Author: Lucy

New ad-blocking app replaces billboards in subway stations with art.

Called No Ad, the augmented reality app can change the advertisements that subway riders see on billboards to interesting pieces of artwork, and all the mobile user has to do to make this happen is launch the app, hold up their mobile device, and point the camera at an ad and watch as the poster for the movie, soft drink, etc. is replaced by digital static or animated artwork.

The app is free and works on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

No Ad comes from Re+Public, a creative collaboration of artists. The AR app was created by Jordan Seiler, The Heavy Projects and Jowy Romano. So far, the app has collaborated with 50 artists and the plan is to grow this number with new partnerships, such as an upcoming partnership with the International Center of Photography, which will provide photographs from its collection. The intention is to display new art on a monthly basis.

According to American Photo Magazine, Artists like COST and Keith Haring “sought to take control over and diversify the imagery with which upwards of 5 million commuters were bombarded on a daily basis.” Essentially, the augmented reality art project gives subway riders something else to look at instead of the same ads everyday.

Furthermore, although the app has been designed for mobile devices, its creators “envision a future where users passively experience AR without cumbersome handheld devices, and instead simply use heads-up displays to experience an augmented public space hands free.”

The augmented reality app will not work on every ad.

There are certain circumstances in which the app will not work. For starters, it will not work if the advertisement has not been catalogued in the application’s system. Some other examples of when it won’t work are if the ad has been altered in some way, there is graffiti on it or there is one dominant advertiser.

Currently, the augmented reality app only works on the one-hundred most popular subway platform ads that are horizontally shaped, which are usually popular products, television shows and movies. In addition, at present, New York City is the only place where the No Ad application works.

Users of mobile devices are always looking for promotions with the best offerings.

As consumers use their mobile devices on an increasing rate for various daily online activities, data plans have become a critical part of their ability to access the internet when they are not within range of a WiFi connection.

This has created massive competition among the mobile service carriers across the country.

AT&T has now announced its latest promotion which doubles the size of its largest data plans. At the moment, the 15, 20, 30, 40, and 50GB Mobile Share Plans will all be doubled so that they will provide their subscribers with 30, 40, 60, 80, and 100GB respectively, for the same price. This promotion is already in effect and is generating a massive amount of interest for consumers who already adore their mobile internet and for those who have been looking to connect for the first time.

Considering the use of mobile devices, these days, it is easy to burn through data plans in one month.

This has given consumers every reason to sign their mobile devices up for shared plans with friends or family in order to be able to save money on their internet usage while outside of WiFi range. The plan that appears to be drawing the largest amount of interest, at the moment, currently costs $130 for 30GB. It costs only $30 more than the AT&T standard price for 10GB.

This means that on the promotion for 30GB, the consumer would pay $4.33, instead of paying $25 per GB on the off-promotion standard 10GB plan. That said, if consumers are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, then they are urged to contact the company now because it is running the promotion only until Halloween. That said, once signed up, as long as the plan is not changed, it will be grandfathered for life, so this could be a deal worth checking out.

AT&T is offering these data plans not only to new customers, but they have also made the noteworthy move of offering their customers who already have one of these plans the opportunity to sign up for the improved pricing for double the data, provided that they contact the company within the required period of time.