Augmented reality takes pop-up books to the next level (interview)

Augmented reality, combining real world views and digital information, is not particularly new, but it is still considered in its infancy. The technology has been used in a variety of ways, from GPS systems to fitness apps, though entertainment seems to be the most popular.

GamesBeat had a chance to sit down with Scott Jochim, president of Digital Tech Frontier and Popar Toys, to discuss his company’s line of augmented reality children’s books, which are … Continue Reading

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Grover & Jabbawockeez dancers invade Qualcomm’s CES keynote (video)

Monday CES attendees saw a choir singing tweets for Microsoft, and Tuesday they got Sesame Street’s Grover and the world-renowned dance group Jabbawockeez at Qualcomm’s CES keynote.

Grover joined a Qualcomm representative to show off the company’s Vuforia augmented reality platform, while Jabbawockeez kicked off the keynote with a tech-infused dance.

It’s not unusual for CES to become a blur of announcements, statistics, and self-congratulation — so it often comes down to surprise appearances like … Continue Reading

Inside Will Wright’s next big game: HiveMind (exclusive)

Will Wright has created some of the biggest video games of all time, from SimCity to The Sims — games that have sold well above 100 million units and generated billions in revenues. Now he’s moving on to his next idea, called HiveMind.

HiveMind is a game, and it’s also the name of a new Berkeley, Calif.-based startup Wright is unveiling today in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat.

The idea is a new evolution in … Continue Reading

Augmented reality for all: Total Immersion releases free AR platform, SkinVaders game

In a bid to make augmented reality more than just a buzzword, AR company Total Immersion will make its D’Fusion Studio software free for developers, it said today. The move should remove a significant barrier to entry towards creating augmented reality apps.

Augmented reality (AR) refers to a view of real-world environments that’s overlayed with digital information. As a proof of concept, the company is launching SkinVaders today, a free iOS game built with D’Fusion … Continue Reading

Demo: Practical augmented reality hits the iPad and smartphones with Aurasma

Most “augmented reality” demonstrations fall somewhere between merely fun and completely useless: Adding 3-D animations to advertisments, playing cards and the like.

Aurasma is an augmented reality application that has much more practical uses, such as adding video to printed newspaper pages, turning 2-D architectural drawings into 3-D models and providing interactive guides for how to use physical objects in the real world.

“Aurasma doesn’t have to be used with pictures; it can also be … Continue Reading

360 Panorama-maker Occipital lands $7M with plans for computer vision platform

Occipital, the company behind the popular panoramic photo app 360 Panorama, announced today that it has received $7 million in first round funding led by Foundry Group.

The company plans on using the influx of funding to make a big leap: It is going to launch a computer vision platform that other mobile developers can take advantage of for their own projects.

“We’re using computer vision to make real world environments computationally interactive and fun, … Continue Reading

Zugara licenses Webcam Social Shopper to Banana Flame

This article is part of a series of posts about DEMO alumni and news of their progress. Zugara launched at DEMO in Spring 2011. Check out more at DEMO.

Something is fundamentally wrong with online shopping, according to Zugara.  The augmented-reality company is one step closer to fixing the problem with the first licensing of its “Webcam Social Shopper” to Banana Flame, a UK-based retail website.

For many, online shopping is just a means to … Continue Reading

Here are GamesBeat’s 2011 startup standouts

VentureBeat’s GamesBeat conference features a competition for gaming companies that have some kind of innovative or disruptive technology. This year, the competition features a lot of cool hardware and social games.

The winner gets an iPad 2 from Trinet and is enrolled in the August round of Yatizen’s game accelerator class. That is similar to incubators like Y Combinator, which offer companies advice and a little bit of funding to get them rolling.

Here are … Continue Reading

Total Immersion’s augmented reality makes loyal fans out of tweens

This article is part of a series of posts where we write about DEMO alumni and news of their progress. Total Immersion launched at DEMO in 2004 and returned to launch a separate product in 2007. Check out their 2007 video here and more at DEMO.

Crowdsourcing has taken a turn for the tweens with MyFlipbook, a Facebook application from augmented reality company Total Immersion. The app was launched this week by Hollywood Records in … Continue Reading

Total Immersion gets $5.5M to expand augmented reality

Augmented Reality (AR) company Total Immersion just received $5.5 million in funding.

Augmented reality overlays digital information on your view of the physical world through a camera or other viewer. The new funding will be used to further develop the company’s D’Fusion platform and expand operations in Asia and in the US.

