Live data from Hacker News

Game Changing Android Application

enkin.net

11–20 of 27 posts

Re: Game Changing Android Application

#11

It's cool, but lets keep a few things in mind: 1) When navigating a 2d plane, or looking for things in a 2d plane, an overhead view is just as practical. Although you could argue this lets you see data points farther ahead of you, a good overhead view implementation could do the same thing. 2) This would be nice viewing differences in elevation. Finding your car in a parking garage for instance. However, GPS has an e…

If you're good at getting your bearings, yes. But having witnessed myself and others struggle to figure out "wait, which way is which according to this map?" for a little bit before getting our internal compass aligned with the map's orientation, it would be much simpler to literally point your camera at something and have it tell you what's in that direction. Depending on how precise the tags are, they would also be useful just to provide information about various interesting objects in the area, particularly if you can see tags that everyone puts on real-world objects.

Re: Game Changing Android Application

#14
post #11

It's cool, but lets keep a few things in mind: 1) When navigating a 2d plane, or looking for things in a 2d plane, an overhead view is just as practical. Although you could argue this lets you see data points farther ahead of you, a good overhead view implementation could do the same thing. 2) This would be nice viewing differences in elevation. Finding your car in a parking garage for instance. However, GPS has an e…

If you're good at getting your bearings, yes. But having witnessed myself and others struggle to figure out "wait, which way is which according to this map?" for a little bit before getting our internal compass aligned with the map's orientation, it would be much simpler to literally point your camera at something and have it tell you what's in that direction. Depending on how precise the tags are, they would also be…

Yes! This is exactly why the live view is so useful.

I did a land nav course in the Marine Corps; we had compasses we used to sight landmarks so we could triangular our location. To do this you held up the compass and looked through a slit. I'd call that analog navigation: The live view of Enkin is the same concept in digital form.

Re: Game Changing Android Application

#15
I hope the guys who made the video get to check out labs.live.com/photosynth/

Photosynth would allow Androids screen to display actual pictures of the situation when zooming in using the satellite view (not live view). The various people in live view could also add images to locations not already documented by photosyth's database.

Someday,

D T

Re: Game Changing Android Application

#16
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could this make real life FPS? I haven't read the article, but I've been trying to think of a feasible way to make a real life multiplayer FPS that also virtual players could interact with. I think that'd be pretty sweet!

You're seeing possibilities for making a game more like reality; I also see possibilities for making reality more like a game. Think of the military implications of this. If you couple this with the other terminator-HUD-vision technology thing, you could have live team objective checkpoints and stuff... See what I mean? Also, it would be good for training because virtual enemies could be projected directly in the eye…

That's along the lines of what I was thinking. Say you had a laser tag game with this system. Then, online players could be projected onto a physical player's HUD, and visa versa. The arena itself could have RFID tags on corners to easily provide the geometry for clipping, so the virtual players aren't just superimposed on the HUD.

Now, if the technology that generates 3D details from pictures progresses alot more, then the system wouldn't even have to resort to hacks like RFID tagging.

Re: Game Changing Android Application

#17
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could this make real life FPS? I haven't read the article, but I've been trying to think of a feasible way to make a real life multiplayer FPS that also virtual players could interact with. I think that'd be pretty sweet!

It's really just the video from what I saw. The demonstration looked a little choppy but as it progressed and smoothed out I could definitely see a game being created out of this (at least it's feasible). I doubt you would want to do this on your phone, but similar technology on a smaller scale used in a laser tag or paint ball game would be really interesting. You could set objectives and see where your team is at,…

I have read about special forces training with something like this. It'd be really cool though if it can be replicated with cheap off the shelf tech.

Do you know how hackable cellphone transmitters and receivers tends to be? I really see the cellphone as the portal into a virtual/physical life hybrid. If there was a cheap, popular cellphone with hackable hardware, then this could be a reality right now. If it was also the hub for a personal network, then you could plug all sorts of interesting gadgets into the mix.

Re: Game Changing Android Application

#19

Wow. And who said you can't do great things with java.

Java was the Ruby of its day (even though they're almost the same age!).

yes I was being tongue in cheek, forgot the smiley.

I thought ruby is quite a bit older.

Re: Game Changing Android Application

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Java was the Ruby of its day (even though they're almost the same age!).

yes I was being tongue in cheek, forgot the smiley. I thought ruby is quite a bit older.

Hey mn,

Java used to be "Oak," and according to our good friend Wikipedia it was created in "June 1991." I thought it was later but guess not. It had the whole set-top box history, and would eventually run our fridges and toasters in the 21st century.

Seriously though, do you remember when Java was released? It was fun! And definitely considered the "hip" language at the time, much like Ruby is now.

I think it's interesting that so many in the Java camp have jumped ship to Ruby, because what is said about Ruby now, was said about Java then.

But they're still nearly the same age, so the ten-year spread in their respective heydays is sort of amusing. It's like Roger Moore supplanting Connery as Bond ten years later, despite the fact he's older. ;)

Post reply on HN