While the tech blogosphere goes iPhone 3.0 crazy today, here’s a reminder that there’s a lot to be excited about elsewhere in the mobile world too.
Layar is a new ‘Augmented Reality Browser’ for Android phones. Forget everything you’re used to about searching the internet, Layar throws that all away. By holding your phone in front of you and looking through its camera lens you can actually see the world ‘through the eyes of the internet’.
Imagine you want to know which houses in your area are for sale – just hold up your phone and Layar will point out which ones around you are on the market and how much they are. Phoning the estate agent is just a touch of the screen away.
Created by Dutch firm Sprxmobile, Layar offers a range of different ‘layers’ of information that can be displayed. This could be really useful for all sorts of applications from tourist guides to browsing shop stock without having to bother going inside.
Layar is due to launch today in the Netherlands on the Android App Store. Releases in other countries, including the UK, USA and Germany are planned for later in the year. Sprxmobile will be working with commercial partners in each country to ensure plenty of local data is available on launch.
This video shows just how exciting Augmented Reality in mobile devices can be.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b64_16K2e08
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