Augmented Reality – Hyperlinking the real world
Is the end near for the QR code? It has been put to good use in countless innovative projects, but recently I am starting to see a drift towards technology that can produce similar results without the codes.
French company Capturio, lets users turn their t-shirts into a business card! Now Blippar in UK is creating augmented reality effects from printed images without any activation from a QR code. All the users needs to do is:
- download a custom app...in this case its from Blippar
- scan a Blippar enabled printed image (identifiable by a small Blippar logo) with their iPhone, iPad or Android device
- and begin interaction with the augmented reality 3D overlay seen on the screen...
In India I have seen Telibrahma using the same technology to increase the experiential engagements of brands via traditional mediums i.e. newspapers, posters etc.
The TimeKiller App
For the last two years in a row, SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) has won the award for being Europe's most punctual airline. With their ad agency SWE Advertising Stockholm, they created a great little time wasting utility app that isn't actually made for its loyal customers, but for their competitor airline customers. 
The idea was to poke a little fun at SAS' competitor airlines by suggesting to their customers that they'll need this app from SAS because chances are, their flight will be delayed and they will need something to kill their time with…
Vodafone Buffer Busters
The Buffer Busters are the new Ghost Busters from Vodafone Germany. The telecom giant has launched an augmented reality mobile application that transforms German cities into a video game arena!
Starting from the brief "Vodafone is the fastest mobile network in Germany", ad agency North Kingdom Stockholm has created a digital story revolving around so-called Buffer Monsters that represent everything slow in our everyday surroundings.
Users who play the game have to capture these monsters by using their iPhone or Android smart phones. When 50 monsters have been captured, the user needs to visit a near by Vodafone Store to dump them and continue playing. The best Buffer Busters will win a lifetime plan from Vodafone!
The TVC supporting the initiative is also very well done...
For more details visit the campaign microsite.
The iPhone 5 will be cool, but probably not this cool
People are getting antsy for the iPhone 5, some even agitated. All the anticipation is building the mythical gadget into something greater than it may eventually end up being. Videos like the one below don't help either, but of course they are totally irresistible.
In the below video, Aatma Studio presents a computer generated concept of the iPhone 5 which is an exponential leap with features like an ultra-thin design, a laser keyboard, and a holographic display!
Additionally, here is the rumor roundup video of iPhone 5 from NowhereElse. It also fits well with the craze on hand. 
Volkswagen virtual Golf Cabriolet app
The Golf Cabriolet is back after 9 years of absence, since production was stopped in 2002. Volkswagen together with Paris based agency 'Agency.V.' have come up with the worlds first augmented reality car showroom app for the iPad2, iPhone and Android.
The app lets you explore the vehicle and play with it's features like opening the soft-top roof, rotating the car, checking the vehicle's details, changing the body colour or the style of the rims. You can even take a picture of yourself with the virtual car and share each step of this experience through your social networks.
iPhone and iPad 2 users can download the app from the French iTunes Store. Android users can do the same at the Android market.
Singles Finder App
Ogilvy Interactive has developed a "Singles Finder App" for Zonacitas.com, a major Argentinian dating portal. Their concept was simple..."Love is out there. If we get organized, there's plenty for all".
With Buenos Aires being one of the cities with the best nightlife in the world, having thousands of bars, discos and pubs to choose from can be a problem. All these options make it difficult to find and meet single men and women. With the "Singles Finder", a free Smartphone App for the iPhone, users were able to get the exact amount of single prospects in each location. The best part was that they knew where to go well before.
Augmented Reality Cinema
The Augmented Reality Cinema app for the iPhone allows you to walk around London and discover all the places where movies have been shot. Just point your iPhone in the direction of a sweetspot and get a replay of the movie scene that was shot there.
The app is currently a work in progress prototype. But if and when it does see the light of day, I am sure it will make a great gizmo for all the movie buffs out there.
Budweiser Ice Cold Index
Irish people have always been fascinated by the weather but their interest is set to reach new heights this summer with the launch of the Budweiser Ice Cold Index.
The Budweiser Ice Cold Index App is set to show you the local weather, then spit out redemption codes for free or discounted beer at nearby participating pubs. The higher the temperature, the less you'll pay for your pint. 
This app literally moves people into the selling space, provides refreshment, and so it should gain some loyalty points with the customers as well. Too bad it's only in Ireland!
Boil an egg with your iPhone
This egg timer iPhone app was created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky Europe for Swedish sandwich spread Kalles Kaviar.
The idea behind the app is to assist users in boiling the perfect egg. It even puts together a playlist, that when finished, means your egg is ready.
It's clearly a hit with caviar/egg lovers as the app has already had more than 50,000 downloads and is the third most downloaded in the free app section in the Swedish iTunes AppStore.
3D Video Mapping Interactivity Test
NuFormer after executing 3D video mapping projections onto objects and buildings worldwide, have now used interactivity in their latest addition to this technology.
During the interactive projection test the spectators became the controller and interacted realtime with the building by using gesture based tracking (Kinect). People could influence the content by using an iPad, iPhone or web based application made available for both mobile phone and computer use. For this test Facebook interactivity was used but any type of social media can also be incorporated into the projection.
This is an exciting development for projection mapping and we should be seeing this featured in some great campaigns to come.
Follow Ramble
Categories
- Ads (83)
- Believe it or not (23)
- Business cards (4)
- Cartoons (7)
- Concepts (11)
- Direct Marketing (15)
- E-Greetings (2)
- Emerging Technology (76)
- Emerging Trends (99)
- Film & Animation (11)
- Flash Mob (1)
- Funny Videos (16)
- Games (2)
- Instore (3)
- Live Communication (143)
- Marketing Strategies (227)
- Music Videos (3)
- Packaging (3)
- Phones (53)
- Power of Online (140)
- Shopper Marketing (10)
- Social Media (105)
- Social Service (20)
- Tablet Computers (5)
- Technology News (3)
- Test Drive (3)
- Utilities (4)