Nokia Lumia 800 launches in Australia alongside interactive augmented reality stunt

Nokia invited crowds in Sydney’s Martin Place to participate in a virtual reality dance-off with music star Timomatic for the Australian launch of its Lumia 800 smartphone on Friday.

Participants saw themselves projected onto a giant, 12 square meter screen as they breakdanced and pirouetted alongside an augmented reality (AR) version of Timomatic as part of Nokia’s nationwide Lumia Live tour.

“To activate an experience people stepped onto a mat, powered by Xbox Kinect and touch sensors, and were surprised to see themselves projected onto a huge video screen,” said Nokia on March 16. “They then selected a tile with their feet triggering the on screen, fantasy experience where they could sing and dance alongside Timomatic, kick an Angry Birds’ character or pet a kangaroo trying to find his way back to Uluru.“

A few blocks away people were lining up for the release of Apple’s third generation iPad at the Apple Store in George Street.

For a look at some of the other ways companies have used AR to launch products and create viral marketing check out Digital Buzz Blog’s selection of top ten augmented reality examples.

People living in Brisbane and Melbourne can dance alongside Timomatic as part of the Lumia Live tour on Friday, March 23, and Saturday, March 31, respectively. Full details of the tour can be found on Nokia Australia’s Facebook page.