Augmentify

Mobilizy is well known for Wikitude, and SPRXMobile for Layar. Both products are Augmented Reality Browsers, and are demo’d below.

As the name implies, an AR Browser is an application to browse content – in this case geographically relevant information presented on top of the phone’s video input. As the “browser” moniker implies, we’re possibly witnessing the beginning of a war similar to the desktop brower wars.

Up until now, Layar users only had access to six layers of information. Data such as local search (where do I find coffee?), realty from Funda, data from a health insurer (strangely) and similar. All of it Netherlands specific – clearly very limited. Wikitude was similarly limited to Wikipedia information and a few other sources. These layers were really there to prove the case. The real data that will make this technology useful has to come from the internet at large in order to be useful. This means both tapping into existing geo databases, getting users themselves to contribute information, and spreading the technology far and wide so that an ecosystem springs up, encouraging more data.

Both players are making steps in these directions. Wikitude.me (powered by Mobeedo) allows the community to add content directly to the layers the Wikitude delivers. This information is captured in the spirit of Wikipedia and has a similar Creative Commons license. This crowdsourcing could bring a bunch of useful data online over time. Both Layar and Wikitude now have an API, although neither are completely open yet. This means developers can embed the browsers into their own apps, driving innovation in the space. The APIs als mean that third parties can create, contribute, or host their own AR layers, compatible with these browsers. The addition of existing geo data into the mix will naturally come over time – either by being directly hosted by Wikitude or Layar, or by the browsers becoming capable of browsing layers sourced from anywhere.

This last option is the most exciting. We need an open interchange of AR data layers not connected to any single vendor, however open. Like the desktop browser war, once these apps mature, the fight will be fought on features. Being able to navigate to rich layers located anywhere on the web is likely to be an important feature.

Both products are currently available on Android, with iPhone (on the 3GS) coming soon. The (im)maturity of this market means the race between these two products is important. The one which becomes synonymous with AR in the minds of the public will thrive. Either way is great for the consumer though – wars drive innovation.

Layar

Wikitude