You’re augmenting my what!? Or, map-less navigation
Augmented Reality is kind of a buzz phrase these days and now it’s working it’s way into real-time navigation.
The guys over at androidguys.comhave uncovered an interesting new Wiki project, Wikitude Drive. Hopefully, popping up soon on the market, the app takes turn-by-turn navigation and pairs it with an Augmented Reality interface and loses the maps.
Check the video for a preview:
According to W.Drive’s website, “the first fully functional mobile AR navigation system available for the Android platform. Wikitude Drive was developed by the Mobilizy Research & Development group in Salzburg, Austria, to satisfy the curiosity of the developers to see if it was feasible to combine real-time navigation with mobile augmented reality. The result of this quest is Wikitude Drive, a fully-functional, light weight navigational system which overlays point-to-point directions on a camera-view, without the need for maps.”
In other words, the App uses the camera and viewscreen to create a Heads-up Display over which it lays directions for point-to-point, turn-by-turn navigation. Within the app itself you won’t be referencing any maps, just directions overlayed on the real world, in real-time.
The app will feature:
(a mobile internet connection is necessary to access data while in motion)
Social navigational features will be implemented in future releases
Twidroid PRO hits the market
Anyone who is anyone these days has an account on Twitter.
And if you’re one of those “anyones” and your running an Android platform you are probably using, or have used, Twidroid, the long leading “king” of Android Twitter clients. Well, if you’re a fan you of Twidroid your day just got a little brighter. Twidroid PRO has finallybeen released, as well as an update to the standard, i.e. free, client. Both versions now stand at v2.5.2 and according to the Twidroid website, “the version numbers for both products will constantly remain synced.”
The big question here, however, is why pay almost $5 for what you used to get for free?
Well, Twidroid PRO allows, among other things, support for multipleTwitter accounts. The implementation of the multiple accounts is rather elegant as well. Once your accounts are set up, anytime you add a Tweet the app prompts you to choose which account you want the Tweet to fall under. That’s it. It really is that simple. In terms of viewing time lines, when you touch the time line to scroll through the tweets, two arrows pop up on either side allowing you to switch between the specific account time lines, or see an “all” view.
There are a lot of smaller upgrades included in the PRO version such as a Widget, native bit.ly support, video posting, list of followers and friends and color themes (i.e. skins for the client).
The sped of the client seems to have been improved although it, in my opinion, is still on the slow side especially compared to an app like Twitteride.
T-Mobile Pulse
The formerly mysterious Huwaei 8220 Android phone has been outed as the T-Mobile Pulse. Packing some nice features, most notably the largest Android screen yet at 3.5″, the Pulse is headed to the Netherlands in October.
Androidguys.com is reporting that the phone will run about $350 unlocked. If that’s true, the Pulse may be the first Android phone worth importing to the U.S. for T-Mobile folks as it should be able to run on the carrier’s 3G network.
A "rendered" T-Mobile branded Pulse
Sherpa’s first major partnership announced
As Rahul Sonnad told me for my earlier piece on Sherpa, Geodelic, Inc. has a number of partnerships lined up for announcement over these first few months after the roll out of the App. these announcements are for partnerships to increase the usefulness of their Sherpa app. Ultimately the goal is to allow users to receive localised and customized experiences based on their current location.
With that in mind, Geodelic, Inc. announced yesterday that they have partnered with Skyhook Wireless to increase the accuracy of Sherpa’s location reporting.
“Skyhook offers a major enhancement to the application’s location awareness,” said Rahul Sonnad, CEO and founder at Geodelic. “This allows Geodelic to more accurately target content for a user, whether they are in a mallor walking down the street. We developed Sherpa to give users a customized experience based on their location and interests. Skyhook provides the location performance that our application demands.”
Augmented reality browser hits Android Market
For those of you familiar with “Spook Country” by William Gibson this should freak you out just a little.
Layar 2.0 popped up in the Android market here in the U.S. over the last few days.
