Japanese designer unveils cool augmented-reality tablet

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Check this out. It’s not got a name yet, but it’s a concept product created by Tokyo designer Mac Funamizu, which includes a camera, a GPS module, and internet connectivity.

The idea is you can look at stuff through the transparent tablet, and it figures out what you’re looking at, then downloads and overlays relevant information – for example, on a building or landmark.

It could also be used close-up, for example to highlight words in books or newspapers and get instant definitions from online dictionaries. Interestingly, it’s not so different from the ideas of Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo for 4G mobile services, which I saw a few months ago. It seems this augmented reality lark could catch on in Japan first…

Mac Funamizu concept (via Yanko Design)

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Stuart Dredge
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