Technical

The obvious thing is technically what they pulled off.  Using multiple xbox sensors (I’m not sure how many) they are able to do full body tracking.  Because the user’s vision is completely obscured by the HMD, they can place the xbox sensors and light it to provide the maximum effectiveness for body tracking. Hand and head position most likely are sent via closed wifi to the gear.  From there its rendered in (Unity?). As you can see in some of the shots, not only is head positional tracking going on, you can see your hands on the rope as you walk across!

This is great. Now add wind, cold air and sound (notice there we saw no headphones so the sound was most likely piped in), and you have a very deep immersive experience,  Because the Gear VR is wireless, the user is not restricted by cables.  In fact, once you are immersed, and given all the other sensory input, your brain can have a real fight deciding what is real and what is VR.

Even better is the fact that you put on the HMD outside the room, (again as best I can tell) the user never saw the real bridge that was constructed, so the bran has no other cognitive interpretation of what is going on except for what they see. BTW, don’t misunderstand me, with exception to perhaps one person, they KNOW its a simulation and short of flinching and perhaps lowering one’s body, they are enjoying it for what it is.

Marketing

I would guess most people who watch this video, especially those in the VR world would mostly be thinking about how great of an immersive simulation this is, and move on. But what really caught my attention, and what I like and admire just as much about this concept, is how well this works from a marketing point of view. Remember, they are releasing a (new?) instant latte. The sell point for this product is you can enjoy a cafe quality latte anytime, simply by using a microwave.  Ok, so what are the customer scenario where they may want this?   Most likely at home and perhaps the office.  I think most offices offer coffee and if not, typically there is a cafe near most large office complexes.  But at home, not so much.

In the experience we saw in the video, you are asked to cross this long dangerous bridge on a distant exotic mountain top in a blizzard!  Many dangers face you on your trek to get to the other side where a microwave waits for you.  Each step on this old decrepit bridge becomes more dangerous as the winds increase, and rocks start to fall all round you!  Somehow, through perseverance and a bit of luck, you make it to the end where, you find a microwave, (yes people do randomly leave microwaves in the Himalayan Mountains, just go with it). You open the door and a wonderful hot beverage is waiting for you to warm you up, body and soul.

Now, think about a long snowy winter train ride come where you have to walk the last 3 or 4 blocks.  Not too different eh?  And if you like lattes then knowing you have a nice warm drink waiting for you could be that much better.  So the sell point here is to associate a tough trek with a warm reward.  This experience drives this idea to the customer is a very real and tangible experience. An experience they will not soon forget, and share with their friends, including the idea of the microwave latte and the branding that goes with it.

Execution

I have not experience this but having been doing VR for so long, and having tried everything from the CAVE to the wind bird simulation, its not hard for me to put myself there and have an idea of what this would feel like.  I love the fact that this experience really allows you to ‘walk’ through it.  Yes we have plenty of simulations where you can walk, but typically its flat ground.  But here you have a bridge, you have rope to grab.  As the wind starts to push you back, the IMU on the headset reflects the sublet changes in head position because of it.  As you walk, the scene walks.  With the xbox sensors and the very well lite room, body tracking can be very precise.  I’m sure a dedicated local wifi was running allow the fastest possible update time that can be done with current technology.  Based on the headset graphics it looks like Unity is running this, but again, because of all the various sensors being reinforced with the same cognitive interpretation; you are on a bridge, in a cold wind storm, with the proper sounds, the less than realistic graphics does not matter so much. For some people, its too much!

BTW< this could have been staged, not sure.

A small note here.  Notice no gloves on peoples hands.  They are asked to walk through this cold experience with no gloves.  What that means, and you can tell at the end when people come out, is that they are using the drink to warm themselves.  A GREAT bit a experience detail.  Even after the HMD is off your head, YOU ARE STILL COLD! The experience is still with you, and the reward of the hot latte continues to reinforce the benefits of buying this product.

