LAKE MARY, Fla. – Are you a "Harry Potter" fan? Remember the scenes where the newspapers come alive with moving pictures?
That fantastical effect could soon be reality. In fact, experts say we're on the cusp of a new age -- an age of augmented reality, an age when a simple magazine article can lead you down a rabbit hole of information.
[WEB EXTRA: Extended interview | Layar app]
Publisher Judith Topper and graphic artist Renee Blair are putting the finishing touches on the latest edition of Lake Mary Healthy Living magazine, and for the first time they'll be using augmented reality to enhance ads and editorial content.
"I'm talking to ad agencies and they don't know what it is. I'm having to explain it to them and they love it. They're blown away by it," said Topper.
It works like this: Using an app called Layar, simply hold your phone or tablet over the page. Tap the screen and it opens up a world of content taking readers beyond the printed page.
"I think it kind of sparks a little curiosity in the reader, to find out what's there that I'm not seeing. It's kind of like treasure hunting," said Topper.
In the upcoming issue they take readers behind the scenes of a fashion shoot, offer tutorials on how to get fitted for a bike and help readers buy directly from select advertisers.
And that last example is key. Layar wants to reduce the so-called friction between companies and consumers.
"If they want to purchase something, and they are interested in the product they can do it right then and there," said Topper.
"Augmented reality is really a sexy term for what we call web 3.0 and other people might call the Internet of things," said Ted Gournelos, professor of communications at Rollins College.
Gournelos said magazines are just the first step in the augmented reality revolution.
"We are moving toward a completely immersed technological world. When you're driving in a car past a billboard, it might completely reflect who you are as a human being, what you purchased the past two years, your life history," said Gournelos.
Sound familiar? It was a plot point in the 2002 futuristic movie "Minority Report," but Gournelos said that's the direction we're headed.
"This is the tip of the iceberg," said Gournelos. "Really, what we're seeing is a complete transformation in how we interrelate with the world through technology, where we don't even see the technology. It's just who we are."
Augmented reality is also being used in tourism and real estate. It's also a feature on Google Glass.
Lake Mary Healthy Living magazine is the first local magazine to use this technology. This issue has 11 pages with hidden content.