Just over a month ago, the news broke that Metaio, a fellow Augmented Reality provider, had stopped selling its services and had been acquired by Apple. Since then we’ve received a lot of messages from Metaio users inquiring about what Layar has to offer. With that in mind, we’ve created a helpful guide for anyone looking to transition from Metaio.
Last year we published an infographic detailing how Interactive Print is on the rise across the world. We’ve recently updated our infographic for 2014 to reflect the most recent statistics about the Layar App, the Layar Creator and top brands making use of our products and services.
Check out the new infographic below, and click here to view a larger version.
We are very excited to announce today that Layar can now be used on Google Glass. Check out the video below to see how it works, and if you’re a lucky owner of Glass, click here to learn how to install Layar.
As pioneers in the augmented reality space, we were extremely curious when Google first announced Google Glass. We immediately acquired multiple pairs through the Glass Explorer program and have been experimenting and hacking with how this new technology and UI fits with Layar and augmented reality.
From this hacking, we are now able to bring the full power of the Layar App to Google Glass. By just saying “Ok Glass, scan this,” Glass will capture what you’re looking at and match it against the content in our system – the same way the Layar App does today. Now with Layar for Glass, you can view Geo Layers, Interactive Print and QR Codes with a simple voice command.
In the video above, you can see how you can use Glass to view any of the existing AR and Interactive Print content on the Layar platform. From browsing Geo Layers like Funda’s real estate listings, to viewing movie trailers right from the poster, to seeing magazines like Glamour jump to life with video, to immersive 360-degree panoramic experiences.
You can view any of Layar’s nearly 6,000 Geo Layers in one of two ways: by scanning the QR code associated with the layer, or scanning a piece of Interactive Print from the Layar Creator with a Geo Layer button. If you know the ID name of a Geo Layer, go to layar.com/layers/{layerIDhere} to view that layer’s QR code.
As you look at the items in the Geo Layer, you can tap on the side of your Glass to select an item, and you can browse other items by scrolling side to side. Give it a try with some popular Geo Layers, like Funda Real Estate, Instagram Photos, Casper Aircraft Tracking and Tweeps Around. You can launch these examples on Glass by scanning the QR codes on these pages.
Speaking of QR codes… Layar for Glass makes for one heck of a QR code scanner! If you want to use Glass to view QR codes, just say “Ok Glass, scan this,” and you’re quickly viewing the content on Glass.
Glass users can now access Layar’s rapidly growing platform of Interactive Print campaigns, including magazines like Men’s Health, Inc. and Glamour, as well as newspapers, advertising, art and more. There are already over 200,000 interactive pages that can be viewed on Glass.
“For nearly five years, Layar has invited developers, designers and creators to use our platform to explore the new medium of Augmented Reality,” says Layar Co-Founder Maarten Lens-FitzGerald. “With Google Glass, an important new tool has become available and we are very excited to be part of this amazing platform and explore together this new world of augmented reality.”
From a technical standpoint, we’ve modified Layar to match the UI of Glass, allowing you to interact and browse items using side-scrolling cards. By performing a two-finger tap while viewing Interactive Print, Glass will switch from the AR camera view to a “Pop Out” or fullscreen view, so you can enjoy the contest as comfortably as possible. Additionally, the technology behind the image recognition and AR has been optimized for Glass to make things as smooth as possible.
“When we first got our hands on Google Glass last summer and installed Layar on it, we quickly realized that in order to provide a truly useful experience on Glass, we needed to radically rethink our UI and optimize our technology for this new platform,” says Layar CTO Dirk Groten. “We didn’t just port Layar to Glass, but put in a tremendous amount of effort to create a dedicated app that feels like a first-class citizen on Glass. I believe we’ve created one of the most amazing apps I’ve seen to date on Glass.”
As this version of Layar is still a beta, you won’t find it in Google’s official Glassware catalogue, but installing it is very simple. To get started, download the Layar for Glass APK and read our guide on how to install it.
We will be continuously updating the app as we refine the Layar experience on Glass. If you encounter any trouble, we would love your feedback. Also, be sure to check back at Layar.com/Glass for the latest update to make sure you have the latest version of the app.
You can also contribute to the content on Google Glass right now by using the Layar Creator to make your own interactive content.
Today we’ve launched an update to the Layar App that turns print into the starting point for a whole new form of reader engagement. The new Layar 8.2 helps publishers and marketeers get the most out of print by taking experiences beyond the page.
“Now more than ever, Layar strengthens this power by connecting print with more intimate mobile interactions,” said Layar CEO Quintin Schevernels. “We see print as a valuable starting point for launching deeper, more engaging connected experiences that provide readers with an instant connection to relevant online content by scanning the print page.”
The updated Layar App now gives users the ability to experience, save, review and share Interactive Print content, extending the life and reach of the original print product beyond its initial use and audience.
The previously introduced Recent Content and Pop Out features create an automated “history” of content that a user views, and lets users lean back and enjoy an experience more comfortably without needing to hold their device over the original print content. Now with the new Favorites feature, users can save experiences to review them whenever they want without needing to scan the original print again – a feature perfect for sharing these experiences with others.
“Favorites is not only a great feature for users, but it also extends the life and reach of your print beyond just its first use,” said Layar Product Manager Maurice Groenhart.
See how Favorites works in the video above. The new Layar App can be downloaded today for iOS in the App Store and for Android in the Google Play Store.
Last week BlackBerry released a major update for BlackBerry OS 10 which includes an enormous improvement in their Android runtime environment. That means that now, almost any Android app can run on BlackBerry devices which have been updated to OS 10.2.1.
Of course, we were curious to see if Layar would run in this new runtime environment and the good news is: It does! Layar uses a lot of low level calls to native (C++) APIs, which meant that up to now, it wasn’t compatible with the Android emulator that BlackBerry was running on OS 10, but that has changed since the added support for Android Native (JNI).
If you want to try it for yourself, just follow these steps:
That’s it! Now you can use Layar on your BlackBerry device. This is Layar v8.1 as we published it in Google Play, with no changes for BlackBerry. We’ll probably do a few small tweaks to improve the experience on BlackBerry in our next release. Let us know what you think, any issues you find, or if you like Layar on BlackBerry and think we should submit it to BlackBerry App World. Just use the comments below.
There are a few known issues we encountered while testing on a Z10:
We’re curious to hear your feedback!
