Augmented Reality is the killer app for the iPhone 3GS | Hacker News Reader

Augmented Reality is the killer app for the iPhone 3GS

blog.bumblebeelabs.com

46 pointsshalmanese23 comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EA8xlicmT8

That's a video of what Augmented Reality can do on the G1... definitely cool app.

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

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 =)

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.

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/) would be absolutely right: "augmented reality has no practical use. but it IS fun."

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.

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?

Or use something like:

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_i...

This starts to remind me of the 6th Sense project demoed at TED - 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.

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

Almost all cellphone cameras are basically pinhole ones. There is only one set focal length.

Most, like the iPhone 3G. However, not the iPhone 3GS: http://images.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/images/photos-gal...

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

http://www.myvu.com/

I like this one better, http://www.digilens.com/, looks a little better and designed as HUD.

It looks really nice, but where can one purchase those? And for how much?

How long before Apple offers iEye active contact lenses?

-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.

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.

All true things, I guess I object to the 'you heard it here first' attitude

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.

Even for those that have read about it, discussing the possibilities and implications is still interesting.

Well, _Accelerando_ or _Halting State_, anyway.

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