GigaOM » Virtual Reality

The internet of things: a market landscape

Jon Collins — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:55:20 +0000

What can we expect the IoT landscape to look like, and how will its impact be felt? And is the attention being given by governments, manufacturers, and industry players merited, or is this just a fad? In this paper we look at the trends leading the growth of the internet of things, its components, and its characteristics. We examine the scale of the different opportunities and early examples of use cases. Finally, we look at potential inhibitors to adoption and potential challenges, notably around security, privacy, and system failure.

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Google’s Project Glass in NYC to watch the ball drop?

Kevin C. Tofel — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:12:26 +0000

According to the official Times Square website, more than 1 million will flock to New York City to watch the ball drop at the end of 2012. At least one of those people could be wearing a prototype of Google’s Project Glass spectacles based on a snapshot found at the Road to Virtual Reality blog: Yesterday in NYC, someone was in public with the goggles, and this version supports eyeglasses.

In case you missed Google’s Project Glass introduction earlier this year, the device shows the wearer a small display in the top right corner of vision. A built-in camera captures still images or videos and the headset can be controlled with a small button or possibly with eye-tracking in the future. Voice interaction for searches, message creation, chat and other services are likely to be integrated as well, providing a near-handsfree experience. Google is selling the device to developers first; they’ll receive their Project Glass-wear in 2013.

This latest image of the prototype the was captured near Google’s New York office, so it’s possible that a Google employee was just out on the town for a work break. But the perfect “cover” to go out in public with the glasses — and capture a birds-eye view of the ball drop at midnight — would be the big event tonight. Amid a million happy New Year’s Eve party-goers wearing 2013 gear, who’s going to notice one person with a small screen and camera on their glasses?

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Forget Bad Piggies, check Angry Birds in augmented reality

Kevin C. Tofel — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:13:38 +0000

Rovio may have launched its Angry Birds follow up, Bad Piggies, on Thursday, but I’m actually more impressed by a version of Angry Birds that’s a proof of concept. PendAR, a company that specializes in augmented and virtual reality solutions, created its own vision of what mobile gaming might look like in the future.

Here’s how it works. Using an integrated camera, a mobile device can “see” the world around it. PendAR’s technology looks for a certain image — in this case, a printed Angry Birds startup screen — and then superimposes the virtual game on top of the physical image. The game then becomes 3-D-like and part of the gamer’s actual environment. Take a look:

VentureBeat caught up with PendAR CEO, Mojtaba Tabatabaie, and learned that this version of Angry Birds isn’t coming to an app store near you. That makes sense, since the original game’s development shop, Rovio, would surely — and correctly — accuse PendAR of taking certain illegal liberties with the Angry Birds franchise.

So don’t expect to play Angry Birds with your home or office in the background. However, this technology demo has me thinking that we should see more augmented reality games in the future. Mobile device hardware is quickly improving to the point where any flagship phone can handle a virtual reality app with ease.

To date, the only type of apps to truly benefit from such technology are generally navigation-based, showing virtual directions and point of interest information on screen. We’ve gone from 2D to 3D gaming graphics some time ago, so what’s the next big step? Augmented reality games on mobiles makes sense to me; at least until we can project interactive holographic games, that is.

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How to sell a car that doesn’t exist yet: Show it with Kinect

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:13:27 +0000

Microsoft’s innovative Kinect accessory has made the leap from video games to robots and even 3-D human holograms. Now it’s being used to sell cars that don’t yet exist. Nissan needed to find a way let potential buyers see its 2013 Pathfinder, but it didn’t have the actual cars in showrooms or ready for auto shows. Kinect to rescue!

While seeing an actual vehicle you can touch or sit in would be ideal, I like what Nissan worked out with Microsoft. The two partnered to create an interactive, virtual reality experience using 3-D graphics of the new Pathfinder combined with voie and gesture-based controls. For example, you can “reach out” and open the door to the Pathfinder by simulating the gesture in front of a Kinect sensor. Walk towards the Kinect and you “enter” the vehicle where you can look around inside. See how it works here:

Someday we’ll likely to use a holodeck such as envisioned in the Star Trek: TNG series where we’re surrounded by interactive sensors and holograms as if they we were somewhere else. For now, however, Kinect is showing a glimpse of that future with a virtual car shopping experience. Besides, I’d give up on the holodeck idea if we could use the Kinect to accelerate or completely remove the car price haggling experience!

Interested in the 2013 Pathfinder experience with Kinect? Nissan will be rolling out the Pathfinder Kinect Experience to 16 dealerships in 13 states, so keep an eye out in your local area.

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Forget e-books; are you ready for virtual books?

