3D California

Like most geeks do, Mac Slocum says most user manuals are worthless: they usually display poorly written text and confusing diagrams. Although I don’t have such a negative point of view, I must admit that most user manuals don’t match the same quality level as the products they are delivered with, especially products designed abroad with user manuals poorly translated…

Of course, there are many reasons why user manuals are poorly written and designed: most users don’t read them anymore.

• First, most products provide the kind of user interfaces that do not require users to spend hours reading their user manual. Phones, cameras, TVs or cars have very nice and intuitive user interfaces, that most users can understand the moment they touch it.
• Second, there is a kind of general acceptance about product user interface standards: even if hardware look different, the embedded software makes product look very similar. There is not much difference between two Android or two Windows mobile cellphone: they share the same operating system, and can share the same apps.
• Third, why should a company spend dollar in massive redactional efforts while social media and user generated content will provide most users with the level of information they require: how to activate this feature, how to get rid of that one, or how to develop a product expertise, through blogs, forums or online videos?

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At CES in Las Vegas (January 2010) the French company Parrot introduced a new flying machine for entertainment, and maybe for other purposes in the future.
It is a drone allowing to explore new experiences, mixing video, game and real world thanks to augmented reality technology.

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My friend Steph could not be more realistic when he wished me an ‘augmented’ year. Why? Just because 2010 seems to be the first year … when you can send ‘augmented wish cards’!

Hallmark Cards, the number one designer of greeting cards, with more than 50% market share in the US announced a line of ‘augmented reality cards’. With price range from $2.99 to $5.99, these augmente reality cards are as much easy to use and send than more traditional cards. Hallmark interactive demo is clearly intended to families, not geeks or techies.

Who said a greeting card could not speak or dance in 3D?

The year of its 100th anniversary, Hallmark Cards is definitely still a company with a vision for innovation.

There’s more to remember from 2009 than the economy slowdown. Techrunch Co-Editor Erick Schonfeld quoted a very interesting chart showing that from a Google Trends point of view, « Augmented Reality » just passed « Virtual Reality » a couple of months ago.

Source : Google Trends

Actually, this Google Trends chart shows many different facts; let’s go through some of them.

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Often in some place dedicated to do business networking, we have few time to get in touch with people. Elsewhere  people don’t always wear some visible elements  allowing to identify them (badge, business card..).
What if you could simply get  some augmented information about  people you briefly meet on an event ?

We can imagine efficient features for a mobile application based on the principle of augmented reality to allow you to capture the “enlarged identity” (Identity) of the people you meet.
Reversely your Augmented ID may be captured by others.

With such a system, you are not defined only by your name and function,…but also by some of your activities in your digital life.

Look at this video to figure out what application developers are preparing for us.

Do you think this is useful today and it will be more and more common within next few years ? What do you think about people sharing more information about them at first glance with another fellow ?