Impressive Augmented Reality Allows People To Enter The World of National Geographic.

In an impressive display of augmented reality (video further down in this post), people in a shopping mall in Hungary got a chance to pet a cheetah, play with velociraptors, stand within biting distance of a T-Rex, endure a thunderstorm and walk with an astronaut amongst other exciting experiences via technology from the UK's Appshaker.





Appshaker recently launched a unique way for people to interact with the amazing world of National Geographic Channel's content from around the globe.

Using the principles of augmented reality, people could immerse themselves in different scenes such as dolphins, leopards, the space landings, dinosaurs and more.



Thousands of people interacted with the National Geographic Channel brand in the process as it toured Hungary, with thousands more people sharing snapshots and video on Facebook as a result.




For more information on appshaker, please head to appshaker.co.uk and a huge thank you to Vertigo Digital whom they worked with to create the amazing 3D.

eBay & Toys for Tots use QR Codes to Window Shop for "Good" this Holiday.

Created by eBay's ad agency, Venables Bell & Partners, eBay and Toys for Tots have launched the GIVE-A-TOY STORE.



An interactive window display in New York (at 35th and Broadway) and San Francisco (at 117 Post St.) lets you donate a toy by scanning its tag (a QR code) with the eBay mobile app.





Once scanned, the animated toys come to life, encouraging passers-by to get into the holiday giving spirit.



It's a clever, engaging and cute way to be charitable this holiday season and to make many a child happy.

And, for those of you who can’t stop by in-person, you can donate some joy at ebay.com/giveatoystore.com

There is also a Facebook application called "Build a Toy."



Users donate by customizing one of the classic, virtual toys at Facebook.com/eBay. eBay will donate $1 for every toy customized, up to $50,000.

Toys for Tots
Ebay Give A Toy Store
Facebook.com/Ebay Build A Toy

CREDITS:
Client Name: eBay
Name of Ad: eBay Give-A-Toy Store
Agency: Venables Bell & Partners
Live Date: 11.11.11
Executive Creative Director: Paul Venables and Will McGinness
Creative Directors: Lee Einhorn, Tyler Hampton
Art Director: Brad Kayal
Copywriter: Kelly Diaz
Director of Interactive Production: Heather Wischmann
Interactive Producer: Elissa Polls
Print Producer: Jacqueline Fodor
Account Director: Anne Cummings
Account Supervisor: Lindsay Cole
Account Manager: Kim Claytor

(OUT-SOURCED BELOW)
Interactive Production: Brand New School East
Executive Creative Director: Jonathan Notaro
Interactive Director: Justin Bakse
Developer: Brian Tobin
Producer: Jeanette Etchebehere
Associate Producer: Joe Balint
Post Production: Brand New School West
Executive Creative Director: Jonathan Notaro
Director: Robert Bisi

Designers: Andy Bernet, Sakona Kong, Ed Laag, Angela Li, Waka Ichinose
CG Lead/VFX Supervisor: Marco Maldonado
3D Modeling: Andy Kim, Derrick Sesson
3D Animation: Hao Cui, Max Keane, Alfredo Ramirez, Derrick Sesson
2D Animation: Maithy Tran
3D Artists: Martin Furness, Andy Kim, Ryan Kirkwood
Storyboard Artist: Max Forward
Compositor: Ryan Kirkwood, Maithy Tran
Executive Producer: Jason Cohon
Producer: Jeanette Etchebehere

Media Company: Monster Media
Creative Producer: Radhames Almanzar
VP of Marketing & Client Services: Natalie Brokaw
Client Services Coordinator: Lindsey Fuller
Project Manager: Sloan Jenkins
SVP of Sales & Marketing: Tim O’Brien
Original Music: Jingle Punks
Sound Design: Brad Kayal, Chris Konovaliv

TouchFire - A Flexible, Featherweight Screen-Top Keyboard for the iPad!

Many people I know simply do not like attempting to type on the iPad for the same reason that several iPhone owners turned back to their Blackberry. They miss the ease of using a keyboard as you normally would. That's precisely why Steve Isaac and Brad Melmon of Seattle have come up with a thin, feather-weight device that puts the "touch" back into typing - TouchFire.



TouchFire makes typing on your iPad feel like using a normal keyboard. The silicone rubber keyboard is easy to type on, cushions your fingers and weighs less than an ounce.



It's ultra-thin and attaches to the inside of the iPad cover and folds up within the cover, so you can always keep TouchFire with your iPad without it getting in the way. It's so thin and transparent that you can even use the touch screen as you normally would and 'swipe' through it if you so desired. TouchFire fits right over the iPad keyboard and aligns itself magnetically.

Applies magnetically to position directly over the iPad keyboard:

Roll it down to use the whole screen:

It attaches easily to the iPad Smart Cover with two plastic clips:

If you don't have a SmartCover on your iPad, the TouchFire is easily stored in its handy case:


Steve Isaac and Brad Melmon, the brains behind TouchFire:


Patent Pending, Steve and Brad are presently requesting funding on kickstarter

A pledge of $45 will pre-order you the starter pack which contains a keyboard, a storage case and a pair of cover clips, all in black. Shipping is free in the U.S. Please add $10 to your pledge for shipping to Canada, $25 for International shipping.

Help support this ingenious idea and buy one for yourself or a friend here.

