Esquire's Augmented Reality issue goes on sale, and we have video to prove it
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Nov 10th 2009 1:19PM
posted Nov 10th 2009 1:19PM
The Augmented Reality issue of Esquire has hit the newsstands, and our fears have come true: when this magazine comes in contact with your webcam, Robert Downey Jr. is unleashed! Aside from dangerous levels of the Academy Award-winning actor, however, the video (after the break) really highlights how silly the whole affair is: While AR has been implemented to great effect for a number of different applications, delivering video content that could just as easily been delivered without waving a magazine in front of your computer definitely crosses the line into gimmick territory. Still, the magazine's design team did pull all the stops -- so if you're curious to see what you'd get for your hard-earned dollar, check out that video walkthrough after the break.
See more video at our hub!
Crapple Mac.
Crapple troll.
that's intense
Download the software?
WTF? this has been done on flash playa nubs!
PC + Web Cam + preinted copy of the code., I'm not shelling out $7 for %90 ads. that are not Maxim
Fu old man!
Why should I buy a magazine just to hold it up to my PC screen when I can do the same thing without it. This is a major fail
Not to mention there was an image of the cover posted on this blog a week ago, you could just print that out and hold it up. This is the stupidest thing of all time.
I got bored just watching that video is this augmented boredom ? just seems useless and gimmicky to me...
you have to download the software? That's like a babies toy.
errr, "baby's". My apologies internet grammar Nazis.
Where'd you learn to shoot like that? 7-11
I'll show you, kid. I'm a crack shot at this.
Augmented reality, or just a bar code scanner?
Indeed. Pointless and boring. Still, a sage move by esquire. I expect it was extremely cheap to do (just a few flash animations really), and it will probably sell more magazines due to the media coverage.
It is augmented reality. They're augmenting their own reality to make it seem like print media still matters.
Yet another attempt by print media to save their sinking ship.
I now see 'letters to the editor' as being a very very slow, horribly groomed comment section.
Random... I actually first heard about this last night. John Mayer had augmented reality on his site to promo his upcoming CD "Battlefield Studies". I had no idea what it was. Basically its a flash player that will ask you for access to your mic/webcam. it also says you may be recorded though so i never clicked it (creepy??). For some reason it was removed from the site though. Here they are talking about the technology as well as some "behind the scenes": http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/10/john-mayer-augmented-reality-video/
When a flash application asks fro your mic/video it will always give you the "Are you sure dialog?" Its the equivalent to running an .exe on Vista that requires UAC. Even if the program is from Microsoft, it will ask if you want to run it and that it may be a virus. Replace MS with John Mayer and "may be a virus" to "might be recorded."
Now if only playboy hopped on the augmented reality band wagon.... ah the possibilities.
What for? when there's net porn
Did Downey, Jr. really say "Boo-yah!" ?
I didn't realize that playing videos after scanning QR codes was considered augmented reality.
Same here, that's definitly not augmentend reality.
augmented* engadget, that's definitly not nice to not include an "edit" button
It's augmented reality because you are the wallpaper for the app.
What are the 'security' measures? Can I install the software and pull down the images and it will work?
Cute. Screw all the haters. One step at a time folks. The future is coming, but you have to start somewhere.
So let me get this straight, we have to drive to a store, buy the magazine, go home and download the proprietary software, whatever it is (and probably wouldn't work on my Ubuntu machine anyway), hold the magazine up to your webcam (something many people, including myself, don't even have, nor particularly want), and allow it to record your reactions, all the purposes of viewing an "interactive" flash clip that I could have just as easily controlled with my mouse?? What, now we actually have to work for our own ads?
Esquire needs to be more responsible, and not misrepresent a promising, emerging technology like this. This will be many people's first exposure to augmented reality, and it certainly won't be an accurate one. If this is progress, then no thanks.
Cue-cat v2.0
THIS
Gimmick. Enough said.
Even Esquire's gimmicky E-Ink cover was infinitely more impressive than this ridiculous façade. Is it not enough that advertisements assault you at every given opportunity, but now you have to go out of your way and pay for them? Yeah, try again Esquire.
I thought augmented reality was machine displayed images (the "augmented") superimposed over your real natural surroundings (the "reality"). Usually in some context so the images appear as an interactive part of that enviroment. How does this fall into that category?
This is "Pre recorded videos that play on your computer screen when your webcam reads a barcode". Somehow that doesn't sound as sexy.
Gadget fail.
Haven't Doritos and Best Buy (and probably others) done this already? I remember getting a bag of chips that you could do the same thing with, and BBY had a flyer with something similar. It's cool for about a minute, but otherwise not exactly the augmented reality experience you're probably expecting. But, as someone said above, you've gotta start somewhere.
Ok. AR is awesome but this is seriously a poor execution.
Better idea:
Make an iPhone/Android app. When I'm at the store, I see the issue, pop out the phone, take a shot of the magazine and I get linked to a 30 sec video explaining why I might want to buy the magazine. At least that is a little more useful than turning the magazine into a toy.
Heck, You could even have text bubbles pop up over the magazine headlines giving a bit more insight into the articles. That way I can see what it's about if the magazine is wrapped in plastic.
Why does the "Editor in Chief" of Esquire magazine have a box of SOS Brillo pads behind his printer?
Hey i have an idea.. how bout u make the software mobile? At least I can get a surprise when i pick it up at a news stand. Once I'm home and in front of my computer your magazine becomes irrelevant and fails to keep my attention.
Found this PDF - just print this, DL the software from esquire.com and enjoy. AR codes lifted from the editors YouTube video.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jdnmnon4adq
Best Buy's AR weekly ad was way better, and FREE. Plus you didn't have to download anything (other than flash, of course.)
The future isn't some webcam barcode scanner.
It would be just file based book with animated media(like the newspapers in harry potter) that actually works on any platform including Kindle.
Meaning it will just be a pdf bookstore (Watch out for future DRMs) which sells pdf with embedded flash (Most probably)
And it would be called Google Library (Yea access your magazines ANYwhere and have your newspaper synced to your mobile phones) >.
Missed the right eye >.
Cool! Hope to see this in future issues of Fur Stud.
Esquire's market segment is now 4 year olds.
oh puh-LEEEZEE...what a buncha CRAP. I'd rather watch that nutty bird go koo-koo for cocoa puffs while eating my cereal. Seems like a lot of work to watch ads, but I'm sure a lot of suckers will hop on the wagon and think they're watching cutting edge technology. **yaaawwwnnn**
I don't see this as saving the print industry. I believe it's a great enhancement on an existing product, but it's limited. I'm sure everyone here could think of ways to get online media on your computer to do something similar or better.
Something that someone out there with time on his hands should try: Get a pencil & paper, and freehand sketch that crossword-puzzle-like design that Mr. Somebody Celebrity has between his legs on the magazine cover shown in the video. Hold that in front of your camera with the downloaded Esquire "AR" application running and see if it works. Woo-hoo! you just saved $7.00!
All you people that are bad-mouthing ESQUIRE, you all missed the VIDEO, of MARY LOUISE-PARKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ight now, I am LAUGHING MY ASS-OFF, at all you dumb-asses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SIGNED: DANIEL BUSHEY