A New Challenge: The augmented reality!

The augmented reality allows to add virtual objects on real pictures and videos in a real time. It can be use on smartphones but GPS functionality, compass, camera and accelerometer are mandatory. The gyro on the iPhone 4 increases still more the performances.

Some examples of the augmented reality’s possibilities are:

Do you know Layar? It’s an application for Android and iPhone in which you can explore around through your smarthphone's camera lent and get quick information of restaurants, promotions, events, pictures, notes, etc. around you. Let's supposed you are in Berlin, with your smartphone, by using it you can discover, in 3D, the Berlin Wall in the exact place where it is, without moving from your current position.

The augmented reality is also an important innovation for the brands, because it is a new way to create attractive ads, like adapting promotional posters in the streets to make them interactive using your smartphone.

But this tool isn’t just a smarthphones technology, last June a brand used the augmented reality for its promotion and created a real buzz.

This fashion brand was Forever21. They launched a massive augmented reality billboard on Times Square.

The billboard showed a video where a model took a virtual photo of people in a crowd, and then she picked people up and throwed them into a Forever21 bag. Now, we have been watching this kind of interactive advertising popping up around the world...

Another demonstration of the augmented reality’s innovation in advertising is the new calendar of Audi. The car’s brand launched a calendar without…cars…! You have to use your iPhone to discover the car of the month and the hidden animation.

In tourism, advertising, games… the augmented reality stills being an early technology so if you are a developer... it’s now the time to take the challenge and to launch a new application with this new feature!
The Latin3G Team thinks that it’s a very good opportunity and a great challenge. Actually we are developing an application with the augmented reality.