TONY Kids adds augmented reality to its cover

For the August issue of Time Out New York Kids, the magazine cover will be enhanced with mobile augmented reality.

Smartphone users “point and shoot” at the magazine and will then see and hear a short video of the fifth-grade chorus from Staten Island, who have garnered a lot of attention on YouTube, belting out Lady Gaga and Rihanna songs.

I don't know whether to be surprised that it's happened so quickly — the ability to unlock video and 3D content on a handset tied to print.

I'm not surprised at all that the effort is geared toward kids — I've seen six-year-olds with mobile phones.

Marketers may be interested in these figures. Though only expected to generate $2 million by the end of this year, projections for 2014 are in the neighborhood of $714 million. Mobile gaming is perceived to be the main driver.

The physical and virtual worlds are colliding — with escapism becoming all that much easier.