Imagine if this technology becomes reality one day; I’m scared already by Watchmen #4, scrutinizing Dr Manhattan’s impressive attributes from every single angle possible.

UPDATE: More videos by Immersive Media

And GE just did a great job at explaining me their Smart Grid, with a very neatly executed flash site, voted Site of the Month by TheFWA. Interactive stories, great 3D infographics, and even some webcam fun as shown below:

It will definitely be more difficult to make the difference between real reality or fake reality in the few next month. Watch this other amazing example of « enhanced reality », thanks to a new techno of parallel tracking and mapping on live videos.
Imagine all the next applications we will have in stores, website etc… in the immediate future…

Pretty neat set of banners for the Sex and the City movie. Simulated 3D effects and micro-site feel. In case you’re not overwhelmed yet by Carrie and her desperate crew. Too bad the site itself sucks bad time.

(Achtung: Some banners in the sets are really lame, I’m talking about the ones with the NY skyline made of B&W pics)

Fashion designers know about this: the effort they put and the talents they gather for the preparation of their 10 minutes catwalk, are all focused on producing intense emotions for their lucky audience. In this direction theatrical displays are transforming catwalks into stage sets and new technologies are finding their chance to be known worldwide. One of the lastest fashion shows by Alexander McQueen saw the image of supermodel Kate Moss emerge in a holographic installation inside a giant glass pyramid. The scene reminded me the main sequence of “The Illusionist“, where a fascinating Edward Norton, impersonating a magician in turn-of-the-20th-century Vienna, summons the spirit of his beloved Sophie. His charismatic gaze made people crazy and watching the movie you realize how important was for audience of that time to believe that his powers weren’t illusions. Nowadays the power of illusions is even more important than power in itself.

We find a similar magical effect in the Diesel catwalk for Spring/Summer Collection 2008: an immersion in the bioluminescent world of giant mechanic cephalopods, futuristic aquanauts and mysterious galactic polips walking with real and holographic models.

Recently a broader audience had the chance to be engaged by holographic technology because a giant water screen-based 3D hologram was set up in Tokyo Bay to advertise the Japanese premiere of the movie about the Loch Ness monster, “The Water Horse“. A set of water jets synchronized with light projections created the amazing illusion of a 15m Nessie emerging from the sea. Can’t wait for the next experiment…

Fantastic website – infact its more than a website – its an experience – well designed, well presented, great ideas behind it – its one of those website that come around now and again that remind you why you work in all things digital!

Gettheglass

From this article you will hopefully learn about those new, funky and clever technologies which might become really widespread soon.

Most of us in the digital industry have heard about Google’s Street View on Maps. In response to that Microsoft Live Labs are tackling the challenge to overlay photography on 3D structures, without having to resort to going out and taking the photos themselves (as Street View does). Instead they are seeking to utilize the collective power of a global consumer base by tapping into their photo albums. The software, called Photosynth, is able to take a large collection of photos (i.e from Flickr) of a place or an object, analyse them for similarities, and display them in a constructed 3D space.

One of the more useful creative applications of the technology is a product called Rave Guardian. Designed by mobile services company Rave Wireless in New York, it is a GPS-based mobile phone service to keep students safe. A student sets a timed alarm on their phone when they leave a friend’s dorm at night to return to their room. If they return safely they can simply turn off the alarm. Otherwise the alarm transmits their location on Google Maps every three minutes to campus safety. The software also enables students to track buses as they move around the campus and to access academic information that was digitally ‘tagged’ during a lecture.

Also worth mentioning is the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Fedex is using it for tracking deliveries and BA is using it for tracking luggage. It is only relatively recently that businesses have starting using them to engage with consumers. Luxury brands like Prada allow consumers to access further information about the products via in-store RFID readers. Garments held up to screens in the Prada flagship store trigger catwalk shows and recommend accessories.

Now, going away now from the US and UK, in Japan, over a third of mobile phones have scanners built into them. It has become second nature for consumers in Tokyo to scan products for reviews or price comparisons with Amazon.co.jp. Image recognition software even allows camera phones to request information from the Internet based on tagged photos in magazines or on posters. The question arises: how long before we can access somebody’s blog or Facebook page simply by taking their photo? Sounds pretty cool, but scary at the same time!

Whilst in the UK MySpace has only recently reached mobile via Vodafone, in the US Nokia and other premium handsets have started introducing a functionality to allow users to track down the whereabouts of their friends using in-built GPS and Google Maps. Mobile technology has recently been developed that enables users to stay signed in to Second Life and listen to their online friends whilst moving about in the real world. This technology also promises to convert real world activity into a virtual equivalent (you walk and your online self walks).

So, what is the implication for brands and agencies?

It will be necessary for all brand managers to become more aware of the technological advances and us, agencies, should help educate them and also help them in their approach to creativity. We may even find that technology itself is the creative idea, in some instances. This is why agencies need to be equipped with experts in order to engrave technology into the essence of an idea.