mTrip AR Travel Guides Now For Android

Posted by augmentedplanet under General

I know many of you are Android users and you feel neglected when I mention the iPhone all the time. So with great pleasure I can tell you that the mTrip augmented reality travel guides are now available for Android devices.

mTrip is an augmented reality browser specifically developed with tourism in mind. It is without doubt the most compressive travel guide out there and regardless of your views on augmented reality, an essential application for the traveller.

Not only does mTrip enable you to navigate and find useful things in a city, the application downloads all the POIs to your phone and thereby eliminates all the roaming fees associated with travelling.

Like with the iPhone (sorry) the application sports an augmented reality view that enables you to see POIs in the camera window. Perfect for trying to identify those famous landmarks.

Features include:

• Automated Trip Planning -- Create your personalized travel itinerary with mTrip’s exclusive technology.
• Navigation & Augmented Reality -- Get directions and view the city through augmented reality
• Get expert content with ratings updated daily on your Android, iPhone or iPod Touch
• Trip Sharing -- Share postcards with family and friends on Facebook & email

mTrip in action

mTrip is available for the following cities

Europe

• Amsterdam
• Barcelona
• Berlin
• Dublin
• Istanbul
• London
• Madrid
• Moscow
• Munich
• Paris
• Rome
• Venice
• Vienna

North America

• Chicago
• Los Angeles
• New York
• San Francisco
• Washington DC

Asia

• Beijing
• Shanghai
• Singapore
• Tokyo

The New Yell AR Browser

Posted by augmentedplanet under iphone

Yell is one of the most popular yellow page business directories in the UK. The iPhone application enables users to find everything from restaurants to pubs to florists and everything in between.

A year ago we reviewed the application fully when Yell first added augmented reality functionality to the client. If you have used an augmented reality browser before you’ll know sometimes that it can be difficult to select POIs when they are hidden behind each other. Yell solved this problem with one of my favourite features, a rather nifty targeting recital that gave a visual indication on what you were looking at.

The new version of Yell bears no resemblance to its predecessor and has been completely revamped. One of the big differences you’ll notice with the augmented reality view in the new version is the addition of an onscreen map. This rather handy feature saves switching between the AR view and the map view to get your bearings. AR is great for figuring out what is around you and the general direction but it’s not useful for navigating and homing in on the target.

While the map is a welcome addition and very useful, it does feel like it was developed independently. For example, the POIs shown on the map are identified by numbers but the POIs shown in the AR window are identified by name only. Additionally the map is not zoomable so while the map can show 3 POIs the AR window may have 20 or more. But what I would really like to see is the map orientate itself with the direction you are facing so you can use the map to navigate to the target and see the POIs in relation to the map. It will be interesting to see if the map gets perfected and if others copy the map idea.

The rest of the application has be updated significantly to give excellent integration with the phones functionality, for example you can call the business directly with one click or even share the details via SMS/Facebook/Twitter with friends. Useful if you are trying to tell a group of people where to meet.

If you haven’t taken a look at Yell for a while or if you are looking for a local search application then Yell has had a serious revamp and is well worth a look.

Get Yell

Augmented Realty On Symbian – Wikitude Arrives

Posted by augmentedplanet under General

It’s funny sometimes how life works out. Only a few days ago a reader (Primaklima) posted a comment asking for more news on augmented reality applications for Symbian devices. My mission this morning was to have a dig around and see just what was available. I sat down with a coffee, turned on my pc, opened my browse and 2 seconds later my phone rings to alert me to the fact that Mobilizy have just released Wikitude for the Nokia N97.

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 Now In 3D

Posted by augmentedplanet under General

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