Filed under: Odds and ends, Found Footage, iPhone
Layar app for Android presages the augmented world of iPhone 3G S
If you caught the Copper Robot show on Sunday or any of our recent talkcasts, you may have heard me yammering at length about the possibilities for using the iPhone 3G S in enhanced or augmented reality applications. After the dynamic demo of compass-enhanced Google Street View on the Android Dream, the news of a magnetometer included with the 3G S -- allowing the phone to determine its direction with respect to the real world, along with position (GPS/SkyHook) and orientation/acceleration (accelerometer) -- starts to make geeks drool with eagerness for practical heads-up displays or browsable views of the world.
Here it comes, folks. As noted over at 9to5Mac, the Layar app from Dutch developer SPRXmobile will get Android phones into the realm of science fiction X-ray specs when it comes out at the end of this month. Point your phone across the street to see what houses are for sale, which bars are offering happy hour specials, or where the nearest ATM might be. A live, animated overlay points out the key locations and moves with your camera view. It's tough enough to describe, so I've got the video in the second half of this post -- but the effect is impressive. The previously-announced Wikitude app gives a travel guide the same augmented treatment for Android.
The guys at IntoMobile have given Layar a good once-over and come away quite awed. I can't wait to see this app, or one like it, make it over to the App Store. Add some social networking features from Brightkite or foursquare and iPhone users will jump all over this -- but they'll have to be careful not to walk into lampposts.
[via MacRumors]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ian said 6:48PM on 6-16-2009
That's pretty impressive. Perhaps the autofocus lens and compass can be used to help determine object distance on the iPhone for an even more accurate experience.
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Maxwell Ash said 11:27AM on 6-17-2009
I think that autofocus only works to a certain distance, and then goes to infinity. On the lens I have beside me it goes to 5m, and then to infinity. What you were saying would be good though, it would just need a really good lens, or maybe sonar?
Raimo said 6:49PM on 6-16-2009
We can't wait to add more and more layers.. I like the Brightkite idea..
After today we had some great contacts already. We hope to get a compelling list of layers ready to enter the US market.
And yes we are also working on the iPhone 3G S version ;-)
Raimo
http://layar.eu
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Michael Rose said 7:09PM on 6-16-2009
Raimo, it looks spectacular now and we can't wait for it in the US and on the iPhone.
Suggested data sources:
Loopt, Twitter, brightkite for social location
Yelp for vendor reviews
Zillow for real estate
AAA for discounts/hotels
Citysearch for bars/food
If you can find a coupon vendor that works with urban retailers... wow.
Raimo said 6:51PM on 6-16-2009
@Ian,
The autofocus won't work. We show objects that can be 10 miles away ;-)
We currently already use the compass..
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Raimo said 7:13PM on 6-16-2009
@Michael Rose
Thanks for the layer suggestions.. We will try to get in contact with them..
We are talking to 'coupon people' ;-)
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sharris said 7:26PM on 6-16-2009
I know the functionality of this requires the built in compas, but will you be offering any limited support for the ordinary iPhone 3g? Ie kinda how street view currently works on the 3g?
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Chris said 9:22PM on 6-16-2009
How could that work? I'm guessing your current location + the direction you are pointing in are critical data points.
sharris said 4:36AM on 6-17-2009
It would be able to use GPS on the 3G, so could work a little like Street View currently does in Maps - you manually move the picture 360 degrees
Rhys said 9:17PM on 6-16-2009
Wowwww... that's amazing.
I really hope this makes it's way to Australia in the future. It would make house hunting so much easier. Suggestions for sources (to possibly jot down and file away until you're ready):
realestate.com.au
webmenu.com.au
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JELyon said 12:18AM on 6-17-2009
William Gibson.
"Virtual Light."
'nough said.
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Bradley said 5:01AM on 6-17-2009
This gives me visions of the future, where people wear smart-glasses that incorporate HUDs and information that goes into and out of focus based on pupil orientation and dilation. Maybe it'll happen in my lifetime..
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Robert Monfera said 7:47PM on 6-29-2009
On the compassless Iphone it could work the following way:
Options for obtaining the initial direction:
a.) When moving (esp.in a car), successive GPS readings would indicate direction.
b.) You could point your Iphone toward the sun to calibrate your bearing. Given the GPS coordinate, the time of the day and the center of the Sun in the camera will give a very accurate bearing (in reasonably clear weather :-).
c.) During the starry night the same thing would work with either the moon or the stars.
Options for obtaining successive directions:
x.) The accelerometers can then be used to detect turning left/right etc.
y.) The camera span can give visual information about the degree of turning, combined with the accelerometer information
Or someone could make a Bluetooth or port compass. Or else... someone could just buy me a 3G S :-)
Robert
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