Augmented reality; welcome to the future

By Esther Mauer

Video games have been entertaining us for more than 25 years. And computer graphics have become much more realistic since then. Now it is time for a next step in visual technology. Graphics and animations will be pulled out of your television screen or computer display and come into the real world. This new technology is what they call augmented reality. It mixes the real world and the virtual world and creates an extra dimension by adding graphics, sounds, animations and useful information to our world as we know it.

It all sounds quite innovating, but what is the use of this technology? Augmented reality is changing the way we view the world. Picture yourself walking down the street. You are hungry but you have no idea where to get a good meal. Just grab your smartphone and insert ‘restaurant’. While you focuss your phone on the buildings around you, a building lightens up on your screen. Information is popping up: ‘Italian restaurant, click here for the menu, ratings and reservations’. Welcome to the future.
Everyone from tourists, to doctors, to someone looking for a coffeebar can now have the ability to place such useful information in their field of vision. With special displays -don’t be afraid, they just look like a normal pair of sunglasses- informative graphics will appear in your field of view, and audio will be combined with whatever you see. Similar devices and applications already exist, particularly on smartphones like the iPhone. Layar is the newest application that uses this new technology. This app can recognize real world objects and display augmented reality ‘experiences’ on top of them.
But it’s not only a nice gadget for your smartphone. It could also be really useful for educational purposes. Students could use it to have a deeper understanding on their physics or geographic homework by making it more visual. Also information in museums can become more clear and lively for visitors by using these simulations. This trend is also handy to the military. It can give field soldiers really important information about their surroundings and enemy movements in their area. The same for police officers; they will have a complete and detailed view and information about a crime scene for example.
Medically, augmented reality systems could help surgeons during operations. It can give them a clear view on how to cut into a patient’s body. This will result in less risky and more efficient surgical operations. Moreover, this system could also be used in combination with other medical instruments like x-ray machines or an MRI.

It almost sounds like a miracle invention. Augmented reality systems can be used in almost any field or industry. All these advantages will ensure that augmented reality systems will play a big role in how people live in the future. In the right conditions, the technology could make our lives less complex and far easier. We just can’t wait!

QR Codes

By Mandy Lamboo

What’s a QR Code anyway?

When you see a QR Code for the first time, you’re first thought is probably; that looks a lot like the barcodes they use in the supermarket! The big difference between the two of them is that a QR Code can hold a lot more information. That makes them practical for small business.

When you have a smartphone with a camera, you are able to read a QR Code. They can link you to a website, email, sms and many other options. The ability of it is to connect people with each other and to multimedia content. That fact makes it very useful for business to use these upcoming codes.

Where does it come from?

While it is very new in the United States, they’ve used it for over a decade in Japan. The QR Code is a registered trademark of Denso Wave, which is owned by Toyota. They haven’t exercised their patent rights and that encouraged the rest of the world to make use of them.

There are some other companies that have created codes who work much like QR Codes. Take Microsoft for example. The only difference between the codes is the fact that the Microsoft codes can only be read by the Microsoft Tag Reader.

Which one of them should you use? It’s a personal choice. The MS tags allow more possibilities for graphic designs like downloading images and logos. Nevertheless, the big asset of the QR Codes is the ease of use.

 Applications for QR Codes

Sharing
There is no longer a limit to how much you can share. A video or landing page is easily shared; you can even share a whole eBook.

 Community
You build a community with sharing. One of the favourite places for doing this is Facebook. You can connect a QR Code to the like button for your Facebook page. This gives you the possibility to merge all of your other communities to your Facebook page – all accomplished in one click.

 Calls to action
After building your community, the next step is to take them to action! For example, you can alternate special offers by just linking your codes to new landing pages.

Practical uses

Just a few examples of where the codes could be used.

• On your business card.
• Brochures and other marketing material.
• Event tickets
• Restaurant menu’s

A few examples of what QR Codes could link to.

• Installation instructions.
• Directions to your business.
• Special offers
• Free mp3 downloads

And a few about how you can maximize the effectiveness.

• Provide explanations about their use
• Give reasons to come back
• Experiment
• Make it fun!

 What’s the future of QR Codes and Tags?

The most exciting at the moment is how they take what social media is doing now –bringing people together with technology- and extending it to a bigger experience. The next generation of codes will hold even more information. Until the point where an internet connection isn’t even necessary.

Here is one of the most inventing one. Diesel wanted the possibility to spread the word about their jeans. What did they do? Use the QR Codes.

Welcome to Media Trends Now!

Welcome to Media Trends Now! The newest blog based on all the new trends in the media. Read about ‘Whatsapp’, QR Codes and Twitter and how it can help to make your business grow. Does it get our attention? We will write about it!