metaio has launched an updated version of its open Augmented Reality (AR) iPhone and mobile web browser junaio. V2.0 of junaio is available now in the App Store and offers new features, including indoor usage, web- and user-based information channels, and an open API for developer. An Android version is in development.
By combining GPS- and compass-based geo-information with the so called, patent-pending LLA-marker (longitude, latitude, altitude) technology, users now can experience AR inside buildings. So in a museum, for example, a user could point their camera at the information board next to an exhibit and get the information on their phone.
junaio is the first service offering this cutting-edge approach, says metaio CEO, Peter Meier. junaio 2.0 makes it possible to bring Augmented Reality to places like exhibitions, trade fairs, shopping malls or stations, without being dependent on the limited accuracy of the GPS-technology.
This feature will be demonstrated in a scavengAR-hunt being staged by Porter Novelli at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Austin, Texas next week. Visitors have to find clues in the real world throughout the SXSW venues, collect digital items on them and be the first to finish the AR scavenger hunt to win prizes.
junaio 2.0 also introduces a new way to arrange location-based content through mobile content channels, offered in the real world via AR. These channels currently include News, Culture, Shopping, Games, Travel and Food and will help users to find the closest and best rated restaurants, shops, or whatever they are looking for, more easily. Users can set up their own personal channel and share posts, notes or points of interests with friends, or make channels public to everyone. The feature enables users to share their experiences, 3D objects, Twitter messages, websites or recommendations of nearby locations with their friends, and help build the junaio-social community.
The first content-provider channels included within the junaio 2.0 platform, will be a US-based transportation service provider, and the Eventful Channel. The Eventful Channel integrates data, such as event locations and venue details, into the AR browser. Eventful offers a varied selection of local events, from movies, concerts and sports to singles events and kids activities. Users will have mobile access to events venues and information, anytime and anywhere.