Video: Nearest Tube iPhone app augments reality with directions

Augmented reality applications to this point could be best categorized as tantalizing to the mind, but otherwise pointless. Thankfully, it seems as if that's no longer the case. AcrossAir, a nascent app builder for the iPhone, has conjured up a slickly executed digital guidance application that augments video with real-time distance and directions to the nearest subway station. With the iPhone 3GS pimping an improved camera, inbuilt compass and GPS, we had a hunch that it wouldn't be long before someone slammed them all together and gave commuters and tourists alike a reason to smile. Presently only capable of serving up directions in London, this app should find plenty of user interest that will hopefully drive its development for other metropolises around the world. Click through to check it out for yourself, and expect to see it ready for download as soon as someone (or something) at Cupertino decides to start approving live video programs. Any day now, Apple...

[Via Tokyo-Genki]

[ChillyCat @ Jul 7th 2009 8:09AM]

*yawn*

[Rog @ Jul 7th 2009 8:10AM]

u got to be kidding

[adrian @ Jul 7th 2009 8:12AM]

You could get knocked down and killed using this app.

[10minutehobo @ Jul 7th 2009 10:08AM]

We need more Darwin awards.
There're going to be an lot of heroes!

[grull27 @ Jul 7th 2009 8:18AM]

Everyone watches that video and thinks the app is all calm and peaceful because they didn't see the end where the guy from the dirty streets of NY runs by and steals the iPhone 3Gs.

[grull27 @ Jul 7th 2009 8:36AM]

fuck calm and peaceful. I had my volume all teh way down so I thought it was all quiet. I turned on the volume and that lady's voice made me want to die!

[BuddyBoy @ Jul 7th 2009 9:10AM]

What I wanna know is, what the "guy from the dirty streets of NY" is doing stealing phones in London. He could just steal them in NY.

[Lito @ Jul 7th 2009 10:19AM]

It's because he's on holiday, but not really. Durrrrrrr.

[Sirius @ Jul 7th 2009 8:19AM]

Ma'm.. step away from the microphone. You're going to kill it. Or my speakers =.=

But this seems more clean/useful than the other augmented reality map-app that was on a few weeks ago. That seemed too busy.

[Maff @ Jul 7th 2009 8:20AM]

iPhone still playing catch up with Android I see?

[ill trooper @ Jul 7th 2009 12:08PM]

Sure, tell yourself whatever lets you sleep at night.

[bob @ Jul 7th 2009 12:08PM]

erm... ah no i just cant be bothered, it would be lost on you.

[Mike MacCana @ Jul 7th 2009 2:07PM]

Indeed, Android did this 6 months ago, with an app that did a 'what's interesting around you app' on the G1 - makes sense, Android had a compass first too.

iPhone user, upgrading to HTC Hero in a couple of weeks.

[John Michael @ Jul 7th 2009 8:32AM]

Glad to see everyone's had their Iphone Haterade for breakfast. If you people(yes, go on.. report me) are so impressed and continue to "know" that android or winmoX.X is better, why do you continue to check out what the iphone has to offer on engadget? People like Maff, ChillyCat, and Barney need to be off'd.

[Maff @ Jul 7th 2009 8:49AM]

I think you'll find I was just viewing Engadget as normal and not looking for anything iPhone related, it just so happens that Engadget is iPhone bias when it comes to reporting on phone software. Android has had augmented for quite some time so new augmented reality software is no longer news yet Engadget make it news because it's on the iPhone

[John Michael @ Jul 7th 2009 9:02AM]

Regarless of what Android has out there, or has had out there, the implementation of design and user friendliness with the Iphone for these types of programs is just better. I'm not saying that things like this have not been available in the past, but with the Iphone its just made better. Its actually worth having. In my opinion, Android is like the laserdisc.. It'll never fully catch on.

[Brian @ Jul 7th 2009 11:50AM]

let me guess, you've never used the android version of this app.

I'm right? Oh wow!

And maybe you haven't ever used android?

