Augmented Reality Puzzles First-Ever Electronic Labyrinth Game

Ravensburger Wows With Interactive 'Augmented Reality' Puzzles, First-Ever Electronic Labyrinth Game and More

Global Puzzle, Game and Toy Leader Showcases Thomas & Friends™ Line with Debut CGI Artwork Under Newly-Extended Contract, Presents Live Demos by Make 'N' Break Game Developers

NEWTON, N.H., Feb. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fun with family and friends is moving into high gear with Ravensburger!  Known for its high-quality puzzles and playthings, Ravensburger launches its Augmented Reality line of interactive puzzles that come to life with a free app from the App Store that utilizes the camera function of the iPhone^® or iPad^®2 to animate the scene.  Also debuting is the first-ever Electronic Labyrinth game and a gorgeous new line of Thomas & Friends^™ puzzles featuring new CGI artwork.  Ravensburger's lineup of puzzles, games and WOW brand toys will be on display at the 2012 American International Toy Fair, February 12-15 at the Javits Convention Center, Booth #441.

[caption id="attachment_216" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Ravensburger Wows With Interactive ‘Augmented Reality’ Puzzles[/caption]

In addition, Andrew and Jack Lawson, creators of Ravensburger's award-winning game series, Make 'N' Break, will be at the company's booth, Sunday, February 12, from 10am-12pm, and Monday, February 13, from 9am-2pm, conducting demonstrations of the popular line.  Each Make 'N' Break game features wooden building blocks that players use to assemble the structures shown on the game cards.

"For the first time, Ravensburger is presenting a collection of puzzles and games that encompass both traditional and digital features, helping to take family enjoyment to a whole new level," said Thomas Kaeppler, CEO of Ravensburger.  "Our 2012 offerings provide endless opportunities for learning, sharing – and creating lasting memories together."

Especially exciting for Ravensburger is the launch of its groundbreaking Augmented Reality collection of four, 1,000-pc puzzles that combine traditional puzzle play with an innovative digital component.  Available this fall, the new AR puzzles include: Above the Roofs of Paris; Colorful Underwater World, African Animals and Lofoten, Norway.

Ravensburger also is thrilled to introduce its Thomas & Friends^™ puzzles, featuring new CGI artwork, fresh designs and innovative packaging.  A cornerstone license for the company through 2014 under its newly-extended contract, Ravensburger will debut nine items at Toy Fair, including four 4-in-1 shaped puzzles, four 24-pc floor puzzles and four 35-pc puzzles.  This premiere range will be followed by the launch of more new Thomas & Friends products this fall.

Other licensed lines debuting include: the Chuggington^™ collection with seven brightly-colored puzzles based on the CGI-animated children's TV hit from Ludorum, and Me to You^™ from Carte Blanche Greetings Limited, one of the fastest-growing non-media-based brands in the world.

Also, Ravensburger has put the pieces in place for an expansive puzzle collection that pushes the boundaries of design with eye-catching offerings such as the American Heritage Series, American history-inspired puzzles perfectly timed for this presidential election year; Wooden Structure Puzzles, featuring a wood grain look; Chromadepth Puzzles with 3D Glasses;Krypt, a supremely-challenging 654-pc monochromatic concept; and 3D Building Sets, a collection of four of the world's most recognizable structures – Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and a New England Lighthouse – that takes puzzle-building skyward, to display-worthy structures that stand up to 18" tall with exacting details.

New games are highlighted too, with Electronic Labyrinth, the latest in Ravensburger's best-selling shifting maze series.  The interactive board game features an electronic book that helps players free the wise wizard from the evil witch who banished him to the labyrinth.  Also now available in the U.S. are three of Ravensburger's most popular European strategy games: The Castles of Burgundy, which immerses players in 15th Century European aristocracy where they must build and manage their estate; Asara, in which players take on the roles of famous architects who compete to build the grandest tower; and Seeland, where players assume the roles of 19th Century Dutch merchants striving to harvest the most crops.

And, for preschoolers, Ravensburger is showcasing a new assortment of WOW brand toys.  Each ultra-durable WOW toy comes with a ten-year satisfaction guarantee and features "push and go" friction motors and realistic sounds.  Among the 2012 offerings are Jurassic Jimmy, a dinosaur-themed play set, and Cupcake Chloe, a pretty-in-pink bakeshop set for young chefs-in-training.

About Ravensburger

Newton, NH-based Ravensburger is the U.S. subsidiary of Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH, a German toy and game manufacturer with a 125-year history of tradition.  Founded in Ravensburg, Germany in 1883, Ravensburger is a leading producer of toys loved the world over and celebrated for its meticulous commitment to detail, high production standards and superior quality control.  In addition to Ravensburger-branded puzzles, games and arts & crafts, the company is the exclusive distributor of WOW Preschool Toys and holds licenses for such well-known brands as Chuggington^™, Thomas and Friends^™, Animal Planet^™, Highlights^™, Me to You^® and more.

