Wallpaper* 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.
"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," said Tony Chambers, Wallpaper* editor-in-chief.
"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."