Why all the hype around Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality (AR) is generating buzz as the “next killer mobile app” and for good reason. The trend in augmented reality is gaining greater momentum, which is evident by the many new vendors entering this space. Take a look at Wikitude, IBM’s Seer app, TwittARound, Wildlife Fate Campagin, or the cool AR + 3-D campaigns by Hyperfactory, etc. and you will quickly understand why there’s so much hype around this new technology. Whether you are shopping, searching for the nearest restaurant, gas station, or job-hunting on-the-go, AR has the potential to offer a little something for everyone.

Want to see more of what the future holds? Check out the latest video by Layar…

There’s a lot of buzz around this thing called Semantic Search, and for good reason. The real goal behind semantic search technology is to essentially enable the retrieval of accurate information via concept or meaning match. Semantic search doesn’t replace the traditional web but has the power to enhance it. I don’t deny that today’s major search engines do a good job at answering most search inquiries. However, the great hope with semantic search is that it may one day be able to go beyond the keywords that we type, and find exactly what we mean. This is good news if you are a recruiter and in the business of search. If your job is tied to sourcing on the web, hop over to Boolean Black Belt with Glen Cathy and check out his fantastic post on Semantic Search for Sourcers and Recruiters. One look at his site and you will quickly see why I believe Glen Cathey is a search rock-star.

Oh, and of course, definitely make sure to grab a copy of the amazing whitepaper authored by Shally Steckerl and Bryan Starbuck (CEO of TalentSpring). You can download a copy of their whitepaper on semantic search by clicking here. If you’re on Twitter, and like their whitepaper, make sure to follow @Shally and @BryanStarbuck and let them know your thoughts!

Salesforce.com produced a great video that explains cloud computing in laymen terms. Although the video has a bit of a “sales” spin, I think you will get the point of the video… enjoy!

TAT creates Augmented ID

TAT, a Swedish software and design company, recently developed a new concept called Augmented ID. Augmented ID uses facial recognition technology and offers a convenient method for viewing the digital identities of the people around you. This could prove to be an interesting way to “break the ice” and get to know people. Imagine having instant access to information about a conference speaker, trainer, new client, co-worker, or a person you just met at a Starbucks. Regardless of how it is used, the possibilities are quite exciting. However, at the moment, Augmented ID is not yet ready for prime-time. For now, see below for a brief video intro…

Want more AR videos from TAT? Check out their showroom for a peek at other cool apps.

Expect more AR apps for mobile devices in the future.

At a recent Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference, MIT’s Dr. Pattie Maes unveiled project SixthSense and the Wear Ur World device. Created by Pranav Mistry, ex-Microsoft UX Researcher, the SixthSense prototype is a wearable gestural interface that enables users to interact between the real world and the world of data.

Here are five interesting features of the SixthSense prototype:

1. NewsPaper showing live video news
2. Sixthsense: Taking pictures using framing gesture
3. Using the palm for dialing phone numbers.
4. Reviewing book covers showing Amazon ratings
5. View cloud tags of friends during face-to-face encounters

Unlike other similar touch-technology offered by Apple, Microsoft, G-Speak, Perceptive Pixel, etc., the SixthSense prototype is 100% portable and can be used on a variety of surfaces. So, could this MIT’s newest prototype be the ultimate “cloud” device? While only time will tell, if the buzz across the web offers any indication then there’s a definitely a bright future ahead. For now, consider this quote…

Step aside, Apple and Microsoft. If MIT’s little Sixth Sense gadget sees the commercial light of day, we can toss our multitouch devices out the window. Who needs a Surface or an iPhone when the very idea of being able to access information by turning any flat surface into a touch-screen display sounds far more appealing? No surface available? Simply project a screen onto your hand, and voila. Shades of Minority Report?

-Juniper Foo from CNET

Dave Winer yesterday announced EC2 for Poets, a step-by-step guide to help you create a server on Amazon’s EC2. His how-to is so easy to understand that we had our own server up and running within the hour. Sure, it may not seem like much that this fairly uninteresting page is sitting out there somewhere, but for this writer, it was an amazing coup.

“It’s time to stop thinking about these servers as being things for geeks and start thinking about them as things for people with ideas,” Winer said in a podcast roadmap he created for this work. The technology available today is enabling anyone with even the slightest technical bent to get out there and create amazing new things; often taking the technology in directions than the company which created it could have ever imagined.

Here’s a link to the entire thread: Got an Hour? Create a Server in the Cloud.

Is so, would you please do me a favor and follow the three instructions below?

1. First, go ahead, snap a photo of the “Heroes” image above.
2. Next, using your web-enabled mobile device, email that same photo to fun@snaptell.com
3. Finally, check your email for a follow up note from SnapTell and preview the link provided.

