Weekly Mashup 38

Missing your ex? Dating website uses augmented reality to find lookalike partner

Match.com teamed up with LA firm Three Day Rule who use image-recognition technology to find you dates who resemble your last partner… for a $5,000 fee.

© Match.com

How augmented reality is improving the in-store shopping experience

Consumers are more likely to shop in store than on a mobile phone, but when inside the shop building they do want additional services available through their mobiles.

© Augmentedpixels.com

The guy who fixes your washing machine could soon be wearing a Google Glass

Salesforce has unveiled its Wear Developer Pack, hoping developers will use the software to build systems for CRM, customer service and other business purposes. The technology works with wearable devices such as smart-watches and eyeglasses.

© Salesforce

Wall Street Journal uses augmented reality in review of 3D printer

The newspaper reviewed a 3D printer, built a bar chart using the printer, then used the AR app Augment to embed an augmented reality version of the bar char in the newspaper, viewable only through a smartphone.

© Wall Street Journal

How Millennial shoppers buy both offline and online, and like to try things virtually

A study into the shopping habits of Millennials – the demographic ranging from high-school seniors to 34-year-old parents – revealed that most still prefer to make purchases in-store, but they do like to make comparisons online.

© istockphoto.com

Augmented reality Lego is here! The app that turns your façade into a 3D building

Lego’s new Fusion project enables you to build the façade to a building, a car, a town etc, and then download an app to see what your build would look like 3D. You can then place your creations in a mobile game.

© The Verge

Mariah Carey launches soft drink. And it comes with an augmented reality experience

The singer has put her name to a drink named Butterfly, which, when scanned using a smartphone, unleashes an AR experience (namely videos) upon the drinker.

© Twitter/Mariah Carey

IN THE NEWS

It’s true! Blippar has acquired Layar, and together we’re going to be awesome

Blippar CEO Rish said: ‘Layar started at the long-tail wanting to move to the premium side of the business, and we started at the premium ending up wanting to head towards the long-tail eventually. So, we ended up in a good place with combining forces.’

© Blippar

‘Layar shares this vision of an augmented world’: Blippar CEO on the acquisition

Rish explains that by combining forces, Blippar and Layar will redefine the world of augmented reality, and what is required to deliver it on a global scale.

© Blippar

‘We’ll research 3D objects just by looking at them’: Our CEO Rish on the future of AR

Blippar CEO Rish Mitra explains why augmented reality’s next frontier is real-world search, and how Blippar aims to totally reduce the ‘friction’ in life by creating seamlessness.

© Blippar

Kraft teams up with Blippar to make cheeseburgers more fun

Food giant Kraft is using Blippar to entice people towards its Great American Bacon Cheeseburger campaign by making the packaging blippable. Blipps launch recipes and a sweepstake.

© Blippar

Blippar named ‘one to watch’ in London’s answer to Silicon Valley

To celebrate London’s first ever Technology Week, tech journalist Stuart Miles has picked his favourite techy companies, and Blippar made the list alongside Swiftkey, Seene, Squawka and Damson Audio.

© Blippar