Oh, that's right. you're uncle's cousin's mother bought a G1 and she let you use it.

[John Michael @ Jul 7th 2009 12:08PM]

Oh Brian we're presuming things now are we? Well just like you have 'presumed' I have never used a G1(which I have in fact). I will 'presume' you have never seen a woman naked, much less one in person or one that was attracted to you. What else you got bud?

[JStro @ Jul 7th 2009 8:43AM]

Awesome, I would have loved to have this when I was studying abroad there last year. Actually, it would have only been useful for a month or so because after that, you pretty much learn where they all are. The London Tube is one of the easiest transit systems to follow, much easier than NYC.

[me_iauras @ Jul 7th 2009 8:44AM]

And how is this different from the function U would get in a real GPS aplication for your Mobile Phone .I have Garmin Mobile Xt on my S60 phone and it can do this for any type of point of interest/landmark u could think of .(museum , restaurant , cinema , gas station etc.), without the compass related stuff obviously .

[Zak @ Jul 7th 2009 12:24PM]

"And how is this different from the function U would get in a real GPS aplication for your Mobile Phone"

"without the compass related stuff obviously"

Obviously the compass is how it's different. Oh look, you answered your own question. And how is this not a "real GPS"
app? It uses the GPS to pinpoint where you are so it can show you where to go. Is there something you don't understand about that?

[Mark Anderson II @ Jul 7th 2009 8:48AM]

That's impressive.

Oh wait, compared to real time navigation it actually isn't.

[Ryan @ Jul 7th 2009 8:54AM]

You people are fools...

This app is awesome because it's augmented reality, not because it shows you where subway stations are. Yes, GPS systems have been showing you how to get places for YEARS now! But they haven't been overlaying that information on a realtime view of the world from your phones camera.

I hate the iPhone (and own a Pre), but I'm still damn impressed by this.

[Maff @ Jul 7th 2009 9:03AM]

It would be "awesome" if it hadn't already been done in various other pieces of software like wikitude, seer etc

[muslim.spam @ Jul 7th 2009 9:17AM]

Now imagine having a navigation software which would look something similar to this... put it in a car-holder, see the street in live and have all the directions pop up just all around the display where suitable... damn, this thing looks really great!

[Kitsune @ Jul 7th 2009 8:54AM]

Augmented reality apps is the only valid/useful reason apple would put a camera on the itouch. But then they would need to put a compass and gps in too.

[vinod @ Jul 8th 2009 12:18AM]

This looks awesome - need one for NYC.

[spam_from_engadget @ Jul 7th 2009 9:32AM]

Here's my iPhone app, which will benefit from this if/when Apple decide to let us do it "officially":

http://panoramascope.com/

It uses the NASA SRTM altitude data to compute the skyline and puts markers on the mountains and other features. This works well for long-distance things like mountains but not so well for urban applications at the moment.

[Kelmon @ Jul 7th 2009 10:32AM]

That's kinda neat - I'm off to Scotland next week and this would have been useful.

[RattyUK @ Jul 7th 2009 11:06AM]

@ Kelmon "That's kinda neat - I'm off to Scotland next week and this would have been useful."

Er, only about 500 miles out of the way but hey.

[adam @ Jul 7th 2009 1:49PM]

@RattyUK: Out of the way of what?

[Fais @ Jul 7th 2009 9:33AM]

This is actually quite cool.

[hijackthisreality @ Jul 7th 2009 10:34AM]

not impressed...considering that Wikitude, Layar, the Nokia project are already out there and do pretty much the same thing (I'm not impressed by those either). When are the real AR apps going to arrive?

[Chadwick @ Jul 7th 2009 10:05AM]

Wow people do have on apple glasses. Android has been doing this for a while but now that it is on the iphone, people are like wow so great, new and innovative. Engadget did stories on these programs, hence http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/18/video-hands-on-with-sprxmobiles-layar-augmented-reality-browse/ and http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/16/enkin-digitized-signage-for-your-android-device/ and i am sure they are others. Nokia was trying to do it also. Come on people dont be like John Michael.