Kevin C. Tofel — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:43:29 +0000

Updated. As an avid e-book reader and lover of gadgets, I love the concept of this “virtual” book. Siglio Press is offering 250 signed and numbered copies of a limited edition print book that requires a webcam and computing device to actually be read. Why? The print pages — a back-and-forth series of letters between two lovers — only have glyph-like symbols on the page. The book contents appear in virtual reality images on screen when the book is held in front of the webcam.

Here’s how it works:

Is this project the most practical way to read a $24.95 limited edition book? Nope, but it may be the coolest one I’ve seen since Esquire‘s augmented reality magazine cover in 2009.

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Virtual Worlds for Business (Yes, Business)

Aliza Sherman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:00:20 +0000

I’ve been a huge fan of Second Life since I first “rezzed” (logged into the virtual 3-D environment) in March 2007, and have previously blogged about my own Second Life. Despite all the limitations and downsides of Second Life (and there are many), it has been one of the most flexible and inspiring proving grounds for virtual worlds for business. Just like with Twitter, I try to cut through the hype and go straight to the core: Using this new platform can introduce you to new ways of thinking and help you hone valuable skills that will put you at a clear advantage as communications and workspace technologies continue to evolve.

According to the new GigaOM Pro report “Virtual Worlds for the Enterprise Market” by Kris Tuttle and Steve Waite of Research 2.0 (subscription required), business use of virtual worlds is a growing market — one that we shouldn’t ignore. Some of the main takeaways from the report that matter to those of us working on the web include:

Develop a plan. Companies should develop a plan for use of enterprise, private 3-D virtual world environments for both internal and external use.
Technology continues to evolve. The “in world” experiences of these new virtual environments will be leaps and bounds ahead of that currently offered by Second Life.
Don’t underestimate the market. The market for enterprise 3-D worlds may seem small today, but according to the report, it’s doubling year over year, with estimated annual revenues of $8-10 billion in 2015.

So how can you make sure that you’re prepared for the virtual worlds of the future? Here are nine skills we can all learn from regular engagement in Second Life that can be applied to any business use of 3-D virtual world environments.

Maneuvering. On your first day in a virtual world, you may feel like a stranger in a strange land. Unless you are well-versed with video games, chances are moving your avatar around will be frustrating and inefficient. Using Second Life on a regular basis for an extended period of time can help you get your “virtual world legs.”
Interacting. When you encounter others in a virtual world, even knowing when and how to approach them and address them can be awkward and downright intimidating. Participating in Second Life social events can help you learn the how to interact with both strangers and colleagues using your virtual self.
Communicating. Because Second Life supports both text and voice communications, you have more than one way to communicate with others. Knowing how to communicate clearly and thoroughly in both ways gives you an advantage. Plus knowing how to use gestures to your advantage can make a big difference in how others respond to you.
Presenting. By making presentations in Second Life, you learn how to add a new dimension to your presentations. You may currently know how to give a virtual presentation with a software such as GoToMeeting or DimDim, however, what do you do if you also have an avatar — a 3-D virtual representation of yourself — in the mix? And what about the ability to create “larger than life” presentation environments where your audience can walk through to get a richer experience? Presenting in Second Life helps you master these additional features to help make a more interactive and immersive presentation. From basic team or board meetings to more involved presentations, 3-D environments gives a whole new meaning to “being there.”
Teaching. Universities around the world make extensive use of Second Life, offering classes and even campus social events and interactions, taking full advantage of the 3-D environment to augment their “real world” offerings. Businesses and professionals can take advantage of this environment to offer seminars, workshops, panel discussions and full conferences — either standalone, or as an extension of a “real world” event.
Collaborating. Any enterprise or virtual team can benefit from the collaborative environments one can create in 3-D worlds. In Second Life, companies don’t only have meetings but also participate in team-building exercises, go on virtual retreats and hold social events to create stronger bonds between team members.
Branding. Companies can build their brands in 3-D environments such as Second Life — knowing how to do it well is a useful skill. Individuals can also build their brands via their 3-D avatars. Even in Second Life, you can purchase your own name (as long as it isn’t already taken) and use the environment as another social network in your social media toolkit. See my post “Second Life is Social Media.”
Promoting. Learning to market in a 3-D space is a challenge but enhances your marketing skills in exciting new ways.Finding ways to actually reach people in meaningful and engaging ways in a virtual world can help foster fresh ideas.
Building. Because every resident has the ability to build, even a non-artist or non-architect can gain skills to make objects, create art and construct buildings, spaces and environments that push the envelope of what is possible in the “real world.” This kind of creativity — especially in the hands of more linear thinkers — is a great source of inspiration and innovation. And another aspect of “building” in Second Life and other 3-D environments that should not be overlooked is the art of building community and organizing people.

How are you using 3-D virtual world environments for business?

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