POI spanning the globe – and a 3D concept we are itching to tell you about…. but can’t yet 
Also, I’m seeing Layar on the home page of the (UK) iTunes App store under the “New and Noteworthy” section. which should put a lot more users online.
These are exciting times indeed!
Here’s a new concept in Augmented Reality applications: The Beatles
This Layar application has every key location relating to the Beatles, from the Cavern Club in Liverpool to the Abbey Road Studios in London as well as dozens of other, less well known, points of Interest.
This unique application is your own personal tour guide, the waypoints will take you to the exact location of the landmark. You can read about the point of interest from the additional information we’ve provide in the actions menu. Who needs tour guides?
Oh and one more thing… When you are standing on the world famous Abbey Road pedestrian crossing within the description is a link taking you to the Abbey Rd live webcam… see yourself on tv! Sort of 
Launch date: Very soon! (we just sent it off for approval)
Layar: Golf USA
Today AugmentReality.co.uk launched our first pan-USA Layar for Golf Courses in the USA with over 16’000 points of interest markered.
Not only are we very pleased to have our first US application launched but also this is a really useful app: there’s information about the courses such as the number of holes and whether or not they are open to the public. There’s a satellite view. And you can directly call the courses for reservations from within the Layar.
We have big plans for this application so keep an eye out for further developments.
If you would like any more information about this application, or if you have a project you want to discuss, please contact us