Blippar is available for both Apple iPhone and Android Blackberry and Windows Phone devices and is the world’s best-augmented reality recognition application. If you have not heard about it yet it is time to jump on board and join in the fun with nearly 5 million other people already.

Blipper has just been updated to version 1.6.1 and it is a new version worth noting. First off, there are UI improvements, all-important bug fixes and stability improvements, performance improvements and above all users of the new Samsung Galaxy S5 were experiencing crashing of the app. It is fixed in this updated version as of May 2014.

Blippar

In my example below I have used images taken directly from the official website. I did this because everybody with an internet connection can do the same thing and learn how to use the app. However, the app is by no means restricted to use on the website. It can also be used for newspaper pages and any other means that have been made available to work in conjunction with Blippar. It is a great idea that I think will go even further than it is now and if I am right over time there will be more and more things. The way it will expand its business is by brands signing up with them and agreeing to work on a deal that will bring promotional ideas to be compatible with each other. If you are the owner of a product or brand and are interested in creating something that works with Blippar you can sign up from the website page. They have already worked with names such as Warner Bros, Nike, Coke, Jaguar, L’Oreal, Nestle, IBM, Sony, Kraft, and many more.

Before you begin you will need to download the app from the Google Play Store here for Android.

How To Use Blippar:

1. Go to Google.com and type in “Blippar.”

2. Click on the official website link or click here to go there.

3. Scroll down the page until you get to the image area.

4. Hold the mobile device to the screen so that it fits with the phone’s screen.

5. Hold steadily and wait for the “B” or Blippar logo to appear.

6. Now it is scanning.

7. Wait and see the surprise!

8. Here is my example after I clicked on the Adrian Peterson image.

Now, as you can see in this picture, he is in front of my keyboard. That is just to show you how the app works. To see the 3D effect it needs placing in front of the Adrian Peterson image on the website and this will pop up on the screen along with a quick movie of him running towards me on the screen to begin with. That image will now stay on my device screen until I click out of the app.

Downsides:

The one problem I have found myself after using this app is that it does not scan everything around you. Sometimes, it tries to scan the image, and it gives an error message “uh oh, make sure the item is blippable.” Don’t dismiss this app just yet, however, because I found out how to have a good time with it.

You have to be precise with it on the screen. Because set dimensions for some images were difficult to line up with my computer monitor, I found them stuck in the ‘scanning” mode and not being able to work until it timed out with an error message. The image I had problems scanning the most was the Coca Cola.

The video effects can take longer to load because it is a full advertisement video loading and not just a quick 3D graphic as my NFL footballer was.

I like the ‘Cover Girl’ gave me a video and not just a 3D effect over the top. It was my first experience in understanding what the app is about. It is not just made for fun, it is meant to be informative with information also. However, I found the information to come across as more of an ad than anything else. People hate ads, why is this any different? It would have been nice if they set out the demonstration a bit differently and not the same experience you would find during the ad break on your television sets between TV programs.

I found this more efficient with games such as the Forza, a promotion with Pizza Hut. After video clips are finished running, as with the Forza example, there will be a clickable option on the screen for you to go further with investigating. Check out the deals more in-depth and scenarios like that. It offers an extra gateway to information that you do not have otherwise. It is a huge upside that I see with the idea of this app. It is allowing people to customize things to their needs. If they want to learn more about a particular product that they just watched briefly they can pull out their model devices and do so. All of this while not taking the time out of anybody else day around them. You can do that with TV advertisements, and that is why they are brief and sometimes can fail to get the message across properly.

It can be too dark at times. “it is too dark to Blipp this. Try using a flashlight. ”

Upsides:

Half of my previous point was already a positive. Along similar lines, when the video animation finishes playing options will stay on the screen even when you move the device away from the original image that made the Blipp connection. That means you can put the smartphone down and pick it back up and continue where you left off without having to re-scan the image. That is a good thing.

After viewing a movie on the screen, you can go back and still see the main screen. It helps with being able to click one of the other remaining options if you choose to do so.

There is an “X” on the screen that can be clicked and this will bring us back to the scanning main screen and get rid of the earlier image memory.

If it is too dark in the room a warning message will appear. That is OK because it is not prompting you to get your own flash light. There is a white icon on the bottom left side of the screen that looks like a light bulb. It is a flashlight! Press it to use the smartphones built in light as a torch.