Esquire Magazine "Augmented Reality": The CueCat is back

November 15 2009

The December '09 issue of Esquire magazine arrived the other day, with the cover trumpeting an exciting new innovation -- "Augmented Reality".  There, embedded right between Robert Downey Jr.'s legs, was the future of interactive publishing -- a webcam-readable barcode, which, when activated through special software installed on the reader's Mac or PC, would lead to an interactive esquire.com set of features.

Image:Esquire Magazine "Augmented Reality": The CueCat is back

Does this remind anyone of the CueCat?
Image:Esquire Magazine "Augmented Reality": The CueCat is back

I'm all for innovation in publishing, especially when it pertains to Esquire's monthly "Funny* joke told by a beautiful woman".  But do I really need to install an app, activate a webcam, hold up my magazine to the computer cam like a dork, and hope that the barcode is read properly?

Can't the average Esquire reader just type in a URL?

I thought it especially funny that the magazine arrived with the cover barcode obscured...by the mailing label.  Technological progress still has a ways to go.

Update: At least some of the readers of Mashable are (mostly) as skeptical as I am.

Ed Brill Highland Park, IL USA Category:  Toys  Add/View Comments [9]

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  1. 1  David Wignall  | 11/15/2009 5:14:07 PM

    Well yes, but when you can take a picture with your phone and go straight to the site without, in this case, even having to open the magazine let alone leave the store...

    Or instead of getting extra material you could get a coupon for a discount on 3 magazine purchases or a cheeseburger and so on.

    Possibly add an event to your calendar? From <{ Link }

    "A standard fashion magazine in Japan will be filled with codes with direct links to the mobile shopping page for the product depicted or an mobile competition form to fill out. The also are found on business cards as a short cut to add someones details to your address book. You can search popular coupon magazine, Hot Pepper, for QR codes you can scan and then show the resulting mobile web site page at restaurant to receive a discount. The system is everywhere and highly successful."

    Don't think CueCat. Think phone.

  1. 2  Kevin Mort http://www.theglobalmind.com | 11/15/2009 5:22:49 PM

    Cue Cat....oh good grief. I had one of those. Wired Mag sent them out I think.

    Golf Digest is doing this as well, you take a photo of the thing and it's supposed to direct you to the content.

  1. 3  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 11/15/2009 6:07:16 PM

    @1 vision-wise, I'd totally get "Think phone". The Esquire implementation, though, requires locally installed software -- only available for Windows or Mac OS. Thus, it's not "Think phone" in this specific implementation.

    If I could use my phone's camera to snap a picture and then immediately be brought to a video or interactive page, that becomes somewhat more interesting. Technology is pretty much there for that already, but not what Esquire implemented.

  1. 4  Roy Rumaner  | 11/15/2009 8:17:37 PM

    I have a CueCat and use it regularly. It was used to scan in the bar codes on my CD collection (over 7500), DVD collection (around 400) and books (over 4500 at last count). I use a series of programs from Collectorz.com to keep the lists organized. Every new purchase is scanned into the respective program before the wrapper is even removed.

  1. 5  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 11/15/2009 10:28:22 PM

    @4 Roy, I hope you weren't offended by the comparison. I should have written more words -- I meant this in the context of Kevin's comment, the original Wired-distributed usage of the CueCat -- scanning barcodes in advertising. It really added no value to the experience. I'm glad there was something useful that came out of the CueCats.

  1. 6  Simon O’Doherty http://www.bleedyellow.com/blogs/Simon/ | 11/16/2009 2:36:33 AM

    QRCodes is pretty big in Japan, and slowly catching on in Europe. For my iPhone I use BeeTagg (correct spelling). There is probably software out there to read normal barcodes via the camera, but they don't hold that much information.

    From a job many years ago I acquired the skill to read Code39 barcodes visually. I also got to work with Barcode Battler. Now that was pointless. :)

    { Link }

  1. 7  Nikolay Vlasov  | 11/17/2009 4:20:28 AM

    Hi Ed!

    It is not a barcode actually - it could be any high-contrast picture just to make it simpler for an application to understand how you are holding it, understand where is up and down in your picture using just the webcam.

    If you are interested, there is very good example on GE portal, where they use only flash, so you don't need to install anything on your laptop and it is working the same on win and mac (I've tested it on both :). All you need to do - is to print a picture and go to appropriate URL.

    Here is the link: { Link }

  1. 8  Max  | 11/17/2009 7:40:27 AM

    Another matter, when´s the schedule for Lspere 2010 being released?

    Particaly interested in the jump-start sessions, what kind of sessions will it be?

    Anyone knows, I know it´s early days, but for travel-plans.

    thanks

  1. 9  Sean Smith http://www.aviall.com | 11/17/2009 2:48:48 PM

    Wired has a good article on barcodes. The QR matrix code at the bottom of the explination works using the barcode scanner on my droid phone.

    { Link }

    I remember using the cuecat with Fortune magazine. It seemed like an awesome idea at the time but went nowhere fast. They certainly need some easier way to interact with the magazine though.