Augmented Reality Apps
December 8th, 2009 | 
Author: Augmented reality is the overlaying of digital data on the real world. In a world where pretty soon that mobile device most of us use to make phone calls will also replace your laptop, your GPS, your radio and who-knows-what-else the concept of augmented reality is not as outlandish as it initially seems.
In a recent article, Mashable listed what the editors deemed “10 Amazing Augmented Reality iPhone Apps”. These were the ones that seemed the most practical for Baby Boomers like me:
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WorkSnug
This app identifies Wi-Fi hotspots and potential workplaces like coffee shops, bookstores, libraries,etc. and provides user reviews. Right now, it’s only available in London but versions for Manhattan, San Francisco, Berlin and Madrid are due to be released soon.
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AugMeasure
With this app, you can use your iPhone to gauge short distances up to a foot (30 centimeters) and, using the built-in camera, shows an overlay onto the live image on your phone’s screen which changes as you move the phone.
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Car Finder
And when was the last time you forgot where you parked? Once your car’s location is set, Car Finder creates a visible marker that shows the car, how far away from it you are and tells you in what direction to head.
Do you think you’d use these apps? What apps would you like to see developed which aren’t yet available?
You can check out the other apps that Mashable recommends at http://bit.ly/iPhone_app
Posted in baby boomers, Baby Booomers, Branding, Online Media, Quality of life, Social media | 
Tags: apps, AugMeasure, Car Finder, iPhone, WorkSnug
Buzz,
This is the very early stages of the ‘Beam Me Up Scotty” new reality.
But will the phone really replace the bigger screen that seems to be necessary to work on documents like manuscripts or excel data sheets?
Interesting. I too think the GPS as a separate device will be obsolete very soon (although the good news should be that some of the remaining devices will be dirt cheap for the next couple of years!) though I really don’t want my phone to have all that stuff attached to it. I seem to be one of the few that would prefer two separate devices- I little bitty phone (about the size of my thumb would be nice as long as I can read and access the numbers- barring that, a larger model that is as thin as a credit card and about the same dimensions) and something as handy as an iphone to use when I want access to all the other stuff (meaning travel days and times I do not have people around me). Our attention span has continued to shrink and people have not magically become better at multi tasking they have just become more accepting of people not paying attention to what is going on. Further, I am astounded by the desire for some folks to use their iphone as a (probably inexact and somewhat awkward to use) ruler or a way to find their car- jesus- if you can’t keep track of the damn thing how can you be qualified to drive? Don’t get me started! Oh, too late. Sorry.
The hotspot locator seems pretty nifty but the AR portion of it doesn’t seem to bring that much to the table…though I have not used it. Anyway- just one man’s view- and what do I know- I run a Harley store; we kinda like low tech!
I’m with you – I’ve been interested in this thing ever since I first heard about it, a couple of months ago…
Excellent blog, thanks for sharing all this lovely info