AugmentedReality Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

CES Unveiled: Sphero reveals new apps to roll around in

by Mike Schramm (Jan 7th, 2013)

The good folks at Orbotix, makers of the little roly-poly robot Sphero, were also in attendance at CES Unveiled last night, where they were showing off a number of new apps coming to add more functionality to the robotic ball. Sharky the Beaver was shown off a while ago, but it was on display ...

Minecraft Reality app for iPhone, iPad enters the real world

by Mike Wehner (Nov 26th, 2012)

Everyone loves Minecraft, but having to return to the dull, dreary real world after spending countless hours crafting amazing works of blocky art can be a real drag. But fear not, as reported by TNW, a new iOS augmented reality app called Minecraft Reality can change all that by giving you a ...

Star Walk adds realistic sunsets and enhanced galleries

by Mel Martin (Aug 29th, 2012)

As iOS astronomy apps go, Star Walk is certainly at the top for graphics and depth of features. We've reviewed it favorably in the past. Version 6.0 today adds realistic sunset and sunrise effects, a completely new info window, and a new and improved gallery of astronomy images. The company ...

New NASA app brings spacecraft to life in 3D

by Mel Martin (Jul 12th, 2012)

NASA is no stranger to 3D. It has done some impressive CGI trips into galaxies and nebulae, and of course it has offered some stunning 3D images from the Mars spacecraft. NASA has just released a free iPad and iPhone app called Spacecraft 3D. Here's how it works. You launch the app and then ...

iPhone AR "talking" comic book cover surprisingly cheesy

by Steven Sande (Jul 9th, 2012)

In case you haven't had your daily allotment of cheese yet today, feast your eyes on the video below. It showcases a talking comic book cover for issue #1 of Valiant Entertainment's X-O Manowar comic, using an iPhone and augmented reality to bring the character's mouth to life. BoingBoing ...

Augmented reality iPad app enhances Philadelphia Inquirer

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 4th, 2012)

The Philadelphia Inquirer is working with Augmented Reality specialists Aurasma to provide an enhanced version of their newspaper says a report in ITworld. The project would allow people to launch a custom iPad app built by Aurasma that would show animations, video and audio when it's pointed ...

3M develops augmented reality post-it note app

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 9th, 2012)

The popular South by Southwest music, film and interactive conference starts today, and 3M will be on hand to introduce a new augmented reality post-it note app, says Mashable. The app was created with the help of well-known AR developer Metaio, and the idea behind it is clever. It lets you create ...

Daily iPhone App: Pocket Universe

by Mel Martin (Jan 25th, 2012)

Pocket Universe has been one of my favorite astronomy apps for the iPhone. Take it outside to easily identify what's up using the charts and the built-in augmented reality features. With an update that hit the app store yesterday, you can now talk to Pocket Universe, using Siri speech recognition ...

Amazon's Flow app is augmented reality shopping goodness

by Michael Grothaus (Nov 10th, 2011)

Amazon quietly released a new iPhone app last week that aims to give other bar code scanning apps a run for their money. The free app, called Flow, isn't revolutionary in its bar code scanning capabilities. Oh, it scans bar codes just fine, but the beauty of Flow is that it does more than just ...

Starbucks launching augmented reality Cup Magic app for the holidays

by Mike Schramm (Nov 8th, 2011)

Starbucks is going to kick off the holiday season with a special app for iPhone and Android devices that will interact with art on holiday cups at the popular coffee shops around the world. You can see the app in action in the video below. As you can see, it's not really so functional as just a ...

Patent suggests augmented reality coming to Maps and Compass apps

by Chris Rawson (Aug 19th, 2011)

According to Patently Apple, a new patent application from Apple suggests the company is interested in baking augmented reality functions into the iPhone's built-in Maps and Compass apps. In one implementation suggested by the patent, users could take a picture of their surroundings and perform ...

iPhone augmented reality browser Junaio used to "block" billboards in NYC

by Kelly Hodgkins (Aug 1st, 2011)

PublicAdCampaign and The Heavy Projects worked together to include an ad-scrubbing feature in the augmented reality browser Junaio. This trial feature lets NYC residents replace outdoor advertisements in a handful of locations including Times Square with art from indie artists/activists. This ...

Sensor-rich computing: the quiet revolution that started in your pocket

by Richard Gaywood (Jul 2nd, 2011)

Suppose you're at at your desk with a MacBook and an iPhone. You want to check cinema screening times at your local multiplex and the weather forecast so you'll know if you'll need a jacket or not. Which device do you reach for? If you choose the MacBook, you'll need to go to a cinema ...

CrowdOptic could raise the bar for augmented reality apps

by David Winograd (May 11th, 2011)

Augmented reality may be taking the next giant step forward with CrowdOptic, an app that will provide a graphic data overlay for live events. If you are at a concert (with the system in place), point the app at the stage and you'll get details like those in the picture above. Point it at a ...

Panasonic app uses AR to place your new big screen dreams

by Mike Schramm (Apr 29th, 2011)

Just in time for the weekend, this is about the wackiest use of augmented reality that we've seen yet. The Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator is a brand new free app in the App Store that uses AR to put a virtual big screen television right in your living room, so you can see what it looks like ...