Firstly, the mtrip applications are packed with functionality, they are not simple augmented reality browsers but have a variety of useful features. Rather nifty is the itinerary feature which will plan your day by giving you nearby sights that you should see. The itinerary takes into account the length of your stay and breaks down the important sights into days and mornings / afternoons. Ideal if you are a real travel looking to explore the city. Even better, at the click of a button you can send a virtual postcard from the sights either by email or by posting to Facebook. I’m not really the postcard kind of guy but even I would use that feature.

Of course being a city guide you’ll expect the application to come with a list of attractions, shops, bars, restaurants and you wont be disappointed because they are all present, but a rather nice feature is the fact that they all have pictures and ratings so you’ll know if they are worth the effort. If you do decide to visit you can see the entry fee and the local train station so you’ll have no difficultly in finding it.

You can’t doubt the applications pedigree as a travel guide as it does everything you’ll need and more. But since this is a blog about augmented reality, let’s talk about the augmented reality functionality.

The augmented reality view does everything you’d expect but one huge positive is it just works. Press the AR button and your POIs are shown immediately, no messing around wondering what database to select. To give you an example, I got to Downing Street in London, apart from being the address where the British Prime Minister lives; it’s a tiny little street. I used mtrip to see what was around me and I was impressed that the application not only found it in a few seconds, but pin pointed it. I tried several other augmented reality browsers but I needed to select which databases I wanted to use, after 10 minutes I still had no luck.

One thing drove me crazy about the AR functionality however. The AR view is designed to work in landscape which is fine, but hold it the wrong way in landscape and all the POIs disappear, rotate it 180 degrees and they all come back. It took me 20 minutes to figure that out and when I did my finger was constantly over the camera. I’m sure it’s a relatively simple bug to address but it annoyed the hell out of me.

mtrip will set you back $5.99 (about £3.50), which when compared to a free augmented reality browser is a sizeable investment, however compare it to the cost of a guide book and it’s amazingly cheap . The question is, if I was travelling to a new city would I buy an mtrip guide? I think the answer is yes I would.

Even if you are not in the slightest bit interested in augmented reality there is enough functionality to the application to make it extremely useful, it’s a city guide that happens to have augmented reality functionality not the other way around. Coupled with the fact that the augmented reality functionality just works and the application doesn’t rely on network connectivity so you’ll save yourself expensive roaming charges it can only be a winner.

New mtrip city guides are being added so keep an eye on their website for the latest support.

mtrip augmented reality in action

Interesting video from David Elchoness, CEO/Co Founder of Tagwhat. In the video David talks about their augmented reality browser and:

• Why augmented reality is important
• Tagwhat as a location-based social experience
• How he used Tagwhat to plan a tip
• Future plans for the Tagwhat browser

Tagwhat is an interesting augmented reality browser able to hold it’s head up against the big boys. Interesting take away from the video is the content engine that will allow users to purchase 3D models that can be used in the browser.

3DTV is the dogs nuts, I almost reached out at one point to stroke a bear as it was that real.

While 3DTVs are currently too expensive and there isn’t a great deal of content, it doesn’t stop me dreaming. The model that has caught my eye is the Samsung 9000 series which comes with a remote control that has it’s own TV screen. Imaging being able to take the remote to make a cup of tea and still watch the football.

Check out the video and start saving

Multi Search Topics

There are demos a plenty of taking photos of book covers to retrieve reviews and online prices. If you are new to augmented reality then it’s actually not that new. SnapTell have both an iPhone and Android application that provides this functionality. Just take a picture of the cover of a DVD, CD, Book, or Video Game and the software uploads the image to the SnapTell server and runs image recognition to compare the picture against likely matches. Once a match is found you get the usual mix of online reviews and cheaper prices.

