The View from Above: InHardFocus Round-up (September 2, 2011)

Menswear tries Augmented Reality on for size: Luxury Daily and others are covering the latest industry to get on-board Augmented Reality-based marketing, menswear. British designer Dunhill is rolling out an AR campaign using the Aurasma Lite app, which consumers could use to transtate print advertisements into interactive videos of distinguished, obviously well-dressed men. See video above for a demo.

Cell phone tracking for the right reasons: We’ve covered recent developments with ‘locationgate,’ where companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Google have been caught collecting Wi-Fi and smartphone users’ locations for less than transparent purposes. While certainly the legality of these actions are in question, there are situations where mining location data can actually save lives. As Fast Company describes in a recent article, researcher Linus Bengtsson and his colleagues at Sweden’s Karlinska Intitutet and Columbia University have found a way to capture and translate cell phone activity in order to predict movement of people after disasters. Imagine how useful this could be in applying aid, resources and people after earthquakes, wars or disease outbreaks.

Your favorite photo sharing app hits 200 million photos: Instagram, the company that’s putting warm and fuzzy filters on your memories, has seen explosive growth since it launched 10 months ago. We’re excited to see where this company goes, which as TechCrunch points out, should be on the Android platform for starters. In other news, Gizmodo features Instamap, an app for the iPad that allows people to browse Instagram photos with nifty (and stalkerish) location tagging and search features.

The View From Above: In Hard Focus Round-up (September 1, 2011)

AR brings boardgames to life: A recent Kickstarter project, called the OggBoard, aims to give board game fans a 3D experience with the use of Augmented Reality. If the project is funded, the physical ‘board’ upon which games are played will be simple in design, yet provide physical cues for smartphones to populate AR game content – be it a chess piece, user-created characters for specialty games, or perhaps a battleship. See the video above, via CNET.

Microsoft’s own ‘Locationgate’: We recently covered the discovery that Microsoft, alongside Apple, has been collecting locations of smartphones and other Wi-Fi enable devices, so it comes to no surprise that a recent class action law suit has been filed around Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 tracking of data. TechCrunch reports that a Seattle district court is handling the case, which centers on the idea that WP7 users, regardless of whether or not they opt out of location tracking, have their location and data harvested. While this location tracking is purportedly only for marketing and advertising purposes, the fact that they keeping tabs on people unawares is quite sketchy.

Holograms could make microscopes more accessible in the medical field: UCLA researchers are developing a microscope that trades traditional (and heavy) lens with lightweight hologram technology.  The technology works by shining light on a sensor chip with the object, which then collects in a cloud-based software program that recreates the image. What’s amazing is that this breakthrough could mean the ability to a) carry in microscopes to remote areas (Engadget reports that the new model could be the size of a banana) and b) access and analyze the image remotely via computers, tablets and smartphones.   

The View From Above: In Hard Focus Round-up (August 25, 2011)

Tesco Virtual QR Code store becomes a reality (sort of): 2D Code reports that South Korea’s Tesco is taking their virtual shopping model from a concept to reality with a trial store located in a major subway station. Commuters simply use the Tesco Homeplus app to scan QR codes located below items, purchasing them in-app. While you may be waiting for your morning train, you won’t have to wait for groceries, as there’s day-of delivery if you scan your selections before 1 pm. Let’s hope there’s enough cell service to make this virtual store worthwhile. See photo above.

Pinpoint your questions with Quora’s location tagging: Want to ask Quora what monument you’re looking at in downtown Atlanta? According to TechCrunch soon you can, thanks to Quora’s upcoming mapping feature, which will allow you to connect questions with specific locations on Google Maps. When you consider the amount of people these days turning to smartphones for answers on the go, it’s no wonder Quora’s getting into the game. Thinking in reverse, imagine checking a location on Quora and getting recommendations based on existing queries. 

AR Layar application connects with anonymous peer-to-peer sharing: We’ve covered the Augmented Reality company Layer, but what’s cool about the company is all the integrations it is inspiring thanks to Layar Vision, its competition around creating interesting and useful ‘layers’. Recently, SciFi writer Bruce Sterling got on board to create a layer called Dead Drops that leads people to USB drives, facilitating file sharing among strangers. Not sure why I’d want to pull out a laptop and plug it into the side of a building, but does make you think of all the interesting use cases that will come out of this challenge, and of Augmented Reality applications as a whole.

The View From Above: In Hard Focus Round-up (August 22nd, 2011)

Augmented Reality Mirror allows you to see your better self: Researchers at the Multimedia and Vision research group at Queen Mary, University of London, have created an application that allows one to change one’s appearance in real time, as reported by New Scientist. Utilizing 3D modeling and feature tracking to create a virtual mirror, the technology could have lots of real-world applications, the obvious being for aesthetic reasons like plastic surgery consultations. See the video above for an application of this technology. 

3-D GPS breakthrough will mean accuracy for scientists and consumers alike: Fast Company reports that scientists at Rice University are working to improve GPS system calculations, which are typically affected by poor altitude judgment and errors from radio signal filtering. The software in development, which aims to filter out these errors and thus improve accuracy, will certainly have wide implications for location-based services beyond simple GPS navigation, from glacier tracking to more precise location-based services and applications (think within centimeters).

Apple betting on AR with a new patent: Apple has recently filed a patent application that will essentially incorporate AR technology into the iPhone’s camera. This patent will not only bring a new layer of information to the already useful native applications (Maps and Compass, for example), but, as CNET reports, may give AR the push it needs to hit mainstream adoption and use. Not to mention, it also opens up the platform for companies and developers looking to get on the Augmented Reality train.

The View From Above: In Hard Focus Round-up (July 29, 2011)

Augmented Reality Keeps You Entertained and Educated on the Road: Toyota’s European research division is working on a way to turn car windows into an interactive monitor and lens for the world beyond. Wired’s GeekDad discusses how passengers will be able to draw on windows, translate road signs, or access a variety of information layered onto the landscape. Check out the video above to see the possibilities of what they’re calling “Window to the World.”

Microsoft is Keeping Track of Your Computer’s Location, Not Holding Back on Sharing (For Now): CNet reported today that Microsoft has been collecting the locations of your Wi-Fi enabled devices – which is not unusual considering similar actions by Google and Skyhook Wireless – yet is doing little to hide this data from the public.

Location tracking works by determining Wi-Fi points of access for laptops, desktop computers and cell phones and is used to enhance location-based services, search results and map locations. While acceptable for these very reasons, the accessibility of this data could be a violation of privacy and a danger if used for the wrong reasons. At the moment, Microsoft provides no way for users to opt out of including their Wi-Fi addresses in Microsoft’s Live.com database, however perhaps pressure from media, or even fellow location tracker Google, will convince Microsoft to regulate access.

In-Store Tablets Telling You What to Buy: Via DesignBoom and Ubergizmo, SK Telecom is creating a new way for customers to get the digital experience in-stores through its use of tablets built into shopping carts. With this pilot program in Shanghai’s Lotus Supermarket, shoppers can synchronize their phones to the tablets, which will then deliver coupons on-the-spot and act like a “personalized smart shopping service” that will take into account shopping history and location.