by Amy on August 24th, 2010
Congrats Apple, you’ve done it again! According to an article released on Patently Apple, a new Apple app could rock the world of gaming. This patent could lead to the development of an app that would record your individual experience through a video game, and then provide the option of turning your journey into a custom comic or iBook when you’re done playing. How cool is that? This technology could have a huge impact on gaming as well as other forms of entertainment in the future.
This patent allows one to extract both individual and pre-generated images, data and text from one’s experience through the game to create a customized story. This data would be extracted and stored on an external device to be organized into a chronological timeline. This then could be sent to a server to create products from printed comic books to iBooks.
This technology is not limited to just video game consoles such as Wii, Xbox or Playstation. It includes “motion-activated” controllers, which can include the iPhone, iPad and other mobile products.
I feel this patent, if developed, will have a substantial impact on the gaming industry. Not only does this provide a fun way to “re-experience” your favorite games, but you can record tricks and game secrets to share with friends or use to play the game again. Plus, who doesn’t want to be the lead character of their own comic book?
I also think this will lead to a whole new experience for online video and iBooks. Remember when The Butterfly Effect was creating buzz for just having multiple endings? What if you could read a novel on your iPad in which every time you read it was different because you could choose where the story led? What if you could make decisions for characters in movies?
Additionally, this could also lead to new features for Apple apps like iMovie and iPhoto. The same technology could be applied to these programs to instantly create scrapbooks, yearbooks, digital biographies and more.
Although this technology is not even close to hitting the shelves yet, I am eager to see how it develops, and how it will impact other technologies. It’s definitely something to keep your tech-savvy eye on.
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by Amy on July 13th, 2010
Over the past few years, we’ve all noticed a revival in 3D movies. From movies to Alice In Wonderland to Avatar and Shrek The Final Chapter, many recent blockbusters have made the jump to 3D. However, it appears 3D is making it’s way into other technologies as well.
In a recent presentation by European Sony executive Mike Hawking, PlayStation 3 is adding 3D Blu-ray support. This will make PS3 consoles compatible with 3D games as well as online videos, movies and photos. The firmware upgrade for Blu-ray will be available this September, and 3D YouTube support is expected to become available within a year. Hawking stated since PS3s already have the hardware needed to handle 3D images. This technology will also allow users to upload images from 3D cameras.
Television is also going 3D. This year companies like Samsung and Sony have marketed 3D televisions. 3D TV is expected to become a hugely popular item as 3D becomes more standard in video, gaming and television programming. I feel sports fans will be the first to embrace 3D television, and others will follow once this technology becomes more affordable.
It’s not just entertainment that is going 3D. Adobe recently stated that a new version of Adobe Flash will have 3D support. More details on this new feature will be presented at the Adobe Max conference this October. This will be a huge development for 3D developers and animators. There is no word yet on if this technology will be applied to other Adobe programs such as Photoshop or Illustrator, but I would not be surprised if 3D technology is a key upgrade in the next Creative Suite programs.
What I find interesting about this 3D revolution is that three-dimensional cinema has actually been around in some form since the 1890’s! 3D also had a stint of popularity in the 1950’s, and again in the 1990’s when IMAX theaters were opened. It wasn’t until recent years that there has been a push for 3D technology in other digital platforms. What is next for 3D? What other platforms can you see this technology being used, or even become standard? Mobile? Instant Messaging? Are we going to wake up one morning and find our Google browser or Facebook homepage 3D? Personally, it wouldn’t really surprise me.
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