Some technologies have become so routine to our daily lives that it’s hard to believe they didn’t exist 20 years ago. Online banking first launched in 1994. Amazon opened its virtual doors in 1995. Text messaging became mainstream in 2001. Smartphones gained momentum and exploded in popularity with the introduction of the first Apple iPhone in 2007. In just two decades, inventions that seemed impossibly futuristic have become practical, widely used tools.
RELATED ARTICLE:Mobile websites: Tips for creating a better browsing experience for your dental patients
One of the newest technologies still in its infancy, but already making a major impact, is augmented reality. Henry Schein has long been an innovator and early adopter of cutting-edge technology, and once again, they lead the way and are embracing this exciting development. Henry Schein Dental’s first interactive Equipment & Technology Catalog using augmented reality technology was released in October, and it literally changes the way doctors and their teams view dental products and services.
What is augmented reality?
Augmented reality projects a virtual layer of interactive features on top of an actual physical environment, when viewed on the screen of a mobile phone or tablet.
Henry Schein’s catalog and other brochures give readers another world of options — a digital world — that is interconnected to the printed page they are reading. Viewing the page through their device’s camera, they can launch interactive product descriptions and specifications, training videos, current promotional offers, and one-click buttons that connect them quickly to a sales representative. It’s all done just by hovering over an augmented reality enhanced page with an iPad, iPhone, or Android device loaded with the Henry Schein Xtra app.
Augmented reality can be difficult to explain in words, and its benefits can’t be grasped fully unless you see the technology yourself. You will be amazed at how powerful and applicable it can be to your dental practice.
Test drive Henry Schein's augmented reality app
If you have a mobile device, and Henry Schein's 2014 Equipment & Technology Catalog, you can try augmented reality right now.
Just go to the Apple App Store or Google Play and download the free augmented reality mobile app called Henry Schein Xtra. Next, open the catalog and turn to a page that contains the augmented reality icon in the top corner. It designates the pages that contain interactive tools. Then, open the Henry Schein Xtra app and hover over the page with your device, being sure the entire page is displayed on your screen. Your device will “scan” the page to find the augmented reality features, and then watch the ad come to life with on-screen button that launches a video.
As you’ll see, augmented reality puts you in control of your browsing experience because you engage with items that matter most to you in an informative new way. Plus augmented reality gives Henry Schein the opportunity to constantly update materials with new information, promotions, videos, and more so you always have the latest news at your fingertips.
Thanks to this new innovation, Henry Schein’s printed catalogs and brochures can remain a doctor’s go-to resource for what’s new in dental technology today, tomorrow and months from now.
Search for Henry Schein Xtra in the Apple App Store or Google Play to give augmented reality a try today.
------------------------------------------------------------
MORE ARTICLES ABOUT HENRY SCHEIN:
Henry Schein introduces software for dental hygiene schools
Henry Schein's "Think Pink, Practice Pink" program raises awareness
Henry Schein Canada opens disaster relief hotline to assist with flood relief
-------------------------------------------------------------