Recognising a barcode image I would assume is a lot less complex than recognising a book cover since there are less colours and shapes to contend with. Barcode shopping is another feature of Google Goggles and again there are various products available that provide the same functionality, ShopSavvy on the Android or RedLaser on the iPhone are just a few examples. I use RedLaser from time to time to see just how obscure the product range is. GoCat Tuna and Herring cat crunchies is the most obscure product I have managed to have recognised so far. To compete with Goggle’s logo recognition there’s GetFugu for the Android, iPhone and the Blackberry so again nothing new there. Goggles will search on wine bottle logos which as far I as know is unique as I don’t know any other application that does that today, but I’m sure it’s only a small leap from recognising a book cover to recognising a wine label.

You might think that I’m having a dig at Google but far from it, just becuase they are not first does not make the application any less cool. There are some really fantastic features in Google Goggles that make me drool. I’m no art buff but Goggles will enable me to become an art critic and give me relevant information about major pieces of art, all I need to do is sneak a crafty picture when the security guard isn’t looking and Goggles will tell me the name of the picture and the artist. Fantastic if you are walking around a museum but again it’s probably not a huge step in recognising the Mona Lisa or a paperback copy of C++ for dummies, ultimately it’s a blob of shapes and colours that are compared. Nether the less it is a fantastic use of image recognition.

My personal favourite and the piece de resistance of Google Goggles is a feature that must have the CEOs of the various augmented reality browser companies laying awake at night as Google are about to change the way location aware augmented reality browsers work.

The way augmented reality browsers work today is they use LBS to figure out your current location and the compass to see which way you are facing. With that information they can determine what points of interest you might be facing. Most of the time it works pretty well but I’m sure you know that GPS is not accurate, sometimes my tests have been accurate to 30 meters and sometimes it strays to up to a mile. If you are facing a landmark the visual indicator provided by the augmented reality browser may or may not be shown near by the object you are looking to locate. The second problem is there could be a building between you and the point of interest; the application has no way of actually knowing what is in front of you and what you are really looking at.

Google Goggles however uses image recognition on the landmark. If you are standing at Big Ben in London it sends a copy of the image to the database, performs an image match and then tells you precisely what you are looking at, not what might be around you and in that general direction. The accuracy is so good you can sit at home in California and look at your holiday snaps of Big Ben and it will still recognise the landmark. Fantastic when you get back from a trip and wonder just what all those photo’s are actually of.

Google’s strength is obviously search and the vast array of seemingly endless images that have that their disposal. Properly indexed there would seem to be no limit to what can recognise, particularly if they open up the API for developers to produce our own plug-ins. What breed of cat is that? Cat recognition plug-in tells me is a British Short hair and it’s favourite food is fish. That’s a nice car what is it? Car recognition plug-in tells me it’s an Aston Martin DB7, insurance group is a 31 and it has a top speed of 186mph, but I can’t afford it because my bank plug-in is warning me based on my current salary I would have to save for 30 years.

You can’t help think that terminator vision has just got a step closer. Some six or seven months ago we got our first augmented reality browser, now at the end of the year it seems like we are about to take a huge step forward in augmented reality with Google’s arrival. It will be interesting to see how the current crop of augmented reality browser providers respond to the Google play and what is up their sleeve for the future..

The video walk-through below well worth a look at some of the features of Google Goggles.

Excellent overview of Google Goggles.

Ingloble Technologies have released the first ever augmented reality greetings card service which is a dream come true to people like me. Now we can send a free greetings card that uses augmented reality and send a greetings card that will be remembered. It’s actually a really cool service and works really well, it’s bound to be sure fire hit this Christmas. Just visit www.arwishes.com to design your card, select the image and a music track, enter the recipients name and a message then hit send and you’re done.

Your recipient gets an email with clear instructions on how to view the card, eg print and hold in front of the webcam and they’ll love you forever.

If Christmas is not your thing they have cards for Birthdays and New Year.