 

SOURCE Ravensburger

News Release Source : http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ravensburger-wows-with-interactive-augmented-reality-puzzles-first-ever-electronic-labyrinth-game-and-more-139179379.html

MushABellies Come to Life With 3D Augmented Reality Game

Best-selling collectible plush includes a new twist.

Augmented Reality technology now included with MushABellies.

NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- New York International Toy Fair -- More than 4.5 million MushABelly® plush collectibles have already captured hearts worldwide. Now all new MushABelly collectibles will include a cutting-edge 3D augmented-reality game that makes kids' favorite MushABellies come to life, right in their own living room, as they watch "Magic Before Your Eyes"™.

[caption id="attachment_218" align="aligncenter" width="500"] MushABellies Come to Life With 3D Augmented Reality Game[/caption]

Augmented-reality (AR) technology is the hottest trend in apps, and Jay@Play is the first toy manufacturer to combine plush with a game experience for the entire family. MushABellies' new 3D augmented-reality game, powered by Jay@Play's ToyTube Network™, blends the game world and the real world using a smartphone device and exclusive, patented augmented reality from Gravity Jack.

Play right on your coffee table, rug, bedspread or anywhere you choose! Hold the virtual MushABellies in the palm of your hand or play catch with them in your kitchen, and listen to their hilarious sound effects. MushABellies love to be tickled, and each character has unique behaviors, sounds and treats.

Using a Toy Tube Tracker Card, launch MushABelly Mungo Monkey at the target barrel to score lots of banana points. Quickly tap them with your fingertip to earn more points. Move the Toy Tube Tracker Cards to make the game more challenging.

Six new MushABelly characters will debut in 2012: Heckle the Hedgehog, Buzzie Bee, Mungo Monkey, Racket Raccoon, Finless Frog, and Conan Cow. All are featured in the MushABelly games.

The Free MushABelly App is now available in the Apple App Store and soon to be in the Android Marketplace. At launch, supported devices will include the iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and soon to include Android 3.0+ operating systems and more.

To see a demo of the app right in the toy aisle, simply download the MushABelly app and aim your device at the ToyTube logo on the MushABelly package. Or visit www.toytubenetwork.com.

The MushABelly augmented-reality app was developed in partnership with Gravity Jack, the industry's leading developer of augmented-reality games and apps. Gravity Jack's patented augmented reality technology allows for the recognition and tracking of real world images and objects, instantly displaying fully interactive games, multimedia content, and more. As seen in the MushABelly App, this one-of-a-kind technology allows this information to be displayed, directly in a real-time scene, when viewed with a smart device. The MushABelly App promises to be just the start of many revolutionary new interactive ways to play, thanks to the ongoing partnership between industry leaders Jay@Play and Gravity Jack.

Come play with us at Toy Fair! Press samples and high-res images are available upon request.

Toy Fair – Booth 1783

Download MushABellies in the Apple App Store

Jay@Play Toy Fair 2012 Virtual Press Office

About Jay@Play:

Jay@Play International was established in 2004 and is a Hong Kong-based company with a showroom in New York City. The company's products are distributed internationally through companies that promote all of their brands on television. Following the worldwide success of its best-selling MushABellies, Totally KooKoo and Happy Nappers product lines, Jay@Play is now launching TV campaigns in the US for its Pop 'n' Play Village" brand, Cuddleuppets, and Skooligans. Jay@Play introduced the ToyTube network, which is a platform for cutting-edge 3D augmented-reality (AR) gaming for the popular MushABelliesbrand. Jay@Play International is a subsidiary of Jay Franco & Sons, the industry leader in the home-furnishing industry.

About Gravity Jack:

Gravity Jack designs and develops robust, custom augmented reality software solutions for the iPhone, iPad, and Android operating systems, using the company's exclusive, patented technology. President and CEO, Luke Richey, founded the company in 2009, assembling a local dream team in software development. Clients of Gravity Jack come from a wide range of industries, and include some of the biggest names in the entertainment, gaming, and retail space. For more information, visithttp://www.gravityjack.com.

 

SOURCE Jay@Play International

News Release Source : http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mushabellies-come-to-life-with-3d-augmented-reality-game-139210509.html

Augmented Reality Unveiled for Symbian Applications

Live in Augmented Reality Unveiled for Symbian Applications

By greymatter india

Just going through good news for Nokia owners, I came across a thought as to so much have been achieved by a mobile world. Well, I am thoroughly excited to experience augmented reality on my Symbian. Yes, Layar launched its augmented reality version for Symbian applications. I am sure just like me, many of you must have thought of the disappearing charm belonging to Nokia Phones. Listening to Android and iPhone, I had almost lost faith in Symbian application development. However, Layar has rebuilt the faith proving there are still millions of Symbian Smartphone owners out there, representing a lucrative market for developers.

[caption id="attachment_58" align="aligncenter" width="243" caption="Augmented Reality Technology : Live in Augmented Reality Unveiled for Symbian Applications"][/caption]

With tons of Layars to choose from on OVI store, you can surely expect same functionality the Android and iPhone versions offer. All Symbian^3 phones are supported (Nokia N8, C7, C6-01 and E7) as well as few S60 5th Edition devices (Nokia N97 and N97 mini).

