(MENAFN- Asia Times)
If you have been wondering what all this sudden rage about Pokemon is, here''s a snapshot: Nintendo''s stock has hit a high after the release of''Pokemon Go,'' a newly-released mobile app that uses augmented reality to let people catch Pokemon in real life. The game hastopped app download charts in the US, Australia, and New Zealand, and according to somemarket researchers, has already been installed on 5 percent of all Android smartphones in America. Some say that it has become so popular that it''s on the verge of overtaking Twitter in terms of daily active users on Android. Meanwhile, news about armed robbers misusing the mobile application to lure and kill vulnerable users is drawing more curious people to the app. And, people are going crazy over ''Pokemon Go.''
It uses your phone''s GPS and clock to detect where and when you are in the game and make Pokemon "appear" around you (on your phone screen) so you can go and catch them. As you move around, different and more types of Pokemon will appear depending on where you are and what time it is. The idea is to encourage you to travel around the real world to catch Pokemon in the game. Such a combination of a game and the real world interaction is simply augmented reality.
But beware! Reports suggested that people were getting robbed and even found a dead body while playing the game. Armed robbers used the game to lure victims to an isolated trap in Missouri, areport revealed.
So far, the app has been released in America, Australia and New Zealand.