Mobile Vision

For Digital Marketers, Mobile is now the most game changing development in the market place. Mobile internet browsing has now become fast, accessible and the user experience is accelerating to a point where it is replacing the use of your standard hardware devices like laptops. There are now many good marketing examples of the use of SMS to build up customer relationships, for example, some banks now notify their customers by text when they are overdrawn, when their salary clears etc

The question is where is this going next? Augmented reality...

Augmented reality, a concept once confined to the Sci-Fi world and previously labelled virtual reality, is now becoming very real as software developers are creating next generation applications. This concept is the most exciting development in mobile to date as it goes way beyond avatars and made up VR worlds and actually maps onto real life. Surprisingly, it is also proving very helpful in day to day activities.

The new applications on Apple's iPhone work by using the mobile phone’s camera, GPS, motion sensor and the internal compass. Pointing your phones camera at your surroundings allows your phone to locate exactly where you are. Small boxes containing information appear on screen which can tell you where the nearest place to eat is or where the nearest tube station is located. Additional layers of detail also appear on screen such as distances. If you then point your camera towards the ground, arrows will appear directing you towards the location of your choice.

Play the video on the link below to see this in action!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8193951.stm

By allowing us to map previously internet confined information on to real life situations, it’s safe to say augmented reality applications are here to stay and are going to play a big part in the way we use our mobile phones in the future.

What do you think? Is there are potential application of this hardware/software for your products/services? How do you think this will impact on your future marketing plans?

Click to comment below.