More good Layar SDK news! We’ve recently released another update to the SDK as we continue to make it as easy as possible to embed your own Augmented Reality (AR) experiences into your own iOS and Android apps.

We’ve always put an emphasis on allowing you to customize your AR experience as much as possible to fit your brand and meet the needs of your users. With the latest update you can now take more control of your AR scenes than ever before. How? Event handlers!

The introduction of event handlers means you can have actions or POI updates triggered by certain events within your scene. This enables you to add more complex functionality to your experiences, including sequencing of videos and dynamic content without the need for an external server.

Here are the new event types you can use to custom-script your AR scene…

onLoad – Triggered when the object has been loaded successfully.
onClick – Triggered when the object has been clicked (similar behaviour as the POI action).
onPlaybackStart – Triggered when the video or audio object playback has started.
onPlaybackFinish – Triggered when the video or audio object playback has finished.

All of these events can trigger new actions, content updates (including adding or removing objects from the scene) or even a custom handler that can be reused for multiple objects and on different events.

This powerful new feature allows AR scenes to be even more engaging and interactive for the user in various ways. If you’re an existing SDK user, check your inbox for links to the latest version and check out the developer documentation page for more details.

If you’re interested in using the SDK, you can try it now for free! Have questions before you start? Let us know, or join our upcoming webinar at the end of the month.

Good news! We’ve recently updated the Layar SDK as we continue to make it as easy as possible to embed your own Augmented Reality (AR) experiences into your own iOS and Android apps.

Having the freedom to customize your AR experience to fit your brand and your users’ needs has always been a cornerstone of the Layar SDK, and with this latest update we aim to continue that tradition. So what’s new in the latest version?

Custom Location Provider
You no longer need to rely solely on the built-in GPS of the user’s device to get location data. Now you can hook into any location provider that you choose. For example, you can use iBeacons to create a more accurate location-based AR experience when indoors.

A note to developers: the Layar SDK simply allows for a custom location provider but does not include any alternative providers itself, that part is up to you!

More Custom Callbacks
We’ve added more callbacks that give you more control over the look-and-feel of your experience. For Geo Layers, you can now opt to remove the compass and the messages shown at the top which usually pertain to the number of results found nearby.

These changes make it even easier to create your own customized AR experience, whether that means creating a custom look or using advanced custom location providers to make a more engaging experience.

If you’re an existing SDK user, check your inbox for instructions on updating your SDK. Or if you’re interested in using the SDK, you can try it now for free!

Danish readers of SE og HØR – a television guide and celebrity news magazine – can now do far more than just “see and hear” as the publication’s name suggests.

With the easy-to-use Layar SDK, the publishers have launched Mit SE og HØR, a free mobile application for iOS and Android that brings the pages of the 75-year-old magazine to life with Augmented Reality.

Readers can gain access to exclusive videos, background stories, photo galleries, interactive polls, contests and much more simply by scanning the pages of the magazine. Extra digital content jumps off the page, providing readers with an engaging interactive experience.

“This is the next step in our development strategy to ensure that SE og HØR will continue to be the market leader in the future,” says Editor in Chief Niels Pinborg. “This means that we expand our magazine without going up in pages or price. And that means that we can pamper our most loyal customers.”

Not only is the editorial content of magazine interactive, but commercial content as well. The magazine says advertisers were eager to create more engaging digital experiences for their ads.

“It is clear that the ability to convert from print to purchase without having to leave the couch is quite interesting for our commercial partners, so here I see fairly large opportunities,” says Pinborg.

The Mit SE og HØR app is available now for free on iOS and Android in Denmark.

In September we told you about House of Fraser, one of the UK’s largest department store chains, and how it was using the Layar SDK to bring Augmented Reality to its customer retail experience. The store allowed customers to browse its online store from a print catalogue by scanning with the Layar SDK-powered House of Fraser mobile app.

With the Layar SDK, you can quickly and easily embed our Augmented Reality technology into your existing mobile app, giving you the ability to create a custom AR experience for your users within your app.

Now, HoF is back again with more great interactive content – this time in the form of shoppable windows for this year’s Black Friday promotions. The windows will launch on Wednesday, November 25th in stores across the UK and Ireland and will feature instructions for customers to download the House of Fraser app to access the shoppable windows journey.

A “Scan to Explore” feature on the House of Fraser iOS mobile app is triggered by scanning the window displays, which will allow customers to shop the best Black Friday deals in just a few taps, avoiding the busy queues inside the stores. A “Scan to win” feature will also be available so that customers can be in entered into a competition to win a £250 House of Fraser gift card.

To help guide customers and highlight the new technology, Black Friday “angels” will be on hand on November 27th in the top 14 stores across the UK and Ireland demonstrating to customers just how easy it is to scan the displays and to interact with the immersive content on the House of Fraser app.

“The event is a natural next step for House of Fraser on the path of setting trends in digital retail following previous trials of their app’s Augmented Reality features earlier this year,” said Hsio Ling Hee, Head of Custom Solutions at Layar/Blippar. “The new HoF app, powered by the Layar SDK, has a lot more to offer in the future and we are confident they will continue being one of the leaders of innovation for digital and Augmented Reality retail.”

Shoppers in the UK and Ireland can download the House of Fraser app for iOS here.

The Yas Marina Circuit, home of the upcoming 2015 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, has worked with Flip Media and Starcom MediaVest Group to release the YasHUB app for iOS and Android with Layar’s Augmented Reality SDK built in.

The app allows visitors to scan their tickets to view additional information about the event, including day-by-day information about events around the circuit.

The YasHUB app also allows race fans to purchase tickets and stay up-to-date on the latest F1 news and social media, but also provides an interactive map of the circuit grounds that directs visitors to key points-of-interest using the Layar Geo SDK.

The new upgrade to YasHUB allows users to scan their ticket packages, resulting in an animation of all main seating areas and venues around the island being built up in 3D on their phones. Ticket holders can then select their seating area and will be shown precisely where their seats are as the animation zooms into their seating zone – allowing the user to understand in three dimensions where exactly they will enjoy the action.

Not only that, but people can use the AR technology to check out the view from their seat through a series of images on the app. The app retains the helpful navigation function so people can use their phone to find out information on key locations at the circuit by simply holding up their mobiles and looking at the landmark through their screens. Relevant information of that location is then displayed, offering an immersive digitally enhanced experience to ticket holders.

“Each year, we aim to bring something new to racing fans that enhances their enjoyment of Yas Marina Circuit during F1 weekend,” said Nick McElwee, Director of Sales and Marketing at Yas Marina Circuit. “The new YasHUB app uses the latest app-based Augmented Reality technology from Layar to give users a new perspective of Yas Marina Circuit. Key areas of the track will come alive on users’ mobile screens with the addition of real-time information. The YasHUB app will help Yas Marina Circuit build meaningful interactions with our thousands of global fans as we transition to our new incarnation as a media brand and content publishers.”

“Starcom was very excited to continue the collaboration with Yas Marina Circuit and Layar to improve the YasHUB app by utilising Layar’s technology to further enhance race goers experience,” said Dimitri Papadimitriou, Head of LiquidThread MENA. “With Yas Marina Circuit, we have a client that understands the digital landscape and the changes in the way people are using technology and as such we are able to bring companies like Layar to the table to produce innovative and new customer experiences.”

The Geo SDK is a powerful way to create interactive, location-based AR experiences for your audience. Visit our solutions page to learn more about the Geo SDK, or contact us if you have any questions!