augmented reality - 2/3 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

Flow Is An Amazon-Powered Augmented Reality Product Search App That's Not Really As Cool As It Sounds

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Amazon-owned development house A9 Innovations has released a product search app built on the idea that instead of tapping buttons to take pictures of products, you'd rather just point your camera at products. Probably not a bad notion! Not exactly the most important thing to spend a bunch of money and time developing, but hey, if you can just wave your phone in front of a movie and get pricing and review information, it's gotta be worth it, right?

Well, it would be, if it worked like that. Unfortunately, in practice the augmented reality app has some trouble recognizing cover art.

Apr

Marvel's Augmented Reality App Hits The Play Store – Grab Exclusive Marvel Content From The World Around You

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Announced last month at SXSW, Marvel's Augmented Reality app has finally hit Google's play store, promising to "bring the Marvel Universe to life like never before utilizing your Android powered device."

Essentially the app allows users to scan select Marvel products (which feature the AR logo) to unlock and view exclusive Marvel content. The app unlocks a surprisingly wide array of content, from 3D shorts to script excerpts, exclusive art and commentaries, and "key features on select comics."

The app's augmented reality functionality is powered by Aurasma, the self-proclaimed first visual browser, "bringing the physical and virtual worlds together." For fans of the Marvel Universe, this app seems like an awesome way to get an extra dose of Marvel content.

Mar

Epson Begins Shipping The Moverio BT-100, A See-Through Wearable Display Powered By Android

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News

Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

Epson announced today that the Moverio BT-100, the first Android-powered see-through wearable display, is now available from the Epson store.

While Epson's Moverio glasses aren't exactly the fabled augmented reality spectacles Google is said to be working on, they are at least an interesting entry into the wearable display market, utilizing a wired, Froyo-powered track pad controller and micro-projection technology to put a perceived 80" display over whatever you're looking at. The interesting thing is that the virtual display is ever so slightly translucent, meaning it won't totally block your vision.

The glasses also support side-by-side 3D imaging, have Wi-Fi connectivity, and a microSD slot preloaded with a 4GB card, expandable all the way to 32GB.

Feb

Google Is Planning Pricey Glasses With An Augmented Reality Heads-Up Display, May Sell Them By Year's End

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

You've got to hand it to Google. They don't let silly things like "feasibility" and "finances" get in the way of an awesome idea. The New York Times is reporting that Google is working on a set of glasses with the specs of a smartphone, including 3G and 4G data connectivity, GPS, a camera, and oh yeah, a heads-up display.

^{Not the actual display. We wish, though.}

The glasses, which are supposedly under development at Google's not-so-secret Google X lab, would cost about as much as a smartphone, so they likely won't be for the light wallet. That being said, if they work as advertised, they could still sell plenty.

Feb

Xappr Gun Turns Your Android Phone Into An AR Weapon, You Into AR Rambo For $45

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Augmented reality has spent years in the "great idea, not quite there yet" bin, right next to motion controlled TVs and self-driving cars. Of course, what's the best way to improve a fledgling technology? Stick a trigger on it and let people shoot things with it. The Xappr is here to bring that essential step to the evolution of AR technology.

The Xappr gun, developed by game studio MetalCompass, is an attachment for your phone designed for first-person shooter games. Games like ATK, also developed by MetalCompass. This "social real-world" game allows players to engage in virtual shootouts with each other in real life.

Oct

iOnRoad Takes (Most Of) The Thinking Out Of Safe Driving, Offers Augmented Reality Using Your Android's Camera

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Bringing to the Android Market what I consider one of the only useful augmented reality apps in existence, iOnRoad has introduced iOnRoad Augmented Driving. This app utilizes your Android device's rear camera to have a look at traffic in front of you, and, using complex visual algorithms, it determines headway, speed, direction, and potential traffic threats.

What's more, the app still keeps watching, and keeps you abreast of any potential dangers while running in the background, meaning you can switch to your music player, messaging app, or phone, and still get alerts from iOnRoad.

On top of its incredible safety features, the apps also offers social integration, allowing you to unlock (and compete for) driving achievements (which seem to be geared toward safe driving), and upload snapshots of interesting sights, reckless drivers, etc.

Sep

Parrot AR.Drone + AR.FreeFlight Control App Review: One Major Flaw Leaves This Bird Grounded

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, Other Reviews, Reviews

Let's be honest: the Parrot AR.Drone is awesome. It's an awesome idea, it's an awesome design, and we had super high hopes for it. Unfortunately, one huge, massive, undeniable flaw means this bird will spend most of its life on the ground: battery life. It's that bad.

But before I, admittedly sadly, twist that dagger into the heart of this toy, let's go over what it does well - and why we're optimistic about Parrot's future smartphone-controlled vehicles. (Hint: mostly because this thing is so. Much. Fun.)

The Idea

Parrot's AR.Drone is a product we've covered in the past, even before its app was available for Android.

Jul

Wikitude Drive US Is A Slick Looking Augmented Reality Navigation System That Rivals Google Maps, Retails For €9.99 ($14)

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Applications, News

It is difficult to look twice at a navigation app when Google Maps and Navigation comes pre-installed on every Android device. Indeed it is even more difficult to pay for an alternative navigation app unless it offers a compelling feature. However, it appears that Wikitude (known for its popular Augmented Reality Browser) has hit upon a novel and useful feature that may just tempt users in the United States to cough up for a paid navigation app.

Wikitude Drive is the world's first mobile augmented reality navigation system which uses your device's camera to show you the road as you drive through it.

May

[Video Hands-On] HoopsAR Creates An Augmented Reality Basketball Game Right In Your Lap

Posted by Matt Demers in Applications, Game Reviews, News, Reviews, Videos

Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

Earlier today, a tip about a new augmented reality game called HoopsAR hit our inbox. Since augmented reality is a relatively new and kind of cool subject, I decided to take a deeper look and go hands-on. Before I could play the game, I needed to print out a basketball "ticket" which serves as the game board. The phone's camera then scans it and overlays the court on top of it in 3D.

If you're still a bit confused about how it works, don't worry - I whipped up a quick video hands-on in order to explain the overlay function and simple controls that make this game worth checking out.

Mar

[Impressive Demo] Librarian's Dream App - Augmented Reality Meets Book Shelves

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

While augmented reality apps can be pretty flashy and cool to look at, there are only a few I would actually call useful and practical in real life situations. Sure, I can pan my Yelp or Layar apps around to see nearby food locations, kill virtual ghosts, or run away from non-existent zombies, but those are not nearly as meaningful as what a Miami University professor Bo Brinkman has up his sleeve.

The Augmented Reality App for Shelf Reading, developed by Miami University Augmented Reality Research Group (or just MU ARRG - ha!) and headed by Bo, will have librarians salivating over its potentially time-saving capabilities.