Social review service Yelp has snuck the first Augmented Reality (AR) iPhone app specifically for the US into the iTunes App Store, reports ReadWriteWeb. It uses the phone’s GPS and compass to display markers for restaurants, bars and other nearby businesses on top of the camera’s view.
One hour later, ReadWriteWeb reports: The Wall Has Fallen: 3 Augmented Reality Apps Now Live in iPhone App Store.
Presselite, the same company made Paris Metro Subway, now has a London Bus app, updated to include AR overlays and is also live in the App Store.
The Subway application can find nearby points of interest, wi-fi zones and cafes on a Google Map. Each subway station is represented by a red pin, a popup shows you the distance of localisation for each station, and it is updated live via GPS as you walk.
ReadWriteWeb says it has been widely reported that the API required to display Augmented Reality (AR) layers would not be publicly exposed until the launch of the next version of the iPhone Operating System, expected this Fall. Some, apparently, have found a way around the restriction.
Wikitude, Layar and an unlaunched iPhone browser from AcrossAir are also launching AR. Wikitude’s Wikitude.me markup language runs on Android handsets. It provides an open, free mobile information platform to provide location based information or services via mobile phones.
WeoGeo uses maps to help you find spatial data. The WeoGeo Library Appliance, which manages survey, engineering, architectural and other mapping files for large companies, acts like an iTunes Store for digital maps.
Related Location services articles on Dailywireless include; Web2go Localizes Media, Ocean Observatories: The Ultimate Splash Page, Google Crowdsources Live Traffic on Maps, Rental Bikes: Free with Location-based Apps?, Tom Tom: $99 iPhone Navigation App, Location-based Apps from Navigon and Skyhook, Loopt on Sprint Instinct, and Navigation: There’s an App for That.