[Nelagster @ Jul 7th 2009 10:28AM]

+1

this is nothing new but just like skype and other apps, once it hits the iphone i'm sure it will get huge media coverage

[Quix @ Jul 7th 2009 10:40AM]

If anyone were *buying* Android devices (I've yet to see one in the real), the Android-related stories would see more screen time.

Supply and demand, people, supply and demand. Engadget simply supplies what its readers are demanding. And the Apple haters will continue to kick and scream and rage about it.

*shrug*

[ill trooper @ Jul 7th 2009 12:08PM]

Chadwick... Yeah, we know that - it was already on all of these tech sites - or did you not realize that you posted an engadget link back to readers of engadget? Despite something being written for Android now here's one on the iPhone. It's obvious _that's_ what you really have a problem with: Layar didn't suddenly stop everything and make everyone buy a G1. Plenty of room for everyone to enjoy their little AR experiences on different devices. No bid deal.

[Zak @ Jul 7th 2009 12:35PM]

Chadwick - what is the obsession with complaining that Apple didn't do everything first? You and most other Apple haters here always complain about the same thing: "Apple didn't do it first". I'm sorry, is Apple claiming to have done it first? Can you show me where Apple said that? No, of course you can't. You're bitching about something that is completely irrelevant.

Nobody cares if somebody else did it first. In case you haven't noticed, the iPhone is the most popular single phone in the world right now, and this is a pretty cool app for it. That's all. If you don't like it, that's really just too damn bad. Cry some more, maybe you'll feel better.

[Mikey @ Jul 7th 2009 3:48PM]

Zak "Nobody cares if somebody else did it first. In case you haven't noticed, the iPhone is the most popular single phone in the world right now, and this is a pretty cool app for it."

But it shouldn't really be news on a tech blog if it the idea has been around for at least 6 months. Endgadget isn't an Apple/iPhone fan site (at least it shouldn't be) so it should only report on cool new tech news. A new post for every single iPhone app, whether the app in question does something new or not, is a ridiculous waste of resources for a blog that is purporting to be reporting on tech *NEWS*. If people want this kind of stuff, they can go over to TUAW or MacRumors.

[bjoern kah @ Jul 7th 2009 10:25AM]

There's a similar iPhone AR App for Twitter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vbh7nHalCc

[seanlindo06 @ Jul 7th 2009 10:42AM]

So what makes this so much better than Layar?

Oh wait, thankfully it's only on Android.

[Andy @ Jul 7th 2009 12:09PM]

That's not what the FAQ section says on the Layar website:
"Will Layar be available for the iPhone and other platforms?
We expect that the next platform, on which Layar will work, will indeed be the iPhone (3G S). Any additional phones with GPS and compass will be considered."

[dan2600 @ Jul 7th 2009 11:45AM]

anyone else notice the video is faked?

[Bernie @ Jul 7th 2009 11:46AM]

Apparently the King's Crossing is the main attraction. And something about dominoes...

[sinanm89 @ Jul 7th 2009 11:48AM]

sweet app, new to the iphone craze but loving it so far :)

[Chemaz @ Jul 7th 2009 12:44PM]

is there a similar app for winmo phones?

[DanielT @ Jul 7th 2009 8:25PM]

well done

[iomatic @ Jul 7th 2009 1:25PM]

Well, if you babies have actually been to London, then you'd know this would indeed, be handy to find a Tube station nearby.

But no, your coddled little existence provides you with the means to exude the entitlement you've so clearly earned.

[Chris @ Jul 7th 2009 1:55PM]

I always thought Kings Cross was a pub :P

In all seriousness though, pretty good app. Would be useless to visitors as they would have to pay ridiculous roaming charges for data...I just used the tube map and my handy travel pocket maps in London to find the stations.

[paul-engadget @ Jul 7th 2009 4:19PM]

given the IQ of many apple fans, they could use an app which would help them tell the difference between their arse and their elbow

thank you, I'll be here all week, try the veal.