Relevant augmented reality key to user experience

Developers of augmented reality (AR) applications for location-based services need to look beyond the presentation of data to create apps that are location-aware and have accurate maps for better user experience, said industry watcher.

AR may not be coming to all mobile phones so soon, but Marc Naddell, vice president of developer and partner program at digital map provider Navteq, believes AR in mobile is not just a fad.

"AR will provide the inevitable link between the world in which we live in and the digital world in which we seem to spend increasingly more time," he said.

For mobile app developers, AR can also provide an additional edge in the crowded mobile app store, Naddell said.

Restaurant review Web site Yelp in August last year joined in the foray with an application loaded with AR for location-based services for the Apple iPhone. The app overlays restaurant and bar information on the video the user is taking.

However, for developers of location-based services with AR, Naddell said they need to look beyond the viewfinder and create location-aware applications which also take advantage of other mapping features. For instance, AR apps can integrate point of interest (POI) databases that are "extremely accurate and updated" as well as geocoding functions.

"Even a novel, fun and user-friendly [augmented reality application] can quickly become obsolete and useless if it is not put in the right context, or [if] services [such as POI are not accurate or not updated]," he said.

Despite his enthusiasm for AR, Naddell cautioned developers to use AR for the right situations, and not just because it is a cool new technology.

For example, in driving conditions such as in the dark, traditional maps displayed on the screen are far more advantageous than AR technology, which overlays information or driving instructions on top of the video of the dark road, he said.

He noted that in Wikitude Drive, an AR-enhanced navigation application which won the grand prize for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region in Navteq's Global LBS Challenge 2010, users are able to tap the mobile phone screen to switch between AR view and traditional 3D map view. Voice commands are also provided as additional navigational directions, he added.

The annual Global LBS Challenge is part of Navteq's efforts to stimulate developer adoption of new technology and applications innovation.

Rise of AR in mobile
In an e-mail interview, Bhavya Khanna, wireless research associate at ABI research, noted that more players, including major mobile phone manufacturers, are now jumping on the augmented reality bandwagon.

For example, Nokia is trialing and offering Point and Find as a Beta download, while Internet giant Google has also invested in AR through its Google Goggles project, she said.

Khanna also predicted that there will be more AR applications coming later in the year.

The biggest reason? The Apple iPhone 4, which was launched in the United States in June 2010.

Khanna explained that aside from the compass sensor, which can be found in other GPS-capable smartphones, the iPhone 4 includes a gyroscope sensor that enables the phone to find out whether it is pointing up, down or pitching in an axis.

With the gyroscope sensor, AR applications will become more sophisticated, and combined with the phone's popularity, she noted that more developers will take advantage of AR.