Chapter 3
Introduction to AR Browsers
WHAT’S IN THIS CHAPTER?
- An overview of the clients you will be developing content for
- Examples of AR content created by other developers
- A first look at the functionality provide by AR browsers
- Why browsers are not accurate
For the course of this book we will focus on building content for the three leading AR browser platforms. Taking this approach presents us with some benefits and, of course, the inevitable drawbacks. Before you begin, you’ll need an iPhone or an Android phone and the latest versions of junaio, Layar, and Wikitude.
Benefits of using the three leading AR browser platforms include:
- It’s easier to build content with little or no programming knowledge required. In many cases, you can access a database or provide XML to reference your content.
- Your content appears to an audience already interested in AR and actively seeking your content.
- It’s in the platform providers’ interests to actively promote their applications to users, so that means less marketing on your part.
- You can take advantage of richer features as the platform provider makes the functionality available.
- You don’t have to worry about camera input, screen layout, or GPS APIs.
- The same content will work on Android, iPhone, and Symbian/Windows Phone/bada OS/MeeGo when the clients are released.
- It’s becoming increasingly common for AR browsers to be preinstalled on mobile devices. This provides even more discoverability opportunities for your content.
Drawbacks ...