Augmented reality is something that is being heard since early 2009; however, the question arises as to why Layar thought launching its Augmented Reality browser to Nokia-based OS so late? It has been on Android and iOS for a long time now. Is it that difficult to develop a Symbian version or is there something else? I guess, we’ll soon find out.

What is augmented reality?

According to Wikipedia, our office knowledge sensei, an augmented reality is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery.

People who are new to the entire concept of augmented reality; here I bring-in explanation to what it is. Augmented reality enables users to overlay digital content onto a view of the real world. As its name suggests, developers create individual ‘layers’ for the app, each of which does something different. For example, using your handset’s camera, GPS, accelerometer and digital compass, the handset can bring up information about a local business, including local tweet, shopping data, travel data, and much more.

There are various layers like weather layer that fetches the weather forecast in your city; office layer finds more details about the office and satellite tracks that spot satellites in space. A simple example of one of the augmented reality layer is, point your camera to a location and through GPS and compass you can get detail of the place.

Features of Layar for Symbian phone applications are as follows:

• Facilitates discovering places and find details about the places from the list of layers that are both free and paid.


• Switch between live and augmented reality mode easily.


• Explore 3D objects, sounds, videos and amazing interactivity with different Layers.


• Get directions to a nearby Layer location easily.


• Change between the genre of old and new look of the places.


• Share the place, take a picture and post it on twitter.


• Discover restaurants, bars, shops and houses nearby.


• Learn history of a particular building or a monument.

An Insight to Layar

Layar adopts simple things. It takes a streaming image input from your mobile phone’s camera, and adds one, or even a number of layers onto it, also knighted filters. With these filters you can find Pizza shops, bars, pubs, interesting art, or even, houses in the vicinity. With 400 layers and more, I am sure you will find something useful for yourself.

Layar’s own local search engine can be called as one of the most basic but significant filters. The layer does a Google Maps search, and surrounds you with the results on a grid. It asks you for only two things to fetch you what you need: the keyword and the distance. Layar and Google will initially show you the name and distance of the object searched for. In case you need more information, just focus on a specific information and press OK button. You’ll get the address, phone number and can even plot your route.

Layar has also proved efficient when I travel, I now use these layers to learn the history of Italy or Egypt, or simply which way to walk to the nearest subway station. Just point your camera and follow the virtual signs!

Source: http://www.greymatterindia.com/articles/live-in-augmented-reality-unveiled-for-symbian-applications.php

About the Author:Grey Matter India (GMI) Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is a leading IT services and solutions provider that excels at providing web application development Symbian application development, wireless application development, and offshore mobile application development service.

Articles Source: Live in Augmented Reality Unveiled for Symbian Applications

Brain Stimulation Devices and Augmented Reality Computer Games

Brain Stimulation Devices and Augmented Reality Computer Games - Future is Near, It's Here

By Lance Winslow

There seems to be many interesting patents which have been filed lately in regards to computer gaming. Microsoft, Sony, and others have been really filing a ton of somewhat telling patents which seem to point to an augmented reality future, which will start with the gaming sector, as in Xbox and other systems. Already we see the military and industry setting up simulation training using similar systems, perhaps more robust and more costly, but essentially the future of the computer game sector is foretold in these technologies.

[caption id="attachment_23" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Augmented Reality Technology : Brain Stimulation Devices and Augmented Reality Computer Games"][/caption]

And it's not just gaming these days, as other industries are not playing around either. You see, there are a number of companies on the move in this sector, in fact, there was an interesting article not long ago on Fierce Medical Devices Online, in their newsletter alert titled; "Brainsway Looks to Raise $30 Million" by Liz Jones Hollis posted on April 12, 2011. This is an Israeli company which use "non-evasive deep transcranial magnetic stimulation" to activate parts of the brain used most in learning.

In other words, it will increase your comprehension, allow for better imprinting of neurons, and insure learning at that the highest possible human level, perhaps even just beyond what's humanly possible. Which gets me back to the computer games where you are up against impossible odds and all powerful virtual opponents, so what if your brain was pushed up a notch, well then so too would your level of play right, I mean how could it not.

Now then, this Brainsway device which sends pulses deep into the brain might be able to help with brain disorders and fix serious issues, and yes more tests obviously have to be done, but so far things are looking rather interesting, and if this technology holds true the cause, what about a healthy brain? What about the Sony Patents which are for inciting various moods into the players mind, or what about the Microsoft Patents for controlling the game with thought alone?

Makes sense as people are controlling cursors on computer screens with thought alone now, which means maybe these computer games in the future won't have joy sticks at all. Does that mean you can live a virtual life in your sleep? Yes, probably and this may sound eerie but it really appears that all those Sci Fi movies are coming fast and furious into our near future. As in 5-10 years, and whereas, all the technologists are thinking ahead, I guess I should ask, why aren't you? Okay so, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.

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