New Star Trek Into Darkness App Pushes toward the Final Frontier

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There is a lot we don’t know about J. J. Abrams upcoming film Star Trek Into Darkness. We don’t know the precise identity of the villain, played by Benedict Cumerbatch (is it Kahn Noonien Singh? Is it Gary Mitchell? Is it the ghost of Gene Roddenberry?!) Will the movie involve any surprise romances or cameos by old school Star Trek actors, like we saw in the 2009 film to which this is a sequel? And what, exactly, is up with that awkward title, anyway?

While we don’t know if the movie will be any good (especially considering that the 10th and 11th installments in the series turned the “even-numbered Trek movies are the good ones” paradigm on its pointy ear), but we are learning a lot about the ancillary, tech-related products that will be associated with the flick.


Image via Shutterstock

First there was the news that the new Star Trek video game from Namco Bandai will fill in the gap between the two Abrams’ movies and allow you to play as either Kirk or Spock. Now comes word that Paramount Pictures and Qualcomm Incorporated have teamed up (like the Federation and the Klingons) to deliver a new Star Trek Into Darkness app that should blow Trekkers away.

The new app represents a tight integration between movie and application. As users complete the missions in the app, they will get to experience a host of movie-related materials. To complete missions, users will need to use their real-world surroundings to complete tasks using audio scans, image recognition and geo-location recognition functions.

But there is even better news for Star Trek fans who also love the NFL (and there are a lot more of us than you think! Obsession with sci-fi is not that different from obsession with sports!). During the second quarter of the Super Bowl, airing February 4 on CBS, users of the app will be able to unlock a special surprise (hopefully not a pregnant Tribble) during the movie’s TV ad. Anyone who registers the app will be able to win a VIP trip to the United States premiere of the film.

Some of the features of the app include: audio scan functionality that can recognize when you are watching Star Trek Into Darkness material on TV; an image scan function that lets users interact with printed images; a geo-fencing function that enables location-based experiences; movie content like videos, images and wallpaper; and exclusive special offers. Although you don’t, apparently, get Majel Barrett’s sultry computer voice, it’s almost like having your very own tricorder in the palm of your hand.




Edited by Brooke Neuman
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TechZone360 Web Editor

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