Mobile Mediascapes enabled by HP
“mediascapes are mobile, location-based experiences that incorporate digital media with the sights, sounds, and textures of the world around you. A mediascape blends digital images, video, audio and interactions with the physical landscape. Games, guided walks, tours, and destinations are among the mediascapes created to date.”
http://www.hpl.hp.com/mediascapes/
“You can make a mediascape right now in about five minutes. It’s as simple as pointing to a few spots on a map. And the best part is that you can try it out in a flash demo when you’re done (…). So make your own mediascape anytime you like, then save it to your account. It’ll be there waiting for you to download it or share it with your friends.”
“The software only runs on phones with Windows Mobile 5.0 (or later versions) and is limited to the resolution of the GPS sensor (…) many of the gadgets available operate consistently within about a 10-meter radius (…) a person must keep this limitation in mind when developing her mscape application.”
Read Kate Greene’s article, “Your Phone as a Virtual Tour Guide“, on Technology Review.
I’m following up on a post on augmented and virtual reality for mobile users, which I uploaded back in July. The below chart was presented at mScpaeFest took place just a few months ago, in December of 2007 to be precise, and was hosted by Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol (UK).
Basically the intent is to deliver a mushup based on a mixture of physical and digital content. This means delivering context relevant media based on information provided by sensors (e.g. GPS’ location information) and end user input. As an example, different locations will trigger different applications, media and interactions, making both professionally crafted as well user generated content available.
Other applications would eventually leverage Bluetooth, infrared sensor data, information from in-phone accelerometers, and biometrics. Mobile users would benefit from digital media delivered over 3G wireless networks (e.g. downloads, uploads and streaming). If interested, watch the following video:
Speaking of sensor networks, here is the link to my previous post on Mobile Ad-hoc Networks. I would also suggest retrieving the one on “grocery shopping” as it links location based and web applications with retailers and online commerce. Interestingly enough, that is one of the most visited posts of this blog. By the way, what follows is just a quick note to share the link to “itsnearme“, a blog of recent creation exploring geo-targeted applications (GTA) and location based services (LBS), which happens to be run by a buddy.
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