The Layar augmented reality browser for Android and iPhone has been updated to version 5.0, including the ability to share layers, 3D models, and achievements with friends on Facebook and Twitter. Layar for Symbian just came out last month, and the new features should be finding their way there soon enough.
If you’re unfamiliar, Layar transposes location-relevent data on top of a live image being captured by your camera. Types of information are broken down into a variety of “layers” than you can turn on and off depending on what you’re up to. As you can see from the screenshot above, you could look at spots from Gowalla, or you could see nearby geotagged tweets, or restaurants, or historical points of interest, or Wikipedia articles, or, or, or… You get the picture. The data’s not only limited to text, either; Layar supports 3D models being generated on the device too. There are a little over 2000 layers to pick from, so you won’t be hurting for content.
Personally, I hope Layar is quick to become available for the new lineup of BlackBerry smartphones, which will finally have the magnetic compass necessary for these apps to tell which direction you’re facing (and thus what data to show on the screen). If you’ve got an Android phone though, you can go ahead and download the app in the Market, or in the App Store below for iPhone users.
[via Layar Blog]