Augmented Reality Sekai Camera App For iPhone Released
Yet another Augmented Reality app has hit the App Store, but perhaps that ‘s not accurate “ Sekai Camera has been a big hit in Japan and is now available in the rest of the world, Canada included (Yes, Thomas!).
The premise is simple, but the potential is enormous. Your location is determined by the app, and as you look around, different blubs left by other users are shown. These can be sightseeing tips, restaurant recommendations, or anything else. If you have a 3GS (recommended for this app due to the built-in compass), the notes will change as you turn.
I am very bullish on the potential of this type of application “ I see it as an uber-localized Wikipedia of sorts “ and look forward to be able to get a local ‘s perspective (or that of a previous visitor) when the next I have the opportunity.
Sekai Camera is free and available in the App Store.
These apps have such huge potential and it doesn't surprise me at all that they are very successful in places like Japan where population density is through the roof. Unfortunately, in my experience so far, they are somewhat lacking in most places (a.k.a. anywhere other than a big city). Sure, I can spin around and see a few restaurants within 15 miles sometimes. But sadly, I think it will be quite awhile before some centralized databases are built up that work on many different devices which would make this 'technology' actually useful for those of us that don't live in NYC or Tokyo. Am I just trying to use these tools in the wrong way?