Friday, Oct 22, 2010
Gulf News
qualcomm displays 3D technology for mobile phones
Dubai Imagine seeing an advertisement for a building in a newspaper and pointing your phone at it for instant 3D images of its interiors and exteriors. Imagine getting detailed information about the structure and the ability to flip the images to your liking — with a single click.
Termed vision-based augmented reality, the market opportunity for this technique has not materialised yet.
But it may in the future.
The technique transforms your mobile device into what has been described as a magic crystal ball with which you can interact virtually with the real world.
According to Juniper Research, revenue from augmented reality will not exceed even $2 million (Dh7.34 million) in 2010, but will balloon to $732 million by 2014.
In order for augmented reality to take off, several things have to fall into place — more end-users need to have smartphones, they must know what vision augmented reality is, and have to get the desired applications on their phones.
The most common form of augmented reality is location-based augmented reality which is available in most high-end phones.
Video presentation
To give an example of what Qualcomm has launched, Ziad Mattar, Director, Business Development for Qualcomm Middle East, showed a video of a Rock ‘Em-Sock ‘Em Robots app developed in partnership with Mattel. It is a game whereby users can virtually play the game on a piece of paper.
“Vision-based augmented reality uses a smartphone’s camera as sensor. We call it the sixth sense. Vision is the key enabler. You start with real-world view with virtual content on top. This enables a more immersive experience,” Ziad said.
“We’re seeing the transition from looking at things on your phone. Your phone is a portal to a magical world where there’s incredible stuff, he said.
For example, you can drag and drop the furniture on to a picture of your living room to see if the pieces suit your home or not.
To take this a step further, Qualcomm is launching an augmented reality software development kit (SDK) for Android smartphones in the Middle East.
It provides developers with an advanced feature set, which aids augmentation of 3D images on printed media. It also supports the ability for users to interact with applications by simply touching real world surfaces. It is good for advertisers, businesses, educational institutions and gamers.
There are, however, several parts to the process. First, one must scan images with his/her camera and determine an object’s natural features and patterns. After that, compare these images with the database of known images — if the image matches, then use computing vision techniques to match the object’s coordinates.
Ziad added that following this, the application renders graphical overlays. The tool needs to be low-power and offered at a reasonable cost. When asked why just Android, he said that Android phones are a logical starting point for Qualcomm’s SDK. It will be followed by other operating systems. Vision-based augmented reality puts a lot of stress on the processor and the battery, he added.
Naushad K. Cherrayil/Gulf News
It’s for real
Qualcomm teams up with Mattel to update its game Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots where players can see superimposed virtual robots on their smartphone displays.
OLIVER CLARKE/Gulf News
Sharp appeal
Models for Sharp add some glamour to a giant video display during Gitex 2010.
OLIVER CLARKE/Gulf News
For USB 3
A USB 3 computer motherboard is displayed?at the Firebird stand.
OLIVER CLARKE/Gulf News
Virus detectors
The Symantec stand is the scene of hectic activity. Symantec is the maker of Norton Anti-Virus software.
trend
Smartbooks to grow
Smartbooks — products which combine the technology of a smartphone and a notebook — are going to grow at an exponential pace. “We expect around 40 per cent of devices sold globally will be smartbooks and around 90 per cent of mobile phones sold will be smartphones,” Ziad Mattar, Director, Business Development for Qualcomm Middle East, said. He added that tablet PCs are not going to kill the smartphone market, but will complement each other.
“This year we are launching a 1.2GHz Dual-Core Snapdragon processor which we will follow up with a 1.5GHz version next year. In the meantime du and etisalat are showcasing mobile broadband speeds of up to 42.2 Mbps using Qualcomm’s DC-HSPA+ technology...”
— N.K.C.
By Naushad K. Cherrayil?Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