TouchFire® is a registered trademark of TouchFire, Inc. Seattle, WA. All rights reserved. PATENT PENDING. Put the Touch Back into Typing™ and Screen-Top Keyboard™ are trademarks of TouchFire, Inc. iPad® is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. Cupertino, CA.

QR Code Greeting Cards Become the New "Mix Tapes" and Send You to Spotify Playlists.

above: A series of greetings cards that when scanned with a QR code reader direct people to themed music playlists within their Spotify Premium smart phone app.

Once upon a time, the "mix tape" was an overture of intimacy, of sharing, a gesture to show you cared by sending someone your own personal musical playlist as a message. Now, Stupid, a collective of young creatives in the UK, have designed greeting cards with customized artful versions of QR codes (they call them QR Images) that when scanned, lead you to specific playlists on Spotify, making them the mix tapes of the new Millenium.

How it works:


The Cards:

above: Music for art lovers

above left: Music for Cooks; above right: Music for Monsters

above left: Music for Geeks; above right: Music for Love

Stupid is presently in talk with various UK companies about producing the cards en masse, but for now, if you'd like one contact them directly here.

About Stupid:
A collective of young creatives who want to work on interesting and challenging projects. With their mix of creative disciplines they hope to do most projects entirely in house allowing them control over the entire creative process. However when they do use outside specialist talent they make sure it's someone very special with an inherent ability to think stupid.



WTF are QR Codes and what is Spotify?
If you're not at all familiar with QR Codes or Spotify, and the above post sounded like a foreign language to you, learn about both at the links below:

• How QR Codes work
• About Spotify

Squishy Cushy Holder for Your iPad. Introducing the TyPillow.

The TyPillow is a throw pillow especially designed to snuggly hold your Apple iPad2 and conform to the shape of your lap, head or surface.





The microsuede 17" square cushion designed by Accessory Workshop has a special micro bead filling that adjusts for a contoured fit.






The pillow is priced at $34.95 and ships worldwide in approximately 3-5 days.
Buy the TyPillow here

Modern Tech Meets Traditional Japanese Gold-Leafing in these USB Flash Drives.

With most new fangled technology gadgets being made of silicon, titanium or polypropylene, it's a refreshing change to come across something useful that harkens back to tradition.



Famous Japanese kinpaku manufacturer Hakuichi, who is known for their gold-leafing of several types of products and edibles, enters the computer peripheral world with these portable USB drives decorated with high-quality gold leaf designs, called hakue (or gold leaf pictures).





Chrysanthemums to birds to Mount Fuji adorn the front of these 4GB USB thumb drives or flash drives. While they are perfect for storing your data they bring an element of traditional Japanese hand-leafed gold design to the table.



The Hakue portable USB drives feature ten different distinctly Japanese designs:



Akafuji (Mt Fuji at dawn)
Fūjin Raijin (God of Wind and God of Thunder)
Houou (East Asian phoenix)
Kiku to Ryūsui (Chrysanthemums in water)
Kingyo (Goldfish)
Kouyo (Autumn leaves)
Nakiryu (Temple dragon)
Sakura Fubuki (Cherry blossoms)
Temari (Temari hand balls)
Tsuki to Usagi (Moon and rabbit)


Please note that this product is manufactured after receipt of order; as such, orders for this product cannot be cancelled. Additionally, the one-year hardware warranty only covers the USB solid state drive, not the design on the outside.

In Japan you can buy them directly from Hakuichi here.

In the US, you can buy them here for $198.28 USD

A Supersized Solar-Powered Catamaran, The Turanor PlanetSolar.

M/S TÛRANOR PlanetSolar is a multihull vessel topped by a large array of photovoltaic solar panels, constructed by Knierim Yacht Club, in Kiel, Germany. Built in 14 months, the biggest ever solar boat has impressive dimensions but is both silent and clean.









The multihull will be home to six sailors during the round-the-world attempt, and can accommodate up to forty people during the promotional trips planned at each port of call.











On its round-the-globe expedition, the TÛRANOR* PlanetSolar will pioneer the use of sustainable energy technology on water. It is different from anything that has happened in the field of mobility to date. This solar catamaran uses the very latest cutting-edge technology available on the market. The intention is to demonstrate that high-performance solar mobility can be realized today by making innovative use of existing materials and technology.













The ideal shape and size of the boat for the chosen route was determined by in-depth research. The PlanetSolar engineers have to factor in a host of parameters – propulsion, solar panel design, energy storage, materials and the external environment.







A whole range of studies will need to be conducted in areas such as the boat’s hydro and aerodynamics, the materials used, the management and storage of energy and, finally, the power plant and optimal routing. It is a concentration of futuristic technology.



* The name TÛRANOR is derived from the “Lord of the Rings” saga by J.R.R. Tolkien and translates as “the power of the sun” and "victory".



Technology







PlanetSolar is a catamaran that runs solely on the energy found in light. Additional removable parts allow it to expose a total of 537 m2 of photovoltaic modules (solar panels) to the sun. This impressive data makes it the biggest solar-powered ship in the world.



Legnth: 31 m

Width: 15 m

Length with flaps: 35 m

Width with flaps: 23 m

Height: 6.1 m

Draft: 1.55 m

Weight: 95 t

Surface area of solar modules: 537 m2

PV panel efficiency: 18.8%

Installed PV power: 93.5 kW (127.0 hp)

Average engine consumption: 20 kW (26.8 hp)

Crew: 6 people

Number of people that can go on board: 40

Autonomy: never-ending solar navigation







Information and images courtesy of PlanetSolar