why Sports Enthusiasts are the future of AR

Rouli Nir | January 2011 | artimes.rouli.net | gamesalfresco.com | @augmented

Phone based augmented reality is cool

but very limited

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plantronicsgermany/4540853608/

Are small screen size & low accuracy

the reason there’s no killer application yet?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pftqg/18633093/sizes/z/

On the other hand, no one in his right mind will usehead mounted displays in public.

They just look silly

and are quite expensive

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mvoorzanger/2898646875/

but some people are

not afraid of looking silly

http://www.flickr.com/photos/teamtraveller/3378863252

and are willing to pay good money

to improve their performance

http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaoneill/4363695301/

we call them

sport enthusiasts

is augmented reality and sports

a match made in heaven?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/2875070587/

GPS accuracy is good enough outdoors

and some are already in the habit of wearing goggles

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/2875070587/

think of all the applicationsthat are possible today

you will constantly see your

heart rate and distance covered

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/3592318078/

you will be able to compete

against a virtual avatar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lokner/3548996973/

which could be a world champion

or yourself from last week

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmyharris/116157704/

collect gold coins while you run

or escape sharks in the pool

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/2174897924/

and best of all,sport enthusiasts are a bridgehead to the greater populace.

can AR goggles be

as common as sneakers?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/niznoz/294561018/