augmented-reality

Reading the news about a University of Washington professor's experimental electronic contact lens, I wondered if my dream of the ultimate personal technology has finally moved from over the horizon to in sight. Here's what I want: to be able to walk into crowded cocktail party, and know exactly who I am looking at -- each person's name, last time we met, and other information pertinent for a pleasant social interaction. I want that information beamed into my field of vision, in text floating over their heads, like the health indicators over the bad guys in a … Read more

3D TV? Augmented reality in your contacts? The world is getting awesome. Unless you have an Xbox 360. But it's birthday season too. fourty years ago today, the first bits were sent over the nascent Internet. One year ago today, Google gave out comic books to announce Google Chrome.

Happy 40th birthday, Internet http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/02/happy-40th-birthday.html‘

Google Chrome turns one http://www.pcworld.com/article/171301/google_chrome_turns_one_a_few_questions_and_answers.html

Gmail outage causes sky to burn, rivers … Read more

Wilson is "out sick" today, but we're lucky to have Ms. Natali Del Conte nearby to replace him on the show. She was working out of the office last week, so we take this opportunity to update ourselves on all things NDC and you'll be surprised to hear of the changes coming to Loaded. We're so proud of her. Congrats, Natali!

We officially kick off this Monday episode by defining the Web's trendiest new buzzphrase, "augmented reality." We're not sure who came up with it, but it's all the rage in the world of iPhone apps. For example, Yelp built an Easter egg into its app that uses the smartphone's GPS to superimpose digital data onto the world through the camera, making it easy to view restaurants, taxis, bathrooms, and subway information around you. We think it's pretty cool, but Gawker has its own application ideas, like an app called ClubLech, which uses facial recognition and user-inputted data to identify all the singles in a room. Sounds creepy and, like a lot of technology, it takes the fun out of getting to know someone in person. Plus, who wants a digital sign superimposed over their head pointing out their depressingly single relationship status?

Are you having a hard time saying goodbye to "Reading Rainbow?" We are, too. The show has been on the air for 26 years and just recently celebrated its final episode on August 28. We're sad to see a relic of our childhood go the way of the dodo, but it makes perfect sense, since we're pretty sure kids are just illiterate now, so why have a show to promote books? But don't take our word for it; just ask a kid to define the word "Scholastic."

If you want to get your voice mail heard on the air, just give us a call at 1-855-404-CNET and tell us what's on your mind! Could be something about one of our shows, maybe one of the hosts, or just something random that popped into your head. We'll take them all!

Episode 47 of the Digital City, where we install Apple's new Snow Leopard OS update; discuss the current round of game console price cuts; check out some Netbooks with HD displays; and find out why Time Warner Cable's new "Mystro" cable box firmware update makes us want to give up on TV altogether.

Related links: >>All things Snow Leopard >>New price cuts upend console value landscape >>Rise of the high-def Netbooks

>>Watch the Digital City live every Friday at 3pm EST on CNET Live! >>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes &… Read more

I'm not sure why I mentioned an actual piece of horse, but it had to do with trojan horses and mysterious laptops showing up at Governor's offices around the US. We also help you get hooked up with Snow Leopard compatibility and warn you against a couple of scary government initiatives.

Snow Leopard Application Incompatibilities Compiled http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/27/snow-leopard-application-incompatibilities-compiled/ http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/ http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3258

Snow Leopard’s malware protection only … Read more

The hot trend of 2009 has to be augmented reality, particularly with all the impressive tech demos and futuristic games currently in development across the world.

On the iPhone in particular, several companies have promised Twittering, search, and other navigation using layers of real-time data overlaid onto live video from the iPhone's camera. Imagine a heads-up display on reality itself, and that's what augmented reality is promising.

Apple has been onboard with these developments, promising that the upcoming OS 3.1 will provide full compatibility for AR apps. But it turns out we don't need to wait … Read more

I have seen the future of toys, and it is augmented reality.

That was my conclusion Monday after seeing Mattel's i-Tags, new technology that will be included with action figures the company will make for "Titanic" director James Cameron's new film, "Avatar."

For those not familiar with augmented reality, it's an overlay of digital information or imagery on top of real-world objects. AR, as it's known, "is a field of computer research that deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into … Read more

Augmented reality--in case you haven't been following, is a technology blending video cameras and computer graphics enabling you to interact with virtual creations in the real world. In practice, it looks like virtual reality crossing over into actual reality. You may have heard the buzzword, but as of late, it's becoming a serious gaming trend. At last week's PlayStation holiday preview in New York, one of the most talked-about titles in Sony's fall lineup was its hi-tech attempt to take on Nintendogs, called EyePet.

While it was definitely one of the most impressive augmented-reality game demos we've seen, it's far from the only one. Here's a rundown of EyePet as well as some other augmented-reality games of the future we're looking forward to playing. And is it just us, or is the angle of most of these titles to "make little animals appear next to you?" Clearly, if this is any indication, get ready for a whole lot more hallucinatory ghost creatures dancing on your coffee tables for holidays to come.

Eyepet (Sony, PlayStation 3) Sony's been quietly leading the pack in U.S. augmented-reality game development, starting with 2007's bold but unsuccessful trading-card battle game Eye of Judgment. Although interactive PlayStation Eye software has been available on the PSN Store that achieves other AR effects, EyePet is their first major push at a mainstream home entertainment product.… Read more

Today, we hear how the Del Conte's deal with their enemies, find out what kind of deposit Tong makes when he visits a bank, wonder why on earth Google ever even bought the slice of AOL it just dumped, and look forward to the Pre on Verizon--but when?

Verizon to offer Palm Pre in early 2010

Verizon changes tune on Wi-Fi

Verizon customers can sign onto Boingo

Sprint Nextel to buy Virgin Mobile USA

Texting while driving more dangerous than you think

iPhone OS 3.1 will usher in 'augmented reality' apps

Google abandons AOL investment

Google Voice pulled from iPhone

B of A to reverse policy and start closing branches--online and mobile banking the reason

Microsoft uses human computing game to tune Bing

Woman sued $50,000 for Tweet

Follow-up on Yelp lawsuits… Read more