The latest and greatest trend to emerge from technology and web circles is the stuff of science fiction films. Augmented Reality is a software mashup of reality and a virtual world which combines directory data, maps, your in-built mobile camera, 3D and GPS info to produce tailored information or experiences based on where you stand.

Layar, which is the first major application to be released which uses this functionality (as AR is really a clever combination of existing data and media) was launched this month for smartphones like the iPhone and Google Android. Start up Layar on your phone and it sets your location. You can then use it to search for the nearest bars, restaurants, public transport, Daft.ie listings, Google Maps, hotels and even the nearest people on Twitter (if they’ve set their location).

The results are overlayed over the phone’s camera output depending on where you point it. It works wonderfully and is an incredibly useful tool. If it becomes popular though, watch out for the increase of street phone theft due to people standing around static with their arms outstretched offering their phone to the world.

AR has already seen some genuinely innovative uses in entertainment too. Games are probably the first medium to pick up on AR with examples like Eyepet on the PS3 giving young gamers the opportunity to interact with a pet using a camera and their TV.

The technology is been innovatively used to promote the upcoming TV series The Vampire Diaries in the US. Passers-by a large screen on a busy city street see their image and in a play on the accepted myth that vampires don’t have reflections, they’ll see themselves disappear while other people remain in the background.
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