Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review
Bionic Eye: Clever idea, flawed execution
Bionic Eye [iTunes link] is an augmented reality app for the iPhone that displays businesses around you superimposed over a live camera picture.It sorta works, but doesn't solve any problem I have. It's cool to rotate around and see a Burger King logo or a Hilton Hotel logo pop up when the actual locations are nearby. The problem is, I can get that kind of information from Google Maps and hundreds of other free or paid apps that can give me the same info, although not in such a sexy way.
Even worse, the app is very, very slow. It takes Bionic Eye anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute to fully launch. If I go to the settings menu to change something, it takes another minute to absorb that change and bring me to a usable screen.
If you turn your iPhone horizontally, you can see all the nearby locations in a list, and when you select one a blue arrow points you to the actual location. Whee!
I had a couple of lockups when I went to the setting screen to make a change, which only added to my frustration. The points of interest you are searching for are limited to about a 2 mile range, so it will only guide you to places that are really close. Usually I could look up and see the destination, so I really didn't need the app in the first place. It has a limited list of locations, and they're all brand names, so if you are looking for a restaurant that is not a franchise or a hotel that is not part of a chain, it's tough luck for you.
For an additional fee, you can get guidance to subway stations in New York, Washington and Chicago. There are also versions of the app for the U.K., France and Tokyo.
Bionic Eye is only US$0.99, but it doesn't answer the first question you should ask of any app -- does it solve any real world problems I have. An app should be a novel solution to a problem or great entertainment. Bionic Eye is neither, but it has potential if it can be given a larger database, much faster load times, and crash a lot less frequently. To be fully functional, Bionic Eye requires an iPhone 3GS.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dylan said 7:24PM on 9-25-2009
I wonder if it uses http://www.iphonear.org/
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The Chickening said 8:12PM on 9-25-2009
Yelp does this with what they call "Monocle" -- built into their free app. It's a cool novelty, but it's not the easiest to read.
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Ken Sykora said 10:00PM on 9-25-2009
You just summed up all augmented reality apps in a nutshell.
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Justin Guest said 1:08AM on 9-26-2009
I just don't get the point of augmented reality apps... Alright, it's a neat idea, but I don't understand who is ever going to use this? It's not practical! If I want to get somewhere I need specific directions, not a general direction in which to go. So in the end, if I want to go to Subway, I'll just pull up google maps or tom tom.
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robogobo said 1:36AM on 9-26-2009
On the other hand, are you going to go write a negative review for every app that doesn't solve a problem for you?
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Justin said 1:59AM on 9-26-2009
One use of augmented reality that I would like to see that might actually be useful would be geocaching; I think it might be able to squeeze some practicality out of an AR mode.
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PixPol said 3:57AM on 9-26-2009
This is a fascinating article, one we covered earlier in the week and took a more optimistic, if somewhat cautious, opinion on. Make no mistake, in time these augmented reality devices will be another normal part of the technology device market, and it's going to make for smarter consumers.
MB
www.PixelsandPolicy.com
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Alan said 7:19AM on 9-26-2009
Here is an augmented reality app that is godsend to an whole entire business sector: the satellite industry, including professional and diy installers as well as all uplink broadcasters.
DishPointer AR Pro
Here is a video how it works http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AFtcgYRcu4
and more info on dishpointer.com
It solves a real world problem, makes installations a lot faster (think of broadcasters, how important that is) and a lot easier - anyone who ever tried to point a dish at a tiny satllite 30,000 miles away knows what I'm talking about.
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Jon Kessler said 12:59PM on 9-26-2009
Bionic eye may suck now, but as someone with substantial visual impairment, I look forward to the future. This has been an apple strength for a while (compare how screen enlargement and text to speech is implemented in OS X versus Windows). It's a big reason I switched from PC.
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Bernard Ramsey said 9:11PM on 9-26-2009
"Execution" sounds so medieval. Why not "out of focus?" Otherwise, I agree completely.. it's s l o w
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capoevents said 11:58AM on 10-10-2009
I think it will develop, right now it's POI are mainstream, but we are just on the edge of things to come. Check out my entertaining review.
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