Cool Augmented Traffic Views application from Canada

Check out this Augmented Reality Application running on a HTC Magic.

Originating from Canada, this application allows you to see additional layers of information about traffic conditions ahead.

It also supports an automated predictive tracking mode - see traffic cameras in the direction you are heading well in advance, and real-time traffic maps and automated proximity Alerts (speed traps, red light cameras from your favourite POI source including PhantomAlert).

Apparently you can also add your own custom POIs (point of interest) onto the overlay.


Cool huh?

Layar augmented reality app now available globally

Following a Netherlands-exclusive release back in June, SPRXmobile has now taken its so-called Layar "Reality Browser" for Android to the global stage and advanced it to version 2.0 in the process.

Perhaps the first commercial augmented reality app to launch on a large scale, Layar's got a good amount of momentum behind it -- the company claims that 100 developers are already hard at work developing reality layers that users can toggle, and an additional 500 developers are being added into the mix with the latest release.

Version 2.0 adds favorite layers (because we're sure you'll be stalking friends and foes all too often using the Tweetmondo layer), map and list views, and enhanced search capabilities, but the real secret to Layar's power might ultimately lie in the third-party ecosystem if they can get enough content providers on board.

We grabbed Layar off the Market and took it for a quick spin; we're having trouble getting it to aim correctly, though Google Sky Map is having the same issues, so we're fairly certain that we're dealing with a phone or location problem rather than a Layar one. The key thing with an app like this is going to be speed and fluidity, and even on the Magic's relatively lightweight 528MHz core, it's plenty usable.

Layar for Android: Augmented Reality is Here.

Once again, we get proof of the awesomeness of Android. SPRXmobile, a Netherlands based mobile innovation company, has just released an application that gives us a glimpse of what the future will hold. This new app is called Layar, and it represents the very first word in augmented reality technology.

What is AR you ask? In short, it involves superimposing the digital world over the real one in order to bring you more information about your surroundings. The way the app works is somewhat difficult to explain but this video here does an elegant job of showing it.

Basically, watching the world through Layar is like seeing in Google Maps. The website describes it as, “displaying real time digital information on top of reality though the camera of the mobile phone”.

Say you're looking for an apartment with a vacancy. Just search for open apartments in your area. Layar will populate a live map with the search results you asked for. As you walk or drive, nearby buildings that meet the criteria will be highlighted. Selecting the building will bring up any rental information available online, including the Realtor phone number.

If you like the cut of Layar's jib, it'll be available on July 1 2009 for the HTC G1, Magic, and every other Android phone. It's a free download, so you've got no reason not to try it. This is the future of digital living, friends.

Enkin - Navigation reinvented



Enkin from Enkin on Vimeo.

"Enkin" introduces a new handheld navigation concept. It displays location-based content in a unique way that bridges the gap between reality and classic map-like representations. It combines GPS, orientation sensors, 3D graphics, live video, several web services and a novel user interface into an intuitive and light navigation system for mobile devices.

visit www.enkin.net