Author Archives: Camaal

In the News

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Over the last few days, the news has overflowed with footage from the protests in Egypt. The people are not letting go of their demands and continue to grab the worlds attention. When will it end? Will the president leave peacefully, or will the people continue to grow enraged? Each day the headlines make it sound as if the people are becoming more violent and defiant. In some of the photos, the protectors have better weapons than the police. Oil prices shot up due to this event and illustrates how fragile the world is in which we live. Welcome to 2011!

Experimenting with video components, junaio Creator, and the iTouch 4g

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In my previous post, I discussed the junaio Creator application and how it can be used to augment reality with animated 3D models. My first experiment didn’t go so well, but I did learn something. My second experiment was centered around adding video components to my channel. It worked like a charm…well almost. It’s really easy to do! Check out the videos below to learn how:

junaio Creator: Video Component Part 1

junaio Creator: Video Component Part 2

Sign the petition (provided by the Love is Not Abuse Coalition) to ensure a teen dating violence and abuse curriculum is taught in all schools. Thank you!

Find out more about dating violence at: www.loveisnotabuse.com and www.datingviolence.org

junaio Creator: No programming skills required

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junaio channel creator page

I just finished playing around with the new junaio’s channel creator, which allows the novice user to create his or her own augmented reality (AR) channel without any programming skills. This would be a great tool for teachers or students interested in quickly adding some 3D or video content for an interactive walking tour.

Before you begin, you have to sign up for a FREE Developer Account. Once that’s out the way, you can start defining you channel with categories, descriptive text, icons, and geographic data. You can actually restrict your content certain regions, which is a nice touch if you want to target a specific target audience.

Defining your channel

Initially, I though that junaio creator would act as a content management system (CMS) for any AR channel but I realized it’s restricted to junaio Glue. junaio Glue specifically allows you to connect virtual information to the real world using image recognition. As a result, the user will need to scan a poster, sticker, etc. in order to access any video or 3D models provided through your channel. This is great for anyone interested in creating an AR scavenger hunt.

Once you’ve defined the channel, you can begin adding content. You are currently restricted to two types of media (e.g., videos and animated 3D models). junaio Creator has some built-in interactions that are activated when the user click the model, such as descriptive text, homepage, phone, and email. In my first experiment, I created a quick model using Google Sketchup and quickly learned that it doesn’t support the M2d format. I’m stuck. If you have Blender, you should be able to export your model and texture into the application without any trouble.

Next, I’ll experiment with the video content. More to come….

A New Augmented Reality Browser for Educators

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The new junaio

Metaio recently released a new version of their augmented reality browser called junaio for the iPhone. You can download it for FREE in Apple’s App Store. The new interface is very clean and easy to navigate. When you start the application, you’re presented with six buttons (e.g, Near me, Scan, Favourites, History, My junaio, and Getting Started) and three featured channels.

Note: There are different types of channels. One allows to interact with virtual information by GPS location, while the other activates data through image recognition.

The “Near me” button allows you to see content that’s in the vicinity of your current GPS location. After you press the button, you will be prompted to choose a channel listing nearby information. Wikipedia is a great channel to start with if you’re interested in testing out the functionality. Augmented Reality technology is more popular in certain areas than others, so some of your points of interest (POI) may be limited. I have about three Wikipedia POIs at my current location. Nevertheless, this should be encouragement to add content and channels for your own community.

The “Scan” button allows you to use your rear-facing camera to scan real world objects created with junaio glue (e.g., photos, AR markers) to access embedded virtual information. For example, you could scan an image of a logo within a magazine and a 3D model or video about the product may begin play on your device. Before you start scanning, you have to choose a channel that contains all the necessary links to view the virtual information. Channels are a way of accessing information from specific sources. Most printed material using this technology will highlight that the page contains augmented information.

The “Favourites” button allows you to quickly access any channels that you’ve saved as favorites. If you forgot to save them, you can always review your most recent channels using the “History” button.

The “My junaio” button allows you to create your own POIs. With “Tag the World” you can add text, images, and 3D models within the context of where you’re standing. When you’re done creating your content, share your channel for others to explore.

When you start the application for the first time, you will notice a few help screens will appear to explain the functionality of each option listed above. They’ve redesigned the actual browser window to include collapsing navigation, which increases screen real-estate for the actual augmented data. Well done! The “Go” tab is used to navigate within the application, while the “View” tab allows you to navigate through the channel content. The “Map” tab allows you to get your bearings and obtain a quick glance of POIs in the area. You can change the number of POIs within the map by adjusting the mapping radius from feet  to  miles.

I’m always fascinated with finding ways to use this technology within education.

I can imagine:

  • Students having their own channels documenting things they’ve learned or experienced around their community
  • Teachers creating channels to send students on a guided tour and provide real world context of a local history lesson
  • Teachers creating scavenger hunt games using image recognition components to help students learn a college campus
  • Teachers giving students video feedback on assignments with customized AR stickers on their graded assignments
  • Local subject matter experts using this technology to document their neighborhood’s history
  • Students using this technology to find where all their classes are located on campus on the first day of class
  • Administrators using this technology to highlight preferred vendors within their community that support the school
  • Parents creating a channel of vital resources in the community for new families in the neighborhood
  • Non-profits could use this technology to highlight volunteer opportunities within the local area

I can see the possibilities! Can you?

Minimum Requirements: iTouch 4th Generation, iPhone, Android Phone

OmmWriter: Rediscover the Joy of Writing

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Photo by Gabriella Fabbri

I recently purchased OmmWriter for my laptop. I’m not one that likes to write, but this application inspires creativity and motivation to write something honest and pure. For example, I’m writing this post just so I can use the program again. What’s so great about it? The program launches and fills the screen with very minimalist background, plays soft music in the background, and places a single text box in the center of the screen. All you see is a cursor in the middle of this really nice background. Each keystroke is complemented with a really neat sound that makes you want to keep typing. It’s just you, your ideas, and the cursor. I love it.

Unlike Microsoft Word, you don’t have to deal with a complex interface, tabs, windows, and more. You can change the music, background picture, type, and keyboard sound. When you’re done formatting your layout, the interface fades into and background and disappears. Again, It’s just you and the text.

I would recommend this program to anyone who doesn’t like to write, but loves cool backgrounds, ambient music, and interesting interface sounds. The combination of all the elements and design make you want to write more. When you’re done creating your masterpiece, OmmWriter allows you to export your text in multiple formats accepted by any word processor.

If you’re looking for a program to help you get your ideas out in written form without the hassle of learning a new program. Look no further. You can download a FREE version from their site. I highly recommend that you make a donation and download the Dana II version. Try this new program and rediscover the joy of writing.

Minimum Software Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.