January 10th, 2012
So, you think augmented reality enabled magazines are a new thing right?
Think again.
You might be surprised to learn that the earliest example of a magazine enhanced with AR, was back in November 2009.
And the title? Well that would be Esquire, squire.
Not only did they use AR, but they also integrated a Twitter campaign with its own hashtag, #AR.
The #AR hashtag is now swamped with all things augmented reality, so it shows how much of a new kid AR was back then.
The experience, built by Manhattan based Barbarian, was cutting edge by anyone’s standards.
They used Flash for the web interface and built a custom C++ app to drive the image recognition and video manipulation. Kudos to them.
However, if you wanted to view it, you had to wait for the rather hefty 79 MB file to download before you could enjoy Robert Downey Jr. fooling around for the cameras.
You can read more about it here.
So that was the first web based AR magazine. What about mobile?
From the comprehensive research I’ve done so far (!), I would have to say that it was the UK publication of Grazia, five months later.
It too allowed viewers to engage via a web cam, but it was the first to be launched on the iPhone or any phone for that matter.
The experience featured Florence and the Machine singing ‘You Got the Love’ and a special interactive feature where you could ‘spin Florence around by blowing into your iPhone’. You could then take a photo of her in any position for sharing.
Very futuristic and well before AR apps were even starting to make an appearance.
Since then, UK magazine publishers have released about a dozen AR enhanced magazines, for both web and mobile. Mostly for mobile.
What’s that, you want me to tell you what they were?
OK, in chronological order (and apologies if I’ve missed any out); GQ, BBC Focus, Nuts, Wired, Bath Life, Cosmopolitan, Company, Harper’s Bazaar, Top Gear, Wallpaper* and Nuts (released Jan ’12).
All of these magazines were published in the UK in the past 12 months.
Our example with Bath Life magazine had as much AR as any one publication could have, with audio, video, 3D, digital buttons linking to online shops and social media sharing. Blimey.
Some however, offer nothing more than a video, appearing as if attached to the page. Still cool though.
Others have taken the experience one step further and tied the AR in with the articles (thankfully, and about bloody time).
Surely if this is possible now, and magazine publishers are constantly struggling to reinvent themselves to compete in a digital world, the use of AR to bridge the gap between print and digital must be a God-send right?
I hope so, and as more publishers not just become aware of AR, but begin implementing it, the true value for both readers and publishers will come to light and we’ll all be able to save time, have fun and revel in this new technology.
Well, maybe not that new after all.
Tagged with: Bath Life • Magazines
Categories: Augmented Reality • Aurasma • Blippar • Layar • Research • Zappar