Augmented Reality for Smartphones

This report should help developers and content publishers who want to take advantage of the latest developments in smartphone and augmented reality (AR) technology to create novel and exciting new learning experiences. Not so long ago, augmented reality was an experimental technology that rarely left the lab and required a high level of technical expertise and knowledge to create new applications. Now, thanks to advances in smartphone hardware, AR technology is much more available and easily accessible for users and developers alike. With several innovative young companies offering out the box AR “browsers” and tools for creating, publishing and hosting virtual content, it is even possible to create augmented reality experiences without any programming knowledge at all. Many new applications and frameworks have been launched, each with its own set of capabilities and requiring different levels of technical knowledge to publish content and customize the interface. This report will help you to navigate this emerging landscape and pick out the best tools and platforms for your needs. As this report is written primarily for developers it will focus its analysis on browsers and platforms that allow some level of customization or ability to publish your own content rather than the many standalone applications where both content and interface are tightly controlled by the vendor. However it will briefly describe some other applications that might be useful in a teaching and learning context. It will also take a look at the various tools and hosting platforms that are available to make it easier to create and share Point of Interest (POI) content and draw together best practice on implementing POI services. Being able to share the same content across platforms is also an important consideration in embarking on a project that aims for sustainable output. With this in mind, this report will discuss the initiatives that have recently sprung up to define new standards and protocols around the emerging Augmented Reality industry. As this is still a technology in its infancy it is important to understand its limitations, particularly in the area of user experience. Current work on user experience patterns in augmented reality will be reviewed. Finally a look will be taken at augmented reality in education to provide some inspiration for educators interested in deploying this technology in a teaching and learning context. It is intended that this report will equip developers and content publishers with all the information they need to make the right decisions about where and how to employ this inspiring new technology and create some exciting innovations in teaching and learning.