Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

2015 Audi A3 gets augmented reality app in place of owners manual

There have been a few, seemingly half-hearted, attempts at reinventing the owner's manual - that thick stack of bone-dry information that you only look at if you're well and truly stumped. Hyundai tried swapping in iPads with the Equus, which didn't really take, while Chrysler switched its owner's manuals to digital form in 2010. Chrysler subsidiary Dodge even released a smart phone app that included all the info contained in the paper manual.

Audi, though, may have taken things to their logical conclusion - augmented reality. While it'll likely be more practical once Google Glass and other wearable tech is adopted on a wide scale, augmented reality allows users to project information on scenes, usually through a phones camera, which is how Audi does it.

Called eKurzinfo, the app looks through your phones camera to identify and explain different parts of the car. According to Metaio, the app's developer, the app recognizes 300 different parts of the car. Our sister site, Engadget, provides the best example of the app's abilities - if you point it at the engine temperature gauge, the app tells you what the gauge measures, and if the reading is too high, eKurzinfo will even show you where to find the coolant tank.

The app debuted on the A1, but is also available on the new A3 sedan. It's not clear if it'll come to the United States when the new A3 arrives or which operating systems it will work for.

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http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/13/2...-manual-video/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Pretty cool. Similar to offering a iPad instead of a manual. This is neat though since you can just point the phone and it knows. Rather than searching

Infra

iTrader: (1)

The iPad was a horrible idea. Searching through a technical manual in a digital format is frustrating, compared to a printed copy.

This would be cool if it worked, but then again, the only time I consult the manual is if I want to know something obscure. I don't need information on how to operate the radio, which is likely what this app will provide.

mrraider

Smart phone app is a good idea. Not just a pdf but a proper add.

Lil4X

VW has announced an "enhanced reality" app for your tablet that will replace the shop manual. Here we see the app demonstrated on the first car for which it will be available, the VW XL 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LE_IocFnL0#t=22

Delivering a step-by-step How-To description, the idea is to demonstrate service procedures with an animated overlay, showing tools required and where to use them. Quite a step from the greasy dead-tree service manual, especially for DIY mechanics. First applications will probably be for dealerships and pro shops who could use some help as models proliferate new technologies. This sure beats having to send your mechanics off to schools at least a month out of every year.