AR Wishes Video

Multi Search Topics

Aside from landmarks, Google Goggles supports other searches, if you are in a museum and see a famous picture and want to know the artist, just take a picture and it will search Google for the picture and artist name. In your local supermarket and see a bottle of wine and wonder is it a good year? Just take a picture of the label and Google Goggles will tell you.

A good year?

It looks pretty exciting. Google Goggles has been released as a Google Labs product so it’s very much in a beta phase. iPhone owners don’t panic. Google plans on releasing a version for the Apple iPhone once the application is out of beta.

Google Goggles offical video

Until today, Symbian users have had very little to shout about, the only augmented reality browser I can think of has been ARound by Sequence Point Software. All other augmented reality browsers have been targeted towards the iPhone and Android, but the good news is if you are a Nokia 97 owner you can now download Wikitude from OVI.

Augment your world with the WIKITUDE World Browser, the acclaimed Android and iPhone application is now available on Symbian! See the world through your phone’s camera view overlaid with Wikipedia content, Qype reviews and user-generated content from Wikitude.me (www.wikitude.me). The WIKITUDE World Browser presents the user with data about their surroundings, nearby landmarks, and other points of interest by overlaying information on the phone’s screen.

Welcome abord Nokian’s, you can download from here:

2009 Readers Choice Awards
The readers choice awards ended on Friday and the lucky winner of the Chumby is Freek Bodemeijer. Freek check your inbox as you should have an email from me.

The next question is what are the top applications as voted by you in 2009? We’ll have an announcement about that shortly.

Layar 3.0 was released yesterday to the Android Marketplace. I don’t have a Google Android device so my blog is based on the information I have pieced together rather than a physical test. The good news however is Augmented Planet is expanding and we’ll soon be joined by a former colleague of mine, Nitin Samani who is going to be our Android correspondent.

The big change with 3.0 is the 3D engine. Developers can now build rich 3D content to make your augmented reality viewing even better. Lets’ imagine you are on holiday in London and you are a Beatles fan. If you already use an augmented reality browser, chances are there is a tourist attraction database where you’d be able to find out find where The Beatles played. As you walk around London you could use your augmented reality browser to find Beatles related POI’s and you’ll get useful information like directions and a link to a website where you can read more, or using Layar 3.0 you could take The Beatles Tour.

The Beatles Tour developed by a London based company and fellow augmented reality blogger is one of the most exciting launch layers available. Start the tour, and you are guided to the first location where you have a unique picture opportunity with Ringo, Paul, John and George on the famous zebra crossing in Abbey Road. As soon as you’re done, the tour guide directs you to the next location and photo opportunity. All in all the tour has 42 locations for you to visit.

Tours sound like a great way to engage users, thinking out loud you could create a tour and generate revenue by having restaurants sign up to be part of the tour. If you were taking The Jack The Ripper Tour, after 28 stops you could be directed to stop off for a bite to eat. How much would a restaurant pay to be included?

At the moment there are 6 layer’s available (list here) but there are lots more planned.  I’m looking forward to the iPhone version so I can run a proper test.

Layar v3.0 can now be downloaded free of charge from the Android Market and is available for all Android 1.5 and 1.6 devices. Layar will release a compatible version for the Droid as soon as possible. Layar have almost finished testing for Android 2.0, and good news for iPhone owners, a version for the iPhone 3GS is to follow as soon as Apples approves

If you have used any previous Presselite product to help you find tube (metro/subway etc) stations then you’ll find this application looks very similar as it shares the same augmented realty engine. Personally I am not a huge Twitter user, I just don’t seem to have the time to keep up so I tend to read more than take part, but I know it will appeal to many Twitter addicts.

Since I had a rant about privacy the other day I should refer you to this post. Augmented reality and geotagging is fantastic combination when you are at an event and want to see who is around you and what they are saying. But remember to turn off the feature when you don’t want to be found, unless of course you want everyone to know where you live.

Watch it in action

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=330158239&mt=8