Augmented reality causes a stir in mobile

Augmented reality is now a reality in the mobile device. OK. Let me take a step back. Augmented reality mobile applications are starting to hit the mobile device and in doing so, highlighting fresher approaches to search and discovery.

Augmented reality on the mobile device is a game changer as it mixes camera technology, with real places and new informative information. Our perception or guidance changes and in the future augmented reality can have a powerful impact on the mobile space.

There is a great video over at the BBC that shows how this technology can be used to find Tube stops in London. I love this service is it is so simple and the walking direction on the ground is just such a good idea.

But in another article about Cyborg Vision has really caught our imagination. It is from a Japanese Company Tonchidot and the service is called Air Tagging.

Air Tagging is basically a camera application and viewer that will allow users to see tags floating in the air which contain information about where you are (a show or conference). But on top of this it allows users to take a step further and create their own tag and add it to the floating stream. The tag can contain multimedia and information on thoughts or more information on what you can see.

With the camera application you can read or find or search topics or Air Tags on the fly. You touch the tag on your phone to get the information.

Augmented reality is progressive technology. It is the 6.0 of mobile barcodes and existing tagging solutions such as NFC. It would be easy to dismiss this as “something for the future” – but it shouldn’t be. Ten years in the mobile space can fly and the more provoking and innovative the ideas now the stronger and richer our mobile future.