Think useful augmented reality is still a good few years away? Think again. Layar just announced availability of its augmented reality browser for Android handsets, which will use your phone's GPS, camera and compass to identify your surroundings and slap an informational layer over the screen, all in real time.
The app, which should work with the T-Mobile G1, HTC Magic and other future Android devices with the aforementioned hardware, will use information derived from those components to add layers onto your display. Only available for the Netherlands at the moment, the demo shows layers that provide real estate information about homes and buildings in the frame of the camera, with direct links to realtors and agents in case you find anything you want to inquire about.
What's cool is if Layar's system of identifying points of interest around your location really works in real-time, it can pave the way to a ridiculous number of potential layers, which will change the way we use our phones yet again. Imagine visiting a country, for instance, with your smart phone serving as a virtual tour guide, able to give you information about every landmark you visit, right while it's in your camera's shot. Even better, imagine getting lost in the woods and receiving visual information about how to get back.
According to Layar, they're planning to make the app available for all smart phones that's packing all the three necessary hardware components, which means a version for the iPhone 3G S (with its onboard magnetometer) isn't too far away. Seriously, this is the next bandwagon everyone's going to be jumping on and I can't wait what creative layers people come up with.
Photo Credit: Layar
[...] user base, the Android is becoming the de facto platform for developers interested in building augmented reality apps. Of course, that may all change soon with the iPhone 3G S sporting its own magnetometer but [...]