DigIn! Media

2D/QR Codes Pave the Way to Consumer Focused Augmented Reality

by Limor Schafman

One of the interesting things about this year's CES was the arrival of technologies long in the works and now ready for consumer use. Such is the case with Augmented Reality.  All the rage in marketing and advertising circles, augmented reality, the use of digital interfaces or other extra-experiential mechanisms or story telling tools to bring an enhanced experiences to a given situation, is starting to show up increasingly in the consumer world.

  Now, we've been seeing the use of 2D, also known as QR, codes for some time in some one-time-only oriented advertising by brands, on magazines, coke cans and bus stop posters.  And the uses have been pretty cool.  Now we are seeing a resurgence and we will be seeing greater ubiquity in usage.  Hallmark cards will be releasing a special brand of card using 2D codes. I have not yet heard what will be the augmented part of the experience (if you go to the Sobel Media event tomorrow morning and learn more, do tell), but the very fact that a name brand is taking 2D codes and making in part of a card found in any store, is a commentary of how accessible the technology is now.

   Intel, interestingly enough at CES, was showing off its new i5 core processor with an augmented reality display.  As you will see in this video, they chose to use Esquire's December issue with Robert Downey Jr. as an example of technology requiring enough processing power to use their new chip. 

To get the full effect of what is happening with the AR, check out this video by Esquire on the December issue:

I have to say that I was not buying that this could only be done with the new Intel chip. Nevertheless, it is nice to finally see technology which was showcased 10 years ago at Siggraph and which I saw also demoed at the University of Washington Human Interface Technology Lab at that time, finally hit the mass market.

Taking this one step further, tonight, at the Disruptathon event in Tysons Corner, VA, I saw another level of 2D code use.  Until this point, we have been seeing 2D codes that are all the same, thus featuring the same media - very creatively, but still a mass production. Ven Chava of AirArts has taken this to the next level with his company's TalkingTag products. With patent pending technology, Chava has created a system for producing unique 2D codes which then allow for very personalized use of the codes to create UGC media as an augmentation to whatever you want to stick a tag onto.  This enables voice, photos, video and other data of ones own making to be added to anything that has this unique identifier - like a post note or notebook page.  All you need is an iPhone or Windows Mobile phone. Take a look at this video interview with Chava to hear more in his own words:

Take TalkingTag's technology and put the tags on Hallmark cards and you have a whole other level of personalized greetings. On the simple level think what this could mean to direct mail, books, magazine and newspaper articles.  Add the TalkingTag fingerprint-style uniqueness and imagine how cool it would be if we could embed 2D codes in a tweet and other social media communications.  Configure a photo with a 2D embedded watermark and add vocal commentary or any other additional media.  As you can see, I think Chava is on to something quite big.  Check out the TalkingTag store for products with which you can create your own augmented reality experiences.

Now if you want to hear more about Esquire and from some of the thought leaders in this area, walk fast and be ready to stand at the SobelMedia Augmented Reality panel breakfast taking place at the Samsung Experience Store in the Time Warner Building in NYC tomorrow, Thursday morning.  Come bright and early at 7:30am to hear from David Curcurcito, Creative Director for Esquire; David Polinchock, founder of the Brand Experience Lab [with whom I saw the first iterations of this technology at Siggraph oh so long ago]; Doug Dimon, Creative Director/Broadcast Design at Creative Bubble/NYC and Adam Broitman, Ringleader of Circ.us.  And with digital media visionary, Richard Carey, as moderator.

I'm always interested in hearing more about cool uses of 2D codes and experiences and explorations into augmented reality.  So please do write in and send links to cool things we should take a look at.

John Curran of ARIN Speaks on IPv6 at Digital Government Institute Conference and CES 2010

CES has begun and we are very excited to have our panel on IPv6 this coming Friday at 1:30pm at LVCC South Hall S225. We are part of the Issues and Attitudes track which perfectly describes our session.

To give you a taste of the topic, watch this interview I did with John Curran, CEO & President of ARIN who discusses the reducing numbers of IPv4 address and why it is vitally important to prepare for v6 now. This was taped a the Digital Government Institute conference (9/17/09).

Looming Internet Address Space Crisis Quickly Becoming One of Key Issues, Panel Sessions at 2010 CES

LAS VEGAS, NV and CHANTILLY, VA--(ARIN - January 4, 2010) - The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), a nonprofit that manages the distribution of Internet number resources, announced today its President and CEO John Curran will participate in an expert panel, "The Looming Internet Address Space Crisis" at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Friday, January 8, 2010 at 1:30PM PT, in Room S225 of the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The panel will explore what needs to be done to face one of the biggest challenges the Internet community has yet seen -- we're running out of Internet Protocol addresses.

This year, CES will help launch hundreds, if not thousands, of new products that connect to the Internet. Each of those devices requires its own unique IP address. When the Internet was originally built, an addressing system was used that allows for just over four billion unique IP addresses. While this number at one time seemed huge, the Internet community is on pace to run out very soon -- just over 10% of IPv4 addresses remain. The industry must therefore adopt a new protocol, IPv6, which will allow an effectively unlimited number of unique addresses. The session at CES will explain what actions Internet-dependent businesses must take now to survive and thrive beyond 2010, and how global organizations can otherwise prepare for an IPv6 world.

Curran joins an esteemed panel moderated by Limor Schafman, immediate past President of the IPv6 Forum-Israel, comprising experts on Internet addressing from both the public and private sectors. Participating in the panel will be: Pasi Hurri, President and CEO for BaseN Corporation; Erik Kline, IPv6 Software Engineer at Google, Inc.; Steven Pirzchalski, Director, Enterprise Network Services/Office of Enterprise Communications for the US Department of Veterans Affairs; and Steve Reynolds, SVP - CPE and Home Networking for Comcast.

"This is an impressive group of minds that truly understand how the Internet runs and how it will run in the future," said Schafman. "Especially against the backdrop of all these incredible Internet-powered devices at CES, it's imperative for decision-makers to fully understand the importance of IPv6 adoption and the potential fallout from failing to act. I'm confident this group will hammer that home and provide the vision for getting it done."

About the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)

ARIN is the nonprofit corporation that manages the distribution of Internet number resources -- IPv4, IPv6, and Autonomous System numbers -- in its service region, which includes Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United States. More information on IPv6 adoption is available at http://www.getipv6.info/ and http://www.arin.net