With its commitment to stay on the leading edge of technology, and so many of its clients wanting the very latest in mobile and tablet applications, Interdirect is working on an innovative idea that enables the real world to collide with the virtual, bringing a little bit of magic to your ordinary logo, product packaging, poster etc. Free applications such as Blippar enable you to view interactive content by using your camera to hover over a static image, bringing your brand to life; and Interdirect is working with technologies that will enable it to embed these facilities within its clients' own applications.

Augmented Reality is emerging technology that will enable Interdirect to take its clients' ideas and turn them into a creative, fun and interactive experience. By holding up your phone or tablet (must have a camera) you will receive an instant response - whether a web link, video, audio, coupon or even a 3D product experience, game, or even a cookery book!

Nicholas Mann, founder and managing director of Interdirect says: “This new technology enables Interdirect to develop interactive experiences like no other, and is a natural successor to the QR code. I am very excited about the scope of augmented reality – the possibilities are endless!"

HENRY WALTZ - VISUAL TEASER from Emil Goodman on Vimeo.

The 27 year old Hungarian animator, better known for creating music videos and uber- quirky shorts (or ‘tests’ as he calls them), has made his first foray into feature length production. This surreal, darkly beautifully trailer does nothing to give any story away – indeed it’s more like one of his music videos or ‘tests’ with the narrative being as surreal as the ‘biomechanical shadow-puppet’ animation.

There is something very captivating about this monochrome blending of Russian constructivism, eastern shadow puppetry, Meccano and insects parts, with more than a little nod towards Frits Lang’s dystopian visions in his 1927 movie Metropolis. It’s an Eclectic and disquieting dream-like vision of the future as envisioned by the occupant of a 1920s asylum.

http://henrywaltz.com/

http://www.facebook.com/henrywaltz

http://twitter.com/#!/HenryWaltz

http://vimeo.com/user643208/videos

Some snazzy HTML 5 used for this interactive film, giving you an idea of what can, and will be done with it in the future.

Word of warning, DO close all other Apps on your computer before running, since it is pretty processor intensive. And if you have the Chrome browser, try it in that. Otherwise Firefox is probably your best bet!

www.thewildernessdowntown.com

These 3D particle effects created using softimage’s ICE platform are truly mind blowing, it just makes you think of what the next generation of gaming will look like...

www.youtube.com

See if you can figure your way through this...

www.pasivdevice.org

Another great thing about the iPhone is the random games you can download to pass the time. There is an amazing range, but more often than not the best ones are the simplest ideas rather than the best graphics. I've downloads lots, and yet hardly ever return to them to be honest, however here are the ones that actually take up my random time:

Angry Birds

If you have an iPhone, you need to get Angry Birds - There is a Lite version (FREE) to try it out, but the full game is only 59p and has a hell of a lot of levels, plus free updates. The idea is simple, you catapult various birds into building blocks and have to destroy the little pigs inside to progress to the next level. Amazing addictive and easy to pick up and play.

Mr Aah

I spent a lot of my snowboarding holiday playing this on the coach ride to the resort, as did a lot of other people that lent over my shoulder. Swing the stickman onto a ledge - thats it. Again addictive with a retro look and feel. A free LITE version is available, which is all you need.

The Secret Of Monkey Island

Yep! - If you remember, this is the classic point and click adventure from the good ol' days. However it has been updated with new graphics and speech and makes ideal use of the iPhones drag and point system. Plus you can swipe the screen at any time and the graphics will change back to the original old style format - a great trip down memory lane. £4.99 I think, but worth every penny.

Know of any other decent games that pass away the hours? - There are various golf games out there that also work quite well, as do puzzle games. Post a comment if you know of anymore essential games...