Appropriateness

So here I want to reinforce something about VR and marketing.  Like I said, I have been around VR for a long time, 20 years plus.  I have seen MANY marking events that try to use a VR experience to create an association of “high tech” or “cutting edge” or “next generation” to a product, some successful, some not so much.  In all cases however the VR experience has little to no association with the value of the product. Further, once the VR experience was over, that was it.  I typically remember what I liked or was annoyed by in the experience, to date I cannot remember a single product from one of those marketing campaigns. This is different.  Even though I did not experience it myself, the whole idea of walking through a blizzard to be rewarded with a hot latte seems to stick.  As the more real the struggle to reward is, the more likely you will have a favorable memory of the reward. What is appropriate about using VR here is that VR has nothing to do with campaign.  It is simply the best tool to achieve the maximum positive reward association with the product. Not trying to be ‘new tech’ or ‘cutting edge’ or ‘cool’.  well ok, a bit cool.  But instead simple marking 101, create a positive association with your product, and VR in this case, was a great choice.

Now, check out the Video.

VR and AR is finally coming of age.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnqFdSa5p7w

BTW, unless intended, do NOT use the Crush setting.  You will be cleaning the crusher blades soon after.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BZhqbq3nWU

Well they finally did.  And I think they got it mostly right this time.

Source: www.slashgear.com

The Gear 2 S is still too big and heavy for my tastes.  The fact that this watch comes with 3G and wifi tells me they could still thin this out a bit more.  However, this is the best looking watch to date mostly because of the curved form factor and the refined minimalist design for the watch case.  Cannot say the same for the band, its too large and still has the metal clasp that I really never liked.  However what is gone are the camera, the IRLED sensor and other sensors in the band.  And did I mention the screen is big? 360 x 480 pixels big.  But because the screen is curved, it does not look as bulky as some of the smaller flat watch faces.  The face is big enough that you ‘could’ type on this, however, using swipe and word suggest is going to be the only way you will really be able to type if at all.  Check that out on the video below.  Although you do have wifi and 3G on this watch, you still need a companion device, i.e. a Samsung phone to make this work.  More on that later.

I do give Samsung credit for fast innovation.  This is their sixth watch and each watch seems to be dialing in better and better based on feedback, sometimes harsh, that has been coming in from all sides in the media.  But the fact Samsung ‘seems’ to be listening shows me that they are completely committed to owning the smart watch market.  But here is where things get sticky.

The New Gear, like the Gear before it is not using Android but instead running on Tizen, a custom OS from Samsung.  Although Samsung claims they will have 1000 apps ready by the release, apps running on Tizen is not the biggest limitation, but instead that they are only working with other newer Samsung phones.  As I said in a previous post, the desire on Samsung’s side is to create and control a complete eco system as Apple does.  The problem is Samsung is not Apple.  They do not have the rabid loyal following that Apple has.  And perhaps that is why they are iterating at a blinding speed, knowing that Apple has been dragging its feet on the iWatch, and this is their one best chance to really differentiate themselves in the market and perhaps make a name for themselves that is greater than the sum of its current parts.  With this current release they are on the right track, but will it be enough to convince people to not only leave iOS, but Android as well and live in a Samsung only world?  Time will tell.

What makes it even better, is some make a perfect look of this though.   Animated Gif gold. Check both vids out.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHN-f6xTzsY

{Update:  According to TC, they are NOT going to end it. In fact, there is to be more!  Ug

“Scroogled will go on as long as Google keeps Scroogling people. We know Google doesn’t like it when the facts come out. Chapter two of the consumer education campaign has shown people care about their privacy. More than 3.5 million people visited scroogled.com, and nearly 115,000 people signed a petition asking Google to stop going through their Gmail. Stay tuned for the next chapter.”

If you have not seen them already, its a set of really ‘forced’ adverts where some clueless person is upset that Google is using keywords to fear monger gmail users because they will show adverts based on their email content.  So what?  Remember, if you are not paying for the product, you are the product. Aside from them looking for an issue that is not really there, and doing a poor job of it, it smells of desperation. To invent a word like ‘scroogled’ (who came up with that?) and suddenly its something you need to avoid is pretty weak.  Worse, does not say why you should use the recommended alternative, Outlook.  The funny thing is; Outlook is 100 times more powerful then gmail is.  If they simply had a commercial pointing that out, they would get further.

