Augmented
reality is the next-big thing in mobile entertainment. Although it
sounds like something out of a William Gibson novel, the premise of
augmented reality is fairly simple: it overlays virtual information on
to real world places.
Still confused? Well, you see a version of this every time you watch
the football – those team badges on the pitch aren’t really there and
this is just what apps like Layar do.
Layar is the best augmented reality app by a country mile. It makes
use of your phone’s camera to display real-time digital information on
to wherever you may be. If you want to know more about a café you are
standing beside, then load up Layar and point your phone at the café –
it’s that simple.
In the main, you’ll get information like phone numbers, but there may even be a menu and user-generated reviews.
Although Layar is just a web browser, the way it displays information in the world around you is impressive.
There are a whole bunch of categories to choose from and you can even
layer/Layar an alien spacecraft over your skyline. Pointless but
awesome nonetheless!
