Bye Bye QR codes, Hello Augmented Reality

A few years a go when I read up on how the QR codes were going to explode in the advertising industry, I was excited about the idea of someone getting immediate information with a simple bar code scan. And although I did see more QR codes in advertising, they are less exciting now. 

Augmented Reality (AR) will soon take over the QR Code. Which seems like a very broad term. The computer science world's definition of AR is the interaction of superimposed graphics, audio and other sense enhancements over a real-world environment that's displayed in real-time. It is not a new concept and has been around for a long time, however with the AR mobile apps that are now available it is a rapidly growing conversation and one that should be deemed exciting.

My earliest face to face with AR came when I was at a hair appointment in high school. The year was 1989 and my stylist had just started her new business around a computer application. And not only were the computers big, but the hair too. It was a application that took a picture of you. You then were able to load your photo in and try on hundreds of hair styles and colors to choose from, giving you a good idea of what haircut is best for your face. The application was a little primitive, but effective.

Another popular example is related to football games and how the text and graphics cover the games being played. And lets not forget the otherwise invisible line of scrimmage. All considered AR.

For an example of what's possible, one of the new AR apps is called SnapShop Showroom. It actually allows you to try on furniture as you would clothing. You can pick your couch from the menu and bring up your live camera. It allows you to resize, move the couch around the room and change the fabric choices. Once you've chosen your couch, the app then directs you to the site and you purchase your couch. A couch you already know looks good in your home. Pretty damn convenient if you ask me. You can't get all of the out of a QR code.

Below is a link to an article featureing the top 15 Augmented Reality Apps. 
Click the link below.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/253530/top_15_augmented_reality_apps_for_iphone_and_ipad.html