So what was the purpose of capturing a photo and emailing it to SnapTell?

Well, SnapTell has developed sophisticated image recognition technology that is absolutely amazing. Using any mobile device, simply snap a picture of the cover of any DVD, CD, Book or Video game, then send it directly to SnapTell as demonstrated above. Within seconds, SnapTell delivers additional information on the image you just emailed. Their image matching database includes millions of cover pictures and the accuracy is spot on. You can view their demo here, or even take it for a spin if you prefer the real-time experience.

According to SnapTell’s site, here are the major features of their “Snap.Send.Get” solution:

1. End-to-end mobile marketing solution
2. 100% opt-in mobile marketing
3. Works with all phones
4. Works with existing marketing collateral (Special bar-codes not required)
5. Fun to use by consumers
6. Real-time personalized, interactive communications
7. Easy to implement and deploy mobile marketing campaigns (Drag-and-drop GUI Campaign Manager)
8. Actionable metrics (Intuitive dashboard for easy navigation and tracking)

SnapTell as a Mobile Recruiting strategy?

Scenario #1:

Let’s assume for a moment that you represent a company that is contemplating a mobile recruiting campaign. Your goal is to attract (and hire) the “best and brightest” so you need a forward-thinking solution that will set your company above the competition. A company like SnapTell makes it super easy to develop a truly amazing mobile campaign. How? Well, with their “Snap.Send.Get” solution a hiring team is able to easily “drag and drop” specific images into the SnapTell image database to match with corresponding content (e.g., career site, job postings, open-house info, videos downloads, links, etc.) that can all be pushed to candidate’s mobile phone.

Now imagine attending a major campus recruiting event, professional career fair, or technology conference and your booth is equipped with SnapTell-ready images provided by your company. With some prompting by your print ads (or recruiting representatives), potential prospects could walk up to your booth, snap a photo, email it, and instantly receive a link that drives them to your mobile-enabled site (along with key information about careers, company details, where to apply, etc).

Scenario #2:

Imagine that “Rock-star” consultant, manager, or senior executive who is traveling through an airport. They notice a compelling ad that encourages them to snap a photo of an image, which then automatically redirects to your mobile-careers site, specific job listing, etc. Now, instead of wondering (hoping) whether someone noticed that expensive airport, billboard, or print ad, you now have the ability to accurately measure what ads are working vs. which are not. How’s that for metrics?

What’s the final take-away?

For the candidates:
SnapTell is fast and simple. No more ‘pecking’ at small characters or numbers into a tiny keypad. Get the information needed and walk away with a “wow, that company gets-it” impression.

For the employers:
SnapTell helps engage the consumer/prospective candidates by simplifying the mobile web experience. A key advantage of SnapTell’s solution is that hiring teams can easily access “real-time” stats on the effectiveness of a mobile campaign before ever leaving a campus recruiting event, career fair, conference, or any other scenario.

Does the idea of image recognition in recruiting sound too far-fetched? Maybe so; however, as mobile growth continues its domination in the world mass media, integrating a creative mobile recruitment campaign may make all the difference between hiring that next “Rock-star” or losing out to your competition. Ready or not, SnapTell is making a huge impact in the consumer space. Check out their impressive list of mobile campaigns here.

* For more details, I would highly recommend taking a closer look at SnapTell’s site. Oh, and if you are an iPhone user, you can download SnapTell’s free mobile app from the iTunes store. It rocks!

Data Entry platform will radically change the overall Human-Computer Interaction paradigm by allowing users to interact with their device at virtually any time and any place. The Senseboard® Gesture Recognition Technology™ (GRT) is a unique proprietary method of capturing, analyzing, and interpreting finger and hand movements.

Designed for “keyboard challenged” mobile computer users, Senseboard® wearable data entry platform is a small device that attaches to the palm of the hand and allows users to type on any surface as if it were a keyboard. It works by measuring hand and finger movements, and determines the appropriate keystrokes, mouse movements or gestures.

Senseboard

Touch-technology, natural gesturing, and a small device that attaches to the palm of the hand? If
I didn’t know better, that sounds a lot like Oblong’s G-Speak touch-technology, but with a slight “mobile” twist. That said, the Senseboard seems more applicable and affordable for individual users; whereas, Oblong’s G-Speak seems much more targeted towards enterprise customers.

So, my only question at this point is, where can I purchase my Senseboard!

The downturn in the economy is forcing companies to take a closer look at the phenomena called cloud-computing. So who owns the cloud? Is it Salesforce, Google, Amazon, or Microsoft? In case you missed the cloud-computing discussion facilitated by TechCrunch, you can now revisit the the show here…