Technology and Our Perceptions

1. Augmented versus Virtual Reality

1.1. Virtual Reality is "The idea that science could create a virtual world of sight, sound, smell and touch” (Sartain, 2012). Essentially it makes it seem like someone is in a reality that is not real or they are not actually in at the moment for example taking a tour to the Smithsonian Museum (Natural History, n.d.).

1.2. Augmented Reality is really about taking what we see or hear and adding to it, in essence augmenting it. "In short, it's a way to use technology to redefine space, and it places a virtual layer over the world" (Drell, 2012). It uses computer animations to add to life to objects that already exist for example Google Translate can translate words on boards and signs (Google, n.d.).

2. Creative

2.1. The reason I chose to do a mind map is because I haven't done one yet and it can break down the long notes that I've made and make it quicker and easier to read and understand.

3. App I Used

3.1. The app that I used was the Yelp App. It can be downloaded on iOS, Windows phone, Amazon Kindle and Android and it uses Augmented Reality Monocle to give information on restaurants and other public places

3.2. The purpose of the app is to read reviews and recommend restaurants and services to people. Yelp Monocle can only be used on a mobile phones because they of the way its used for example if someone was in a public place and they wanted somewhere to eat they could use the feature to use the phone camera to see what restaurants are around the area and the reviews that have been left on the restaurant

3.3. The pros of the app is that it is very convenient to use while in public and it is good to see the opinions of other users to see if it is a place that that you would actually want to spend money at. The biggest con of this is that while using the monocle is that it takes a little bit of getting used to for example you have to be very careful while moving the phone because it will disarrange the information on the places but once you get used to it, it is really easy to use

3.4. In conclusion I would recommend this app for people who like traveling to new places and like trying new things out and who are on the go. Apps like this are very convenient and in the future more features could be added on to it to make it even more advantageous for people.

4. References

4.1. Drell, L. (2012, December 19). 7 Ways Augmented Reality Will Improve Your Life. Retrieved from Mashable: http://mashable.com/2012/12/19/augmented-reality-city/#cuKB6CqSzsqH

4.2. Google. (n.d.). Inside Google Translate. Retrieved from Google: http://translate.google.com/about/intl/en_ALL/#your-choice

4.3. Natural History. (n.d.). NMNH- Virtual Tour. Retrieved from Natural History: http://naturalhistory.si.edu/vtp/1-desktop/

4.4. Sartain, J. (2012, September 24). Virtual reality: More virtual than real. Retrieved from Network World: http://www.networkworld.com/article/2159959/software/virtual-reality--more-virtual-than-real.html?page=1