Android App Review: Add Another Layar to Your Reality
Layar snuggled into the apps section of my G1 phone with not a hint as to what it could do. A whirl around the 'Net told me that it was an "augmented reality" browser that would show me what I couldn't see—houses for sale, nightclubs, ATMs, restaurants, special events, even something called "the voodoo experience." That sounded so exciting I couldn't wait to begin.
Then i turned it on and felt like I was playing Blindman's Bluff. I was looking through the cell phone camera, and mysterious little glyphs popped on the screen. Nothing else was happening. After punching a few buttons to no effect, I decided on more tutelage. Stumbling on www.layar.com, I found that each "layer" was looking for something different. Hold the phone up to a street scene and blue blobs will float in the sky indicating points of interest.
Some layers were chock-full of information, such as the one containing info on restaurants, nightclubs, coffeehouses, pizza joints and the like. But one layer away under "Local" I got absolutely nothing.
A little click wheel helped refine the distance--my neighborhood all the way downtown. I discovered plenty of parks under the recreation finder, but not one tennis court. In my neighborhood, no houses were for sale, which was odd. At night, it said that downtown Chicago had nothing going on, which would be a surprise to even the city's sharpest critics.
The app is only as good as its database. This one needs a lot more information. Would I buy it? Maybe in six months when developers add a truckload of raw input.
Here is a Quick Response code for those you want to download Layar, a free app. You can also find it in the Android Market.
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