The edition of the Suddeutsche Zeitung's weekly supplement, SZ Magazine, which is available on newsstands from today, has been produced in collaboration with German augmented reality technology firm metaio.
Augmented reality refers to the application of virtual, computer-generated images or information to a real-world environment. Magazine publishers have recently started to experiment with technology, including Grazia for its "3D issue" in March and Esquire's 2009 November issue.
Readers with iPhones and Android handsets will be able to view the augmented reality features on certain articles and the magazine's front cover by downloading the junaio app. Augmented articles include an "interview without words" featuring images of Eurovision Song Contest winner Lena, which when viewed through the app show speech bubbles of the interview, and 3D infographics.
"Augmented reality can not only add fun and interactivity to a print publication, but, as shown here, it can also vastly improve a journalist's ability to tell a story in a compelling way," says ReadWriteWeb's Chris Cameron in his review of the Suddeutsche Zeitung experiment.
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