I bet you remember where you were 10 years ago on 9/11. Well, now there’s an app to help you memorialize and share what you were doing and even where you were. The app is called 110 Stories. It was built from the vision of a life-long New Yorker, Brian August, the tireless development efforts of doPanic and i-NOVATiON, the guidance of Antenna Software, and the support of numerous others.
You can download it today, and it’s also available for Android. The app itself is the manifestation of a confluence of technologies and would not have been possible even just a couple of years earlier. It uses geo-location, Augmented Reality (AR), social networking, and of course mobility. Read about my thoughts on this “perfect recipe of technology” at the Mobile Masters Blog.
In terms of functionality, this app is minimalistic to keep the content (the 9/11 stories) and the main AR photo function at the forefront. After downloading the app, you need to create an account with a valid email address to prevent spamming and unsavory use. Once you confirm the response email, you can start taking photos and documenting your stories. The AR engine does require certain minimum hardware requirements, so only iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, Android 2.3+ and some Android 2.2 devices with 32 MB of memory can use the AR photo function. Without that hardware, however, you are still able to view all the stories already posted in the app’s story gallery.
To take a photo with the Twin Towers AR image, you need to be within a 35 mile radius of the World Trade Center site. According to Brian, on a clear day from that distance at a high elevation, you would’ve been able to see the towers and thus the app tries to preserve that memory. But it’s within a three mile radius that the app really shines.
Open and click the button with the camera on the app’s home page. A tips screen will appear that you can review upon first use. The AR engine will then use your geo-location and compass orientation to guide you towards where the towers would’ve been (sometimes it may take a couple of minutes). Once the silhouette of the towers appears, you can drag and move them to a more precise location if you wish. From there you just snap the photo and it’s ready for you to annotate with your memory or a message to others. You can even share this on Facebook and Twitter.
As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of September 11, what better way to preserve the memories of those fallen than to continue to share your stories. The 110 Stories app is truly an app of the times, both in terms of the technologies and the social value behind it.