So this has been on my rant list for awhile and then this pops up on VentureBeat; Microsoft is to kill the Scroogled campaign.  About time. I guess I should give them credit for realizing these adverts are not working, but will they take a lesson from this?  That basically if you want us to buy/use your service, tell us why its better.  No flush, no fear mongering.  Say what you want about Apple (I’m not exactly the biggest fan boy out there as I type this on my PC) but they understand marketing.  When they put a commercial together, its clean and clear.  Here is what we have, here is what it can do for you.  Simple.  Presented in a clear and pleasant manner.   One would think people would have figured that out by now.

If you want to watch one of these painful adverts, check it out… Or not.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WIluNt0mvA

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=63u-RG-31B0

So a few things we are assuming here..  You have a computer and/or laptop, and you have a wifi router and an internet connection.  You can do this with a wire only router, but that limits your flexibility a bit for where to place the camera.

So lets get our equipment in order.  In my case, I have a desktop PC and a laptop.  Both running windows.  I also have 2 webcams.  Both I got for under $30.  One is an older 800×600 and the other is a 720HD I got on sale.   Remember, we are doing this on the cheap, but if you are willing to spend a few more bucks, you could get a wireless camera that has pan/tilt controls, but I did not feel like spending $125 on this.

The set up

First you have to decided what exactly you want to capture and why. In my case, the building already has some outside security, so I just need to focus on people who defeated that and made it inside.  My second requirement is the see when my cat is up and about. (ok, its really my girlfriend asking for this, but trying to catch my cat who lives in stealth mode has turned out to be the most fun.)  So I decided I wanted to use the cheaper camera to watch the bed where she sleeps and the nicer camera in the front room where both the cat walks around and the most likely place a thief is going to go.  Next, hiding the cameras.  This is harder.  Not only do you need to find a good place to see as much of room as possible, but you need to hide it as well.  I dont think you need to go overboard like hollowing out a book or cutting up a stuffed doll, unless your into that kind of thing.  In my case I have it on a book shelf and surrounded the webcam with a Japanese pikachu and a collection of angry birds… dont ask how I got these. So all this AND we still need to be close enough to the computer for the usb cable to reach without being too obvious.  I thus recommend getting at least 1 usb extender.  In my case I was pretty lucky in that the webcam could reach the PC and still be somewhat hidden. Next, change the power setting on your computer so that the screen goes dark, but the computer never goes to sleep. Also turn the sound off.  BTW, if you do not have a second computer, you can get an old used PC online for around $200.  All it needs is usb and wifi.  My second camera is running off a really old Toshiba that has 1 g of ram and some old processor.  Heck, its so old I do not know whats it running. But does not matter.  You only need to run 2 programs.

Monitoring Goal

Keep in mind, once the thief(s) have gotten into your place, your stuff is pretty much history. So your home monitoring system is not to serve as a deterrent but instead help the police find the people who broke in.  So making sure we get the best pics of the perps we can is key here.  At some point they are going to find your webcam, so that is why I did not go over the top trying to hide it because once they start grabbing your stuff, its pretty much over.  This is the one case a fully independent IP camera has it advantage.  Even when they are nicking your computers, the camera keeps rolling.  If you did spend the money on a wireless camera, then you DO want to hide that bad boy to get as much film as possible of the crime scene. Since its only a matter off time before they find the cameras, we need to get the pics uploaded as fast as possible. In this case we need motion detection.  And that is where the software comes into play. There are lots of there to choice from, however I’m going to go with Yawcam.  Its a java app so that means it will work on almost any platform.

Its not fancy, and takes a little bit a tweaking, but if you are geek enough to be building your own webcam home monitoring system in the first place, you should be OK.  I’ll give some tips though.

