Leading market research company Juniper has released its top 10 wireless predictions for 2011, citing the inevitable explosion in Smartphone usage at the top of the list. The rapid increase in 3G mobile web adoption is set to test the network as data increases, caused in part by the second top prediction - the increased popularity of augmented reality applications in gaming and retail.

As apps become standard in the brand-butler domain, brands and retailers are beginning to embrace augmented reality. Augmented reality within the mobile market up until this point has largely been an information and service provider with navigation at its heart. Whilst this is undoubtedly a useful deployment for the technology, it is nowhere near as immersive as web and kiosk based AR experiences where brands can truly engage.

However, with areas of mobile marketing developing rapidly due to the surge in Smartphone sales, AR apps are progressing to also put the 'fun' into function. Location specific and sensory features on smartphones such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and GPS have been key drivers in application development and handset manufacturers will be keen to add more “killer” features to their devices to give them that edge.

With the aforementioned features becoming “as standard”, vendors are already looking to incorporate others such as proximity, temperature, biometrics, 3D displays, and projectors, into their handsets. As a consequence we can expect to see developments such as natural feature tracking, increased capabilities for 3d animation and sophisticated geo-relevant information also become standard on our mobile devices.

Gaming standards will also be greatly improved. With both location-based and social capabilities, AR games such as Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner are beginning to emerge with a popular reception. Enhanced graphics will of course be crucial in developing the experience and providing an immersive application of mobile augmented reality.

The growth of m-commerce is another much-hyped development, overlapping Juniper's predictions for mobile banking becoming a 'must-have' and mobile devices to begin to replace credit cards. Needless to say, this is a significant progression for wireless retail, an industry with vested interest in AR.

Simultaneous developments are leading the way to a sense of cohesion amongst these elements within mobile applications. What we can expect to see during 2011 is a true 'rolling-out' process of the brand butler experience. Beginning with brands of blue-chip stature, we will begin to see apps that can see LBS, AR, Social Media sharing, gaming, navigation and m-commerce facilitating one another.

The scope for marketing therefore becomes immense within mobile platforms - AR platform Junaio (by Metaio) has just announced an 'opt-in' service for mobile advertising within apps, increasing possibilities for wider availability to brands and also increasing the affordability of utilising AR. Whilst the possibilities are indeed endless, the inevitable expansion of course leads us back to prediction number 1 on the Juniper list - and the all important question of how the current 3G network is going to cope. To see the full rundown of Juniper's wireless predictions, click here.