29 December 2009 | Author: D. Warburton Search Copywriter

Augmented reality set to boom in 2010

Science fiction is coming ever closer to reality, as analysts are predicting that augmented reality (AR) technology for smartphones will experience significant growth in the coming year. AR software allows users to overlay real-time data from the internet and from location-based applications onto a view of the physical world.

Juniper Research is predicting that the AR sector will explode in the next five years to generate incomes of $732 million (£653 million) by 2014, while Martin Garner of analyst firm CCS Insight expects that mobile firms will release a range of "experimental" AR services next year as they learn how to make money from the technology.

The most obvious way to generate revenue from augmented reality technology will be through advertising. The BBC reports that US firm Brightkite has already partnered with electronics retailer BestBuy to run AR advertisements throughout December, which will highlight nearby BestBuy stores to users of iPhone and Android handsets.

Other consumer services currently being offered include Yelp's Monocle tool, which allows users to locate nearby coffee shops by simply holding up their phones, and Thundre's AR product finder that allows consumers to find a particular item in any given location without having to set foot inside the store.

As well as benefiting companies, futurologist Ian Pearson believes that AR tools will also empower consumers by offering them a comprehensive range of alternatives. He explains: "If you are in M&S looking at a rack of dresses you would be able to see the equivalent rack of dresses in other shops.

"Or in a store where the assistants are useless it could provide a video demonstrating how a particular product works or allowing you to call up all the specs."

Software giants such as Google have been reliably swift to jump on the AR bandwagon, with the Mountain View giant launching Google Goggles in December. The service allows Android users to receive detailed information on famous landmarks or works of art by simply taking a photo.

However, Mr Pearson believes that the technology has promise of becoming ever easier to access - and suggests that real goggles may only be a year or two away. "They won't be cumbersome things like virtual reality headsets," the futurologist explained. "It could simply be a pair of glasses with lasers built in. I'd be surprised if they are more than a year or two away from market."

He also suggested that AR applications could allow users to see information on people, with information such as their Facebook profiles popping up in speech bubbles above their heads. While technology such as this will doubtless raise major privacy concerns, Mr Pearson echoes the familiar mantra of social networking sites, stating: "It will be up to individuals to set the privacy levels."