Phonegasm?

[andygates]

Here's an interesting snippet from the launch of the T-Mobile G1 Android phone:

"there was ... one ooh-and-ah moment, when the live Google Maps augmented reality mode that overlays StreetView imagry and data on the real world. It was shown briefly in a video,"

 

Did you get that?  Augmented reality.  It's the king-daddy-killer-app of mashups, Elvis on meth with chrome tits:

• First you've got GPS so you know where the device is.
• Then you have accelerometers, Wii and iPhone style, so now you know where the device is pointing.
• Next, a fat data connection so you can get a rich GIS source like Google Maps StreetView.
• Now get the image from the device's camera.

Since you know where it's pointing and what it can (theoretically) see, you can now hold the device up to the world like a magic lens to see extra stuff.  There's a laptop app - using accelerometers in a dongle - that does this with star maps already.

Yeah, that's an ooh-ah from me alright.  It almost takes my mind off how sore I am today...

Comments

[esran.livejournal.com]

Spook Country, and also Virtual Light by Gibson.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

And more. I want to storm-chase with the radar loops superimposed on the sky.

[jarkman.livejournal.com]

Don't you need a compass to know which way it's pointing ? Accelerometers only get you attitude.

Mind you, I'm right with you on the magic-lens bit. I've been waiting for that for ages.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

You're right - I remembered that after I posted. A digital compass is a pretty trivial bit of kit to add, though I don't know if this thing has one. They're in plenty of phones.

Next: get one all gussied up like a Disney magic mirror or a steampunk phenomenoscope.