Hasta La Gadget!

Imagine if you could browse the web through your eye vision: A review of a restaurant when you stare at its sign, or the times that a bus will arrive while standing at a stop.

That’s the idea behind Layar, an augmented-reality browser available for Google Android smartphones. Layar allows a user to view their environment through their camera lens and see real-time Points of Interest (POIs) from the physical world, providing a mixed reality. In the Layar Reality Browser, you can discover and save specific POIs depending on what you are looking for.

Layar is a unique AR app because it allows third-party developers to contribute layers to their platform. Other AR apps pull their data from search engines, Wikipedia or review-based sites. As location-based features grow, such as Flickr and Twitter, allowing you to tag your location to your content, the ability to see how others are interacting around you in real-time is a compelling element in AR technology.

Layar provides an easy-to-use interface with four clear sections that list layers by name and description. For example, “i-Metro, locate the public transportation stations and stops around your area” allows you to judge its relevance without having to open it. You can sort the layers by popularity, search terms and favorites.

During my testing, I found many of the layers were well done and useful. However, the open platform of Layar has attracted some not-so-polished layers with kinks that need to be worked out, mostly involving usability. For example, BuildAR, a layer that allows you to create your own POIs, has a difficult account sign-up process: You need to type their domain into a separate browser, sign up, then return to BuildAR, and it’s not clear where you’re exactly putting your POI.

This small example could serve as a clue for Layar to implement a user-rating system to hold developers accountable and maintain a standard of experience. Personally, I wish I didn’t spend as much time as I did fiddling with BuildAR. The description made it sound interesting, and I initially thought I was doing something wrong; a rating system would have informed me that the problems were with the software.

In November, Layar will be further expanding their platform by incorporating a 3D grid into their layers. Developers will be able to build 3D objects and assign actions such as sounds or clicking on the object for a link.

Layar is a free application available in the Android Market.

See Also:

• At the Dawn of the Augmented Reality Industry
• If You’re Not Seeing Data, You’re Not Seeing
• Digital Contacts Will Keep an Eye on Your Vital Signs