iOS

Lonely Planet meets Layar: bridging the print-digital divide

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We’re experimenting with just that in partnership with Layar, a free augmented reality app available on Apple iOS and Android devices. To start, we’ve enhanced all 42 Lonely Planet European city guidebooks (city guides, pocket city guides and Discover city guides) to work with the Layar app. Simply by scanning the cover through the app, travelers can enjoy live weather feeds, exclusive videos and photos, transport planners, activity ideas and hundreds of bookable hotel and tour listings – all for free. All you need is a book and a phone.

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Amazon adds Flow's augmented reality to main shopping app

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Amazon has added augmented reality technology to its main iOS app, allowing shoppers to scan for more products using their iPhone cameras.

Amazon has long been developing this tech, released in 2011 through an app called Flow. The feature lets users snap a photo of a product instead of scanning the barcode or typing the name of the item into a search bar. It will then pull up the product from the photo, so customers can purchase it instantly.

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Forbes Launches Social-Oriented Visual 'Stream'

Thought the days of every publisher pushing their own social network were behind us? Think again.

Forbes on Monday unveiled “Stream” -- a feature that allows readers to save, share and discover visual content from the magazine and Forbes.com. Lewis DVorkin, Forbes Media chief product officer, said Stream is a response to two key trends that continue to redefine media: a shift toward content streams like those of Twitter and Facebook, and a shift away from text.

Stream is part of the new Forbes magazine app for iOS, which already features redesigned issues optimized specifically for tablet and mobile devices. The technology behind Stream was developed by MAZ, a New York-based technology startup.

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Finally, an Alternative to the Much-Hated QR Code

Marketers have been trying to make print and outdoor ads interactive for years, but despite their efforts, consumers are largely rejecting QR Codes. Can a new technology called Clickable Paper reboot those efforts?

Imaging and electronics company Ricoh introduced Clickable Paper two years ago, but the company just introduced iOS and Android apps in the United States late last year. (A similar app has been available in Japan since 2012.)

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