One of the things I love about working in digital media is that things never ever stand still, there is always a new media, a new format, better compression, a new idea. That’s not to say that all new ideas or media are good, many arrive, get 5 minutes of exposure and fade just as quickly.

This is inevitable. Some things perhaps don’t get adopted when they should, I think back to Beta Max vs VHS, yes about 20 years ago the battle of the video formats raged for a few months. Although VHS was arguably the weaker format, in quality terms, it won the battle through early adoption and mass acceptance. Beta max never went away, it just reinvented itself as a broadcast format which is still largely adopted today, although now in its fresh new DigiBeta format. I guess that doesn’t prove my point, but what it does say is that there are always other formats, new technologies and ultimately nothing stands still in this business.

Perhaps the defining factor is that the idea or media doesn’t just need to be good, it needs to be relevant and catch peoples imaginations to become accepted. Who knows what the mystery factor is? If the current X Factor shambles of John and Edward is a case in point of what that mystery factor is then I give up now. I want no part of it. (I don’t normally admit to watching that but its been known)

Who is to say that the iPhone is better than the other smartphones on the market? (apart from me to anyone who asks and some who don’t and its clearly the case!) But it has stolen a march over the others and been adopted by developers worldwide giving it a significant advantage. It won’t be the only product in this market, but I notice more than a passing resemblance in almost every other product wishing it was an iPhone. The same was true of VHS, the video shop near me, Videoage for those who remember it, had about 5000 VHS films to 50 Beta Max, it wasn’t really a battle in those terms, more a push over, the writing was on the wall, literally. But is it always the dominant technology that is the best? Can only one product or idea survive in a market? Of course not. Others can survive, even thrive, without the lions share of the market. Does a niche market make for a better market? (you can see where I am going here right?) Windows is the dominant OS by far looking at market share… I don’t even need to finish that point and it’s not why I am writing anyway.

I digress. My point was going somewhere along the lines of new technologies emerging. I try wherever possible to include new technologies and ideas in all of my work, without the luxury to spend days on end browsing and playing with new technologies, it is the only way to keep abreast of the pace of change. There are times when I find a new technology and have to wait for the right application, not every shoe fits every foot, and sometimes that leads to searching for a new client to fit the work, desperate to explore the potential of the new media.

Now is one of those times. AR or augmented reality is a breaking technology, it is inspiring, very clever and has massive potential and possibilities.
Will it become mainstream? Will it become a niche application? Will people adopt it to become a ubiquitous part of daily life? Who knows, but I for one want to know more. I want to adopt and learn and explore.

Perhaps you have an application for this new technology and want to build something, if so please, please get in touch. But mark my words, I think this one is a winner, an idea that will last past its five minutes, an application that will stick, an idea that just needs its breakthrough market or application to come along. That’s likely sunk it right there, but not if I have anything to do with it.

Here are a scant few of the applications I have seen using AR to date, some are purely playful others appear very useful applications.

http://www.cultofmac.com/bionic-eye-iphone-app-points-the-way-to-the-nearest-hooters/17116
http://thomaskcarpenter.com/2009/10/27/time-travel-with-augmented-reality/
http://technabob.com/blog/2008/12/17/mini-augmented-reality-ads-hit-newstands/
http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/augmented_reality/homepage
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/owners/service/augmented_reality_introduction_1.html
http://artimes.rouli.net/2009/09/amazing-mobile-ar-videos-from-graz.html
http://gamesalfresco.com/2009/11/01/buzz-buzz-augmented-reality-mosquitoes-all-around-your-iphone/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDHc8phaU2E
http://www.curiousraven.com/home/2009/10/30/venture-capital-and-augmented-reality.html
http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/2d-code-augmented-reality-tools.html
and finally, never slow to embrace new technologies… (viewer discretion advised) http://artimes.rouli.net/2009/08/ar-strippers-oh-my.html

If you like it and I like it then others might like it too? Maybe this one will stick and I will get to build something in AR that is not just a monkey flinging bananas at the screen. (I haven’t built that yet).

If you know of any AR applications out there that have caught your eye, an application that makes you sit up and take notice, please let me know. I am hungry for more.