Brother Using 3D Augmented Reality To Sell Printers In 2012

Printer manufacturer Brother is getting creative in the retail space with an upcoming iPhone application that lets consumers interact with in-store materials via Augmented Reality.
The ‘Brother AR’ app allows potential customers to scan over promotional materials like brochures and ads for Brother products with their iPhone camera to see 3D animations of things like tech specs, features and 360 degree design mock-ups.

The app was recently featured in other Asia-Pacific markets but Brother has confirmed an Australia-specific version will hit the app store in 2012.

Brother is currently localising the app for the Australian market place for an early 2012 release for iPhones and iPads. Based on the overseas version, an Android version is slated for later in 2012.

“Innovation alone is not the answer to today’s growing tech-savvy population,” said Yuji Furukawa, Representative Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer for Brother during a channel meeting in Dubai this November.

“It is more on the lines of the development and creation of a product that can exceed customer expectation with the infusion of new technology, ease of use and is backed with strong after-sales support, “and the millions of Brother end-users, who are not only from this region but from across the world.”

Brother is reaffirming its budget multifunction position in the printer world with a new colour inkjet range, offering everything from scanning and faxing to social media sharing and cloud printing.

The six new models, pictured below, include specialised features like DVD and Blu-ray printing and a cloud-based ‘Web Connect’ feature that allows users to print and share information through social networking sites.

The efficiency focus keeps printing costs down on these budget units while keeping print speeds high. On the fastest settings, the printers will get 35 pages per minute in black and white, and 27 pages in colour.

The top models feature colour LCD touchscreens up to 3.3 inches for simple navigation, in similar stead to competing HP and Epson multi-function centres.

The range comes with a one year return-to-base warranty despite other Asia-Pacific regions like Singapore having three year warranties.

You can find the full price list, starting at $109 and ranging up to $229, over the page.