For those not familiar with Layar, or ”Augmented Reality” in general, the program/browser allows a user to scan the local area with the onboard camera/viewfinder (think the phone’s screen) and as tagged areas, properties, points of interests, etc. come into view the program pops up information tags over the real-time, real-world view.
Check the vid:
The program currently has “87 layers that are now live (or almost) all over the world in the Layar 2.0 Content Catalog,” according to Layar.eu.
From Layar.eu: Layar is a free application on your mobile phone which shows what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality through the camera of your mobile phone.
Layar is a global application, available for the T-Mobile G1, HTC Magic and other Android phones in all Android Markets. It also comes pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy in the Netherlands.
How do you use Layar?
By holding the phone in front of you like a camera, information is displayed on top of the camera display view.For all points of interest which are displayed on the screen, information is shown at the bottom of the screen.
What do you see in the screen?
On top of the camera image (displaying reality) Layar adds content layers. Layers are the equivalent of webpages in normal browsers. Just like there are thousands of websites there will be thousands of layers. One can easily switch between layers by selecting another via the menu button, pressing the logobar or by swiping your finger across the screen.Added features of Layar Reality Browser 2.0:
Layar has some cool features which include:
- Unique layer specific icons/markers
- Featured and Popular section
- Search function
- Add layer to favorites
- Map view and list view
- Enhanced AR view
- Accuracy information
- “Take me There” function
Who is the team behind Layar?
Layar is run by Raimo van der Klein, Claire Boonstra & Maarten Lens-FitzGerald.
Samsung InstinctQ, pics
Phandroid.com has some pics of the new Samsung InstinctQ.
As you can see it’s branded in Sprint colors. If you like physical keyboards then you’ll love this one. Now, anyone know when it’s hitting shelves?
HTC Hero passes FCC, again, Sprint getting Android?
The guys at engadget.com are reporting that the HTC Hero has passed FCC testing with CDMA. CDMA is what Sprint uses for it’s voice/data architecture thus lending more weight to the rumors that the HTC Hero with it’s Android/Sense UI combo is coming to Sprint.
More Android for T-MO?
Tmonews.com, by way of androidguys.com, is reporting that T-Mobile may be getting the slick, and thus far mysterious Huwaei 8220 Android phone.
The specs, as rumored, aren’t much different than the myTouch or Morrison but more Android is always better.
On that note T-Mobile has an opportunity to become “the” Android carrier. Let’s hope the take advantage or their head start.
New market for Android devices running large screens
Or so says Androidguys.com.
According to them, ARCHOS – you know the company that makes all those slick Portable Media Player (PMP) devices – has teamed up with Google to create a parallel market specifically for devices running 5-inch or lager screens. The new market can be found at AppsLib.
Currently the site is only accepting registrations from developers who whish to submit their applications to the market. Androidguys.com points out the registration deadline is Sept 15, 2009, coinciding with the rumored announcement of ARCHOS’ own Android device.
Having looked through the site, however, I’m not entirely convinced it’s a site sponsored by a major corporation like ARCHOS and Google. For one, its grammar is attrocious and the spelling is not much better. The overall site seems unpolished and when you click on the “Manufacturers” tab you get and “under construction” image. These are things that major corporations spend lots of money to avoid and just don’t do. Back in 1995? Sure. 2009? Not so much.
If I had to guess it looks like a site by a startup who wants to get a market in place for future devices; an independent, third-party who may or may not be a developer and who may or may not be in it to get a head start on more advanced Android devices.
In fact, the very issue of how the Android Market will handle different device hardware specs is a debate starting to come to light right now. Google has no official word on it as of yet and this site just doesn’t strike me as they way in which Google, or a company like ARCHOS, would handle it.
But that’s just me.
Take a look for yourself and if nothing else it’s an interesting peek into the possible future of Android.
Slick looking FPS for Android
Androidandme.com is reporting that a slick First Person Shooter, named Project Chronos, is nearing at some stage of completion for Android. The vid shows it running on a G1, no less. The game looks to be the first, real attempt at Opel GL ES on the Android platform.
I’ll keep an eye on this one and keep you updated as appropriate.
R. John Klimut
