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'Jurassic World' AR Experience Brings Dinosaurs to Life

Experience an 'up-close encounter with one of the newest dinosaurs from the Jurassic franchise' by scanning a QR code on in-store displays with the Facebook app. The experience will be available at more than 17,000 US retail stores, including grocery chains.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Perhaps inspired by the Pokémon Go craze, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has teamed up with Facebook to launch an augmented reality experience promoting the Sept. 18 Blu-ray and DVD release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

The new AR experience—available on the day of the release at more than 17,000 US retail stores—will bring dinosaurs from the film to life inside your phone. Just look for the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom displays inside grocery chains and other retail stores for instructions on how to trigger the AR experience using the Facebook app.

"Shoppers scan a special QR code to launch the shareable AR effect that places the ferocious Indoraptor directly in their path, providing them with an up-close encounter with one of the newest dinosaurs from the Jurassic franchise," Universal explained in a news release.

If you opt to buy the film, a collectable insert included within the movie's packaging will let you activate another AR dinosaur experience using Facebook's Messenger camera.

"The experience unveils an interactive, baby version of the film's Velociraptor hero, Blue," Universal wrote. "The animated Baby Blue can be placed in any environment, and images and video of her behaving curiously, playfully, and aggressively can be captured and shared with friends."

The in-store and in-home experiences work with the latest versions of the Facebook and Messenger apps on iOS and Android devices.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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