6 ms·

Augmented Reality is the killer app for the iPhone 3GS

46 points by shalmanese 17y ago

malbiniak 17y ago
if this were anywhere but the iphone ecosystem where ifart is/was all the rage, seb lee-delisle (papervision 3d team, http://www.sebleedelisle.com/ http://www.sebleedelisle.com/) would be absolutely right: "augmented reality has no practical use. but it IS fun."
- stcredzero 17y ago
  The form factor is wrong. The iPhone form factor is a good communications device that can offer a web/search/computing interface in a pinch. It's not comfortable to use in a lot of situations, and its interface soaks up all of your concentration. What's needed is an interface that can convey information but which is not a soak for all of your attention. A 5x8" form factor which is extremely lightweight and daylight readable could be held like a cue-card. Add accelerometer, compass, camera, good contextual voice recognition, and GUI which is easily operated by one thumb, and you have it. Heads-up displays on your contacts, or direct neural inputs would be dandy. I think we'll get the above before that, though.
haseman 17y ago
-Lets file that one away under D for 'Duh'- Anyone who's read a Charles Stross novel in the past 2 years could see this one coming from a km away.
- TrevorJ 17y ago
  And not everyone has, so this is still an interesting discussion to be having. I find the fact that hardware is catching up to imagination (finally) to be noteworthy and worth talking about.
  - haseman 17y ago
    All true things, I guess I object to the 'you heard it here first' attitude
    - TrevorJ 17y ago
      That's fair enough. I guess every good idea has been had once before. Personally I'm just looking forward to having everybody's bio floating over their head when I look at them through my iphone camera. Wait. No. No, I'm not. Scary times we live in.
  - jokermatt999 17y ago
    Even for those that have read about it, discussing the possibilities and implications is still interesting.
- randallsquared 17y ago
  Well, _Accelerando_ or _Halting State_, anyway.
roc 17y ago
It'll be popular stuff, but we're still a good head-mounted display/camera away from really blowing the doors off.
- chaosmachine 17y ago
  http://www.myvu.com/ http://www.myvu.com/
  - troystribling 17y ago
    I like this one better, http://www.digilens.com/ http://www.digilens.com/, looks a little better and designed as HUD.
    - cstejerean 17y ago
      It looks really nice, but where can one purchase those? And for how much?
cl3m 17y ago
I think he is missing the third feature : opening of the platform to third-party hardware. Thus we will soon have 3d goggles, sensors for anything, chip implants, body hacking, brain-computer interface and the kitchen sink on the iPhone =)
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
aditya 17y ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EA8xlicmT8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EA8xlicmT8 That's a video of what Augmented Reality can do on the G1... definitely cool app.
- greendestiny 17y ago
  Yeah map sized apps are about the only things that will be remotely convincing given the accuracy of the sensors.
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
ynniv 17y ago
The autofocus camera will complicate calibration. Maybe the API provides an accurate reading of the current focal length.
- elai 17y ago
  Almost all cellphone cameras are basically pinhole ones. There is only one set focal length.
  - DougBTX 17y ago
    Most, like the iPhone 3G. However, not the iPhone 3GS: http://images.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/images/photos-gallery2-20090608.jpg http://images.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/images/photos-gal...
DannoHung 17y ago
I was saying this to my friend the other day: Someone's going to implement the art project from Spook Country in a few months on an iPhone 3GS.
gojomo 17y ago
How long before Apple offers iEye active contact lenses?
drenei 17y ago
This starts to remind me of the 6th Sense project demoed at TED - http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.h.... We have so much information available that would be a lot more useful if it is intuitively and seamlessly available WHEN its most useful.
tjmc 17y ago
I'd like to see an iPhone hooked up to a model plane/helicopter. Now that it's got a compass in addition to the GPS and acceleromter, it's a potential autopilot with video capability. Poor man's UAV/cruise missile perhaps?
- samlittlewood 17y ago
  Or use something like: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8454 http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_i...

46 points by shalmanese 17y ago

if this were anywhere but the iphone ecosystem where ifart is/was all the rage, seb lee-delisle (papervision 3d team, http://www.sebleedelisle.com/ http://www.sebleedelisle.com/) would be absolutely right: "augmented reality has no practical use. but it IS fun."

stcredzero 17y ago
The form factor is wrong. The iPhone form factor is a good communications device that can offer a web/search/computing interface in a pinch. It's not comfortable to use in a lot of situations, and its interface soaks up all of your concentration. What's needed is an interface that can convey information but which is not a soak for all of your attention. A 5x8" form factor which is extremely lightweight and daylight readable could be held like a cue-card. Add accelerometer, compass, camera, good contextual voice recognition, and GUI which is easily operated by one thumb, and you have it. Heads-up displays on your contacts, or direct neural inputs would be dandy. I think we'll get the above before that, though.

haseman 17y ago

-Lets file that one away under D for 'Duh'- Anyone who's read a Charles Stross novel in the past 2 years could see this one coming from a km away.

TrevorJ 17y ago
And not everyone has, so this is still an interesting discussion to be having. I find the fact that hardware is catching up to imagination (finally) to be noteworthy and worth talking about.
- haseman 17y ago
  All true things, I guess I object to the 'you heard it here first' attitude
  - TrevorJ 17y ago
    That's fair enough. I guess every good idea has been had once before. Personally I'm just looking forward to having everybody's bio floating over their head when I look at them through my iphone camera. Wait. No. No, I'm not. Scary times we live in.
- jokermatt999 17y ago
  Even for those that have read about it, discussing the possibilities and implications is still interesting.
randallsquared 17y ago
Well, _Accelerando_ or _Halting State_, anyway.

roc 17y ago

It'll be popular stuff, but we're still a good head-mounted display/camera away from really blowing the doors off.

chaosmachine 17y ago
http://www.myvu.com/ http://www.myvu.com/
- troystribling 17y ago
  I like this one better, http://www.digilens.com/ http://www.digilens.com/, looks a little better and designed as HUD.
  - cstejerean 17y ago
    It looks really nice, but where can one purchase those? And for how much?

cl3m 17y ago

I think he is missing the third feature : opening of the platform to third-party hardware. Thus we will soon have 3d goggles, sensors for anything, chip implants, body hacking, brain-computer interface and the kitchen sink on the iPhone =)

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

aditya 17y ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EA8xlicmT8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EA8xlicmT8 That's a video of what Augmented Reality can do on the G1... definitely cool app.

greendestiny 17y ago
Yeah map sized apps are about the only things that will be remotely convincing given the accuracy of the sensors.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

ynniv 17y ago

The autofocus camera will complicate calibration. Maybe the API provides an accurate reading of the current focal length.

elai 17y ago
Almost all cellphone cameras are basically pinhole ones. There is only one set focal length.
- DougBTX 17y ago
  Most, like the iPhone 3G. However, not the iPhone 3GS: http://images.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/images/photos-gallery2-20090608.jpg http://images.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/images/photos-gal...

DannoHung 17y ago

I was saying this to my friend the other day: Someone's going to implement the art project from Spook Country in a few months on an iPhone 3GS.

gojomo 17y ago

How long before Apple offers iEye active contact lenses?

drenei 17y ago

This starts to remind me of the 6th Sense project demoed at TED - http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.h.... We have so much information available that would be a lot more useful if it is intuitively and seamlessly available WHEN its most useful.

tjmc 17y ago

I'd like to see an iPhone hooked up to a model plane/helicopter. Now that it's got a compass in addition to the GPS and acceleromter, it's a potential autopilot with video capability. Poor man's UAV/cruise missile perhaps?

samlittlewood 17y ago
Or use something like: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8454 http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_i...