This latest funding round was led by Intel Capital and including existing investors Partech, iSource and Elaia Partners.

Total Immersion has solutions for … Continue Reading

DEMO: FaceCake offers Jetson-like future of fashion

FaceCake is one of 53 companies chosen by VentureBeat to launch at the DEMO Spring 2011 event taking place this week in Palm Desert, Calif. After our selection, the companies pay a fee to present. Our coverage of them remains objective.

FaceCake revealed at DEMO today a virtual, real-time fitting room that allows users to try on outfits and accessories without ever taking their clothes off. It’s kind of like a dressing room mirror on … Continue Reading

Daqri wants to be the augmented reality's YouTube

Daqri, which lets any user create bar codes called QR codes that display images, movies and other pieces of content as soon as they are viewed through an iPhone camera, announced today it is launching a private beta test.

The company made the announcement at the Launch Conference in San Francisco.

Users upload a piece of content and associate it with a QR code. The augmented reality piece automatically displays when anyone opens up the … Continue Reading

Augmented reality helps you fix your printer

Augmented reality (AR) company Metaio will show a demo at next week’s Mobile World Congress in which AR on your mobile phone shows you how to change a printer toner cartridge.

Augmented reality overlays digital information over your view of the physical world in a mobile device’s camera view

The printer demo is significant for a couple of reasons: the application of mobile AR to a service and maintenance scenario, and the sophisticated technology used.… Continue Reading

Ciara's top posts of 2010

Tech journalism, and tech companies, for me have always been about ideas and their ability to change the world. What matters is not only the strength of the light you can shed on a subject but what you choose to illuminate. For me, technology should either be delightful or do something important or both. Here are the articles I loved writing in 2010:

Augmented Reality: The Next generation because Terminator‘s augmented reality vision was as … Continue Reading

Most augmented reality companies not doing augmented reality?

Forrester Research just released a new report on mobile augmented reality (AR) that says few companies are delivering “real” augmented reality (AR) today.

Augmented reality overlays digital information over your view of the physical world in a mobile device’s camera view, as pictured left. It currently works by using a combination of the mobile phone’s camera, compass, GPS data and other sensors to identify objects in the field of view, retrieve relevant data and overlay … Continue Reading

Word Lens iPhone app combines instant text translation with augmented reality

Just when you thought you’ve seen everything mobile apps have to offer, along comes an entry like Word Lens that makes you feel like you’re in the future. The app instantly translates Spanish into English (and vice versa) whenever you point your iPhone’s camera on text.

Translation apps aren’t anything new, but what’s amazing about Word Lens is that it translates text in real-time — there’s no need to take a photo and wait for … Continue Reading

Layar lands another $14M to turn augmented reality into a discovery tool

Layar today announced it has landed another $14 million in its second round of fundraising from Intel Capital to help make it easier to discover new places, like shops and restaurants, through its augmented reality interface.

Augmented reality essentially uses location-based technology to superimpose images and content on top of a smartphone camera’s viewfinder. The overlaid information can include a Yelp review or details about a landmark. Users simply point their camera somewhere and click … Continue Reading

Japanese augmented reality gaming company Tonchidot lands $12M

Tonchidot, a mobile augmented reality (AR) platform provider, just landed $12 million in second round funding. Several Japanese companies and venture capitalists participated in the round, including mobile operator KDDI Corporation, media conglomerate Recruit Co. Ltd., and mobile advertising company SPiRE.

Augmented reality refers to the use of computer-generated imagery over a live feed of a real-world environment — something usually achieved with a cellphone camera.

According to Osuke Honda from VC fund DCM, a … Continue Reading

Which startups will bridge the physical and virtual worlds?

In our pockets sits unprecedented processing power, in the form of smartphones that are morphing into superphones. And they’re on the verge of having next-level software that can provide us with deeper immersion and more interactive experiences. As networks improve, we’ll roam the world virtually, seeking relevant information regardless of time and place. Still, there is a gap between the physical world and the digital experience of it. The question: How do we cross it?… Continue Reading

Metaio and Kooaba deliver augmented reality for music lovers

In our pockets sits unprecedented processing power, in the form of smartphones that are morphing into superphones. And they’re on the verge of having next-level software that can provide us with deeper immersion and more interactive experiences. As networks improve, we’ll roam the world virtually, seeking relevant information regardless of time and place. Still, there is a gap between the physical world and the digital experience of it. The question: How do we cross it?… Continue Reading