Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

When I heard about augmented reality (AR) in class, I suddenly remembered about this Google Japan commercial I saw a few years back - which I felt that it could show how augmented reality work in a way.

Back then, I thought the whole concept was very interesting and fresh because you would be able to try on your favorite clothes without even leaving your home - but also provided that you had a projector and a huge screen. Now, we are starting to have augmented reality applications on our mobile phones! There is a surge in the number of upcoming augmented reality apps and I would like to introduce 2 AR apps that might come in handy for you:

1. Snapshot Showroom

You might not love to shop, but there will be a day when you will need to think about purchasing a decent couch. This app called Snapshop Showroom allows users to view how and what potential furniture may look like in the comfort of their living room, kitchen or any other desired area of their home.

Once you capture an image of the desired room you wish to furnish, you can quickly browse and place items (chairs, lamps, beds, tables, etc.) from the likes of retailers like IKEA. Users are able to resize the furniture, reposition it in the virtual environment and experiment with various patterns and color combinations until they find the right fit for the setting. The furniture can be directly purchased within the app - which means it can save you the trouble of making a trip down to the physical store.

2. Lookator

Since all of us do own a piece of gadget, we often face the trouble of needing Wi-fi when we get out of the house (especially when we don't want to waste money on data). What makes Lookator a useful app is that it helps to search and find Wi-Fi networks without any hassle.

Once the app is installed, users merely need to launch it, hold their gadget up, and view directions to the nearest hotspots using constantly updated vector-based models. Directions will lead you to a better signal, even if they’re not fully accurate and on top of that, Lookator presents every available network’s signal strength and whether the desired network is protected by a password.

The app also enables users to search crowdsourced data for quality networks just outside their mobile device’s selective range. Finding a place with free Wi-Fi has never been easier than this.

These are a few of the many AR apps that might change how we see things in real life. Technology is getting really fascinating with such apps - especially when it is a great help in our way of life.