Will Layar turn your phone into a points-of-interest scanner?
July 8, 2009
Okay, this video just shows Dutch start-up Layar using GPS data to display locally relevant results - something any standard GPS software already does (I can do similar stuff with Nokia Maps on my N95, for instance).
But it's doing it with a very appealing interface, isn't it?
It's currently available in the Netherlands for phones using the Android operating system, originally developed by Google.
Imagine it will be more resource-hungry than alternatives that don't use the camera or have zippy visuals, so battery life may be an issue.
Wonder too how much stress testing they've been able to do - is it going to slow down when faced with the density of bars, restaurants etc in big city centres?
Thanks to Donald Strachan (@hackneye) on Twitter for the catch - check out his piece on travel apps for the Telegraph.
Nathan Midgley
Comments (2)
Wikitude pioneered the original AR Browser and is available world-wide! www.mobilizy.com
Posted by Mark A.M. Kramer | July 8, 2009 10:06 PM
Posted on July 8, 2009 22:06
The concern I have with this app - and it does look pretty spectacular - is that the only results it provides are sponsored, which means huge gaps in the breadth and depth of the information available.
What would work better is the ability to flick between or combine augmentation with the likes of Wikitravel (there was an app previewed with this function earlier in the year, not sure whether it went to market) and sponsored listings.
While I can't abide the dozens of apps that cheaply scrape Wikitravel info and pass it off as their own, here the interface provides the information in a relevant and useful context that is a real point of difference.
If the app only provides sponsored locations (and that's what I'm taking away from the video and the blurb) then it's not going to be all that useful - to locals or to tourists.
Posted by Paul Smith | July 9, 2009 10:41 AM
Posted on July 9, 2009 10:41