10 iPhone Apps That Will Make You Feel Like You’re In The Future Through Augmented Reality
Ever since Apple added gyroscopes to the iPhone and iPad, augmented reality apps have no longer been the sluggish and cumbersome oafs they used to be.
Gyroscopes tell your iPhone which way you’re facing, and which way is up or down. Couple that with GPS and a built in compass, and suddenly your device has a good feel for where you are and which way you’re looking.
Using these tools, apps can create a virtual world right on top of the real one. You can see floating symbols of restaurants nearby, or floating pictures tagged to specific geo-locations. These apps tell you the direction to walk in, and how far away these places are.
For example, if you’re looking for a restaurant, you can hold up your phone in front of your face and the Yelp app will put restaurant names and logos on your screen based on which real direction they are in. Even if you move your phone, the restaurant logos will appear to remain stationary, just like when you move your head in real life.
Think of an augmented reality app as a lens through which you can see the world. One lens might be restaurants near you, and another might be pointing out how far away the fairway is on a golf course.
Wikitude points you to Wikipedia entries near you using geo-location
The developer calls Wikitude a “World Browser,” an app that helps you explore your surroundings and view information about landmarks near you.
Simply hold up your smartphone and small icons will appear that represent things like Wikipedia articles, geo-tagged twitter posts, ATMs, and more depending on how you customize it. Wikitude tends to work well in big cities with many POI’s (points of interest), but not as well in smaller cities and towns (even if they contain historic places).
Price: free from the App Store
AR: Augmented Car Finder will never let you lose track of your parked car again
Once you park your car, tap “Car Finder” to lock on to your GPS location.
When you need to find your car again, the app uses a combination of GPS, compass, and gyroscope to help you find your car again using the onscreen guides. The app even features two levels of GPS accuracy in case you’re trying to save battery or are in a rush.
Price: free from the App Store
Spyglass is a compass, gps, and rangefinder
Spyglass is a nerd’s dream, giving you an incredibly detailed heads-up-display over anything you’re seeing.
The app allows you to assign a “primary target,” constantly updating your proximity, and also enables you to track the Sun, Moon, and some star positions. Additionally, the app can be used as a rangefinder and also as an inclinometer. This app is probably only for real outdoors enthusiasts, but can be fun for just about anyone.
Price: $3.99 from the App Store
