Augmented reality (AR) integrates digital information into the real world, enabled by mobile technology and wireless broadband. It presents both opportunities and challenges, including increased transparency and reduced privacy, while also transforming marketing and social interactions. However, obstacles such as mobile processing power, screen size, and battery limitations hinder widespread adoption and functionality.

2. What is Augmented Reality?

3. It’s really an old idea Think “Terminator vision”

4. Once thought to require silly hats Call this “head’s up” augmented reality.

5. But, for now, this will do fine

6. Bringing down all the resources of the internet out of cyberspace and into ubiquitous reality Flickr: c@rljones Mobile phones are like the billion roofing nails that tie the cloud down to earth.

7. Just like ordinary reality Flickr: wvs

8. Only more so Flickr: wvs

9. Why is this important

10. Augmented reality finishes what the internet started

11. Internet 1.0 (1995-1999) was all about the great disruptive promise of the “cyberspace” and “online shopping” Internet 2.0 (2005-2009) was the 10 years it took to really figure out what to do with it: USG, rich web apps, social media Augmented Reality (2008…) is where mobile technology and wireless broadband make the internet finaly ubiquitous. And inescapable.

12. By this measure you could say there are many “augmented reality” apps already The other day, my dad googled a small duck. This augmented his reality. Call this “head’s down” AR

13. Broadly, what are the effects of Augmented Reality? Increased transparency Reduced privacy Timely access to information Constant access to entertainment Marketers can’t keep using the same old tricks In theory, anyone can easily know everything there is to know anything or anyone anywhere they are.

14. Design implications Assume connectivity is always on Except when there are glitches Except for caching, storing anything locally is dumb The cloud is the computer

15. Flickr: Jamais Cascio But back to terminator vision

16. Senkai Camera Cool app. Maybe this will be the “apple newton” of pure AR

17. Kweekies 3D game projected into realspace through your phone screen

18. Terminator Vision +

19. + Ordinary Reality

20. = Augmented Reality

22. Shopsavvy

23. “ Amazon declares war on retailers” Shop savvy, Amazon mobile app etc: these are a Retailers worst nightmare

24. Idee Inc., image recognition search on an iPhone

26. Social Augmented reality

27. Social Augmented Reality The knowledge of joining a crowd and knowing: Who do I know here? Where do I know them from? Who should I get to know? Who here is single? Are there any naked pictures of them on the internet?

28. There will be many layers of reality Not everyone wants to live in the Youtube comment section of reality

29. Marketing gimmicks

30. Choose your context, choose your data sets

31. Good realities / Bad realities Who are we to judge?

32. Marshal McLuhan

34. Mobile phone Enhances: Voice, conversation Retrieves: Spoken word, direct conversation Reverses: Video, picture, text messaging, Augmented reality Obsolesces: Public payphones, wrist watches, land lines, leaving notes, advance planning

35. Mobile + Augmented Reality Enhances: Awareness, tacit knowledge, wisdom Retrieves: Written word, gestures, lore, gossip Reverses: “batman vision” Obsolesces: Desktop web, Newspapers, ipods, departments stores, guidebooks, paper maps, paperbacks, magazines, local storage, phone numbers, MSWindows

36. What is still holding us back? Mobile Processing power Some of these apps running <10fps Screen size Are small relative to the world Human limitations: eyesight, thumb width Serious interaction problem for many demographics GPS locating speed Waiting…. Waiting… ah fuck it Network bandwidth/latency 400ms pings are not so responsive Tools/APIs Just emerging Battery Power This stuff devours batteries Installed base Smartphones not ubiquitous yet Fragmented mobile platforms Going to be with us a while M-commerce & monetization Buying real stuff is hard

37. What is getting better? Mobile Processing power Moore’s inexorable law Screen size Tablets, new tech foldable/rollable? Human limitations: eyesight, thumb width Better touch interfaces, natural gestures GPS locating speed AGPS, other cues e.g. wifi Network bandwidth/latency 4G/LTE brings better speed/latency Tools/APIs Will come Battery Power Moore’s law brings efficiencies Installed base >50% by 2012 Fragmented mobile platforms Ultimately the browser may displace native apps M-commerce & monetization We’re working on it

38. Near Future Tipping points iPhone 3.0 expected capabilities: Faster processor (the current one is unchanged from 2007) Video capabilities Where the iPhone goes the interactive design geeks follow Androids everywhere More mobile brands launching android soon Waiting for the deluge of Chinese off-brand Future blackberries (go Canada) May bring corporate/enterprise killer apps

39. Who really becomes empowered?

40. Who also becomes empowered?

41. Who benefits from augmented reality? Brands Consumers State Control Opposition Police Criminals Developed world Developing world The center The edges Extroverts Introverts The old The young E-government E-anarchy

42. As a designer, you can choose sides If you are a mobile designer, there’s no shortage of paying work ahead

43. When augmented reality fails (PROTIP #71: Don’t drop Augmented reality)

44. The more sophisticated a technology, the more fragile it can be Don’t drop augmented reality I ran out of batteries so I can’t buy a coffee I ran out of batteries and I can’t find my way home I am meeting my blind date but she went indoors where LBS doesn’t work When a government rounds up opposition based on mobile records

45. Discuss @tpurves http://thomaspurves.com