Beem me up! AR messaging is the future
Beem, an AR firm, acquired another round of investment earlier this year, which went toward a whole new redesign of the app and an overhaul of its backend. While Beem’s original app release was innovative, the UI left a lot to be desired, and the “holographic” experience was largely dependant on interaction through other apps.
Beem’s latest app update makes it more obvious that it’s a chat app from the start. Beem — which is available for free on Android and iOS — now features a viewfinder that prompts users to record messages as soon as they open the app, similar to Snapchat or comparable apps. These messages are now processed and transformed locally rather than on the cloud, and they can be saved and shared as much or as little as you like.
No need for R2D2
When you wish to see someone else’s Beem, you use the phone’s camera and display to see the hologram — or Beem as it’s known — right in the room you’re in. On a 2D display like a phone, messaging apps like Beem will play a critical role in a more visual communication of future even if it’s still a bit of a novel concept right now.
Beem’s new Beem for Commercial license, which provides the freedom to record at better resolutions and for longer periods of time, is also aimed at the business market. That could make it easier for shoppers more realistic representations of items they want to buy, provide companies with a more immersive way to train their employees on the job, and a variety of other scenarios in which a holographic portrayal of a person in a physical space would elevate the message and overall experience.
If you want to try it for yourself, the app is available for free on Android right now.