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Wallpaper’s augmented reality special

Wallpaper*, the international design, fashion and lifestyle magazine, is bringing its January ‘Next Generation’ issue to life with an augmented reality cover and a special feature enhanced with AR technology.

The magazine has also joined forces with international brand and innovation consultancy Wolff Olins to reveal the 10 new developments that could change the world in 2010.

Wallpaper’s January cover will spring into life when readers hold it in front of a webcam, transforming the flat page image of graduate designer Jørund Blikstad’s ‘Wall Cubes’ shelving into 3-D. Readers will be able to rotate and view the shelving from various angles by moving the magazine in front of their computer screen.

Wallpaper* also gives an 11-page feature the augmented reality treatment.  The feature, which reveals the trends of 2010, is enhanced on every page with AR technology, triggering both videos and animation.  The list of ten new developments – from augmented reality, of course, and virtual currency to waterproof sand and the reinvention of the wheel – are the things that Wallpaper* and Wolff Olins are tipping to make a big impact on the way we work, play, travel and relax in 2010

The top 10 developments are:

* Augmented reality – computer-generated images will mix with and add to reality

* Better Place – an international network of electric car charging points

* Crossbreed: the folding wheel – enabling performance bikes and wheelchairs to fold into small spaces

* Dime: magic sand – water resistant sand to stop water seeping away through the Earth

* Enhanced Editions – eBooks move into the next dimension adding sound, music and video

* Gapminder – charts the wealth gap and gives new and visual ways of displaying this information

* Nokia Money – making cash mobile and creating a wholly new way to buy items and pay bills without the need for a bank account

* Pico Projectors – small enough to be fitted to cameras or mobiles and turning them into mini movie theatres that can create an image up to 60 inches wide

* Rockcorps – an army of youth volunteers expected to go global in 2010

* WorldWide Telescope – bringing the universe to the desktop, users will be able to fly past Mars or zoom in to view distant galaxies by combining images from a vast array of telescopes.

Elsewhere in the January issue, Wallpaper* selects and celebrates the graduate talent who will design, build, cut, colour and cook a better world. Plus, the world’s leading fashion designers pick the next wave of superstar designers, while Wallpaper* looks at the new supercar from Lexus and the best in ovens, sinks and sofas.

Wallpaper* editor-in-chief Tony Chambers says: “This issue of Wallpaper* is all about the top trends and technologies for 2010, so we couldn’t resist having some fun with the mind-bending, pixel-popping, multimedia minefield that is Augmented Reality.

We do like to push creative boundaries here at Wallpaper*, and with this issue, readers can see the magazine grow into a whole new dimension.” 

The January issue of Wallpaper* is on sale now.

About Wallpaper*

IPC Media says: “Truly international, consistently intelligent and hugely influential, Wallpaper* is the world’s most important design and style magazine.

It has attracted the most sophisticated global audience by constantly pushing into new creative territories and ensuring its coverage of everything from architecture to motoring, fashion to travel, and interiors to jewellery remains unrivalled. Wallpaper* has readers in 93 countries and has enjoyed unparalleled success in reaching the design elite right across the globe. To Wallpaper*, the world is one seamless marketplace, where consumers flit from one destination to the next, easily cross physical borders and cultural divides, and flirt with a variety of different brands, both established and undiscovered. With 12 themed issues a year, and a limited-edition cover by a different artist or designer each month, Wallpaper* has evolved from style bible to internationally recognised brand."

About Wolff Olins

Wolff Olins says: “Wolff Olins is a brand and innovation business. It has 140 people in London, New York and Dubai. It started in 1965, and is now part of Omnicom. Wolff Olins’ experience includes Beeline, First Direct, GE, Lloyds Banking Group, Macmillan Cancer Support, Mercedes-Benz, New York City, Orange, PepsiCo, PwC, (RED), Sony, Tate, Telenor and Unilever.”