The augmented reality (AR) market is poised for an enormous growth over the next four years, with revenues forecast to reach $120bn in 2020, up from this year’s $1bn, according to Digi Capital.
CBR lists five apps for AR devices.
Aurasma
Aurasma, an HP development company, has created an app that can be used to give everyday objects a second life through AR with graphics, video, audio and 3D content.
To use the app, those interested have to download it from the Apple Store or Android Store, create an account with a valid email address and create an Aura (a given object’s second life) which can take as little as 60s.
Users of the technology today include Disney, Argos, Budweiser and Best Western.
Ingress
Available for Apple and Android devices, Ingress is an AR 3D game originally launched in November 2012.
Created by Niantic, the game allows several players, or ‘agents’, to play together from different parts of the world. It mixtures real and augmented reality.
The goal is to collect as many ‘portals’ as possible across different sites, these being monuments, etc.
Layar
Layar is an AR app that brings any print publication to life. Through the app, users can give pages of a magazine or a newspaper a richer experience through video messaging, photo slideshows, music clips and others.
The app company is part of the Dutch Blippar group and together, Layar and Blippar have collaborated with different global brands, including Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Anheuser-Busch, Elle, Glamour, Honda and BMW.
Layar has two different pay as you go price schemes. The ‘basic’ package is set at £2.5 and lets media stay live for 30 days. The ‘pro’ package costs £25, and creations can stay online for up to one year.
FieldTrip
Created by Google, FiledTrip is available both for iOS and Android devices. The AR application works on any mobile device, from phones to Google Glasses.
The app is an on-the-go information assistant that shares information about important landmarks the users is passing by.
FieldTrip’s AR capabilities recognise a monument through a picture and then send the ‘field card’ with background information on that same monument or landmark.
Wikitude SDK
Compatible with iOS and Android devices, Wikitude SDK has been built by Austrian company Wikitude GmbH.
The app allows for location-based AR, and 2D and 3D image recognition through the user’s phone, smart glasses, and other mobile devices.
Being one of the most complete AR experiences in the market today, Wikitude does not come cheap. Developers allow users to trial the program for free, however, packages for the application go from as little as 49 euros per month (for the studio version) up to 4490 euros per year for the Pro+ Unilimited edition.