Software set up and deployment

Fire up your machines and lets get to it.  First download Yawcam here. Install as instructed.  Now now time to setup. We are only going to do the basics here, motion detecting and email notification. Ok, click on ‘Window’ and ‘Motion Detection.  Lets tweak those settings. Since I want to catch my cat, I have to set the sensitivity WAY higher then normal. My camera has a pretty wide view so catching that little fur ball is going to be tricky.  I had the cat in the room as I was working on that and that little bugger is smooth!!  I see why we get the term cat burglar.  I did not even bother with sound detection. She will in mid pounce before you hear anything anyway.  No.  To catch this gal, we need to push the detection limits. So we are going to play with 2 settings. The Sensitivity and the Tolerance that you will find under the ‘Settings’ tab.  I had Sensitivity set to 89% and Tolerance set to 16%.  Basically I can catch an oversize bee with these settings.  And STILL, she slipped by a few times!  Man, she is hard to catch. So I has to make one more tweak.  I changed the area that the software is looking for movement to the area where my fur ball normally walks.  You can adjust this by changing the ‘Motion Detection in’ from Entire image to Define area. Caution! Pet hunting is fun, but remember, we want to catch our scumbags who break into our place as well, so do not set the area select too small.  You have to figure a compromise, the smaller the area, the more sensitive you can make the settings, but then you may miss key areas you want to monitor.

Remote computer control using TeamViewer

I have an iPad and love teamviewer. Once of my favs.  I tend to recommend teamviewer to my non tech friends because of how dead simple this app is as well as the fact it is PC/Apple friendly and it works on you iphone and iPad. My only complaint about TeamViewer is that it does not support sound.  Ah well, no matter, moving on..  So install TeamViewer on your machine(s).  Sign up for the free account.  It will make logging on easier epically if you have more then 1 machine.  The reason you want to do this is no matter how well you set up your system, you will still need to tweak things.  For example we left for our trip at o’dark 30.  Since I have the sensitivity set to molecule level, video noise and sun shadows and change in brightness was being picked up as movement, so I had to remote in and turn off motion detection. A fix for this is to get a night light strong enough to keep this from happening and leave it on.  I did not realize this till it was too late, so lesson learned. However, I’m going to take this as a further challenge to tweak the settings.   The cool part of using TeamViewer is that you can get a live view video feed anytime!  Nice!  Of course Yawcam supports setting up a live view and even storing that video to disk and the cloud.  If you are brave you can set up your firewall to allow this, but I did not want to bother.  Its more important that I get images.

Congrats!  Your up and running

Now that was not all that hard was it?  We only spend around $50 for two camera (assuming you do not already have them) and another $200 for an old cheap laptop.  The cool thing is you can keep expanding as you need more rooms or more views covered.  At some point as you want to add more coverage, you may want to start spending some money and getting IP wifi wireless cameras.  Yawcam will pick those up as well.  I really wish you only find yourself having fun playing with your new set up to track your pets or buddies who are suppose to check on your place and never need to use this to file a police report.  BTW, remember you MUST let anyone who is coming into your place know you have this set up.  Its against the law to film anyone in secret.  Plus its just plain creepy.

Enjoy!!  Now… lets see if I finally catch that little fur ball..

P.S.  As you can see from the images, I got her.

Here in Jason Craft’s “Portal: Terminal Velocity,” a bunch of guys hang out in a house and use the Portal gun for some fun afternoon hijinks.

1. Jellyfish$0.99
2. Dolphins$0.99
3. Sharks$0.99
4. Caribbean Reef Sharks$0.99
5. Time & Temperature$0.99
6. Oceanic White Tip Sharks$0.99
7. Lemon Sharks$0.99

✓ AIRPLAY MODE
– For owners of the Apple TV, “Real Aquarium HD” will automatically detect it on your network, and you’ll see an airplay mode button in the toolbar. From here, you can go into airplay mode to stream the aquarium video to your widescreen TV. When the video is streaming to the TV, Real Aquarium HD on the iPad goes into a fullscreen “encyclopedia mode” which allows you to read about the animal while you’re viewing it on your HD television!

Be warned, this can take up LOTS of space on your ipad, but if you are near a wifi connection, you can get the video streaming.  I would highly recommend that.  Hopefully this can be address in future versions.

I wonder how my cat will like this?