Vuforia Extends Image Recognition To The Cloud

SAN DIEGO, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that Vuforia™, the augmented reality platform that transforms real-world objects into interactive experiences, will support image recognition in the cloud. To date, Vuforia applications have performed image recognition against a local database of up to 80 images. By using the power of the cloud, recognition can now be achieved against databases containing more than one million images. This new feature will enable new mobile commerce experiences that will benefit consumers, developers, brand marketers and retailers.

"Cloud-based recognition represents a major step forward for Vuforia," said Jay Wright, senior director of business development at Qualcomm. "By incorporating the cloud, we are enabling new mobile shopping experiences for consumers that are intuitive and easy to use. We are also opening doors to new monetization opportunities for developers."

One of the benefits of bringing cloud-based recognition to Vuforia is the enablement of mobile shopping experiences that bring the benefits of online shopping to physical stores. Consumers can simply point their phone at products and signage to get immediate access to product information and reviews, and to make purchases online for items not available in stores. Qualcomm has partnered with American Apparel Inc. (NYSE Amex: APP), a leading U.S. manufacturer, distributor and retailer of designer apparel, to demonstrate the potential of this solution during Dr. Paul Jacobs' keynote at Uplinq 2012.

"Enhancing the shopping experience is a key strategy in our online and offline channel efforts. With Vuforia's use of the cloud, we have the ability to provide consumers with a personal, intuitive and convenient way of shopping," said Stacey Shulman, chief technology officer of American Apparel Inc. "We anticipate that the increased interaction and showing a wider product range will result in increased sales."

In addition to delivering new retail experiences, Vuforia's new cloud-based recognition enables large scale, interactive media solutions. Blippar, one of the first mobile AR marketing platforms to integrate Vuforia, has been conducting trials of this feature to meet the needs of brands worldwide.

"Blippar has revolutionized traditional marketing for brands and publishers in the UK, with more than 750,000 users and the delivery of more than 150 campaigns," said Ambarish Mitra, CEO, Blippar. "Blippar's ambition is to make AR synonymous with the word 'blipp' and Cloud-based recognition is the way forward to deliver blipps to millions of consumers."

Cloud-based recognition for the Vuforia platform is now available in private beta. Developers can make requests to participate in the private beta at developer.qualcomm.com/vuforia. Both commercial availability and pricing are expected to be announced in fall 2012.

The award-winning Vuforia platform utilizes industry-leading computer vision technology to enhance the value of print media and advertising, consumer products and packaging, and instructional materials. Available from Qualcomm's Austria Research Center, Vuforia supports more than 400 smartphones and tablets, and has been embraced by nearly 30,000 developers for use in more than 1,000 applications. Additional information is available at developer.qualcomm.com/vuforia.

About Qualcomm 

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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