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When RIM launched their OS 7 devices over the summer, one of the key features was augmented reality support, thanks to a magnetic compass built into their new phones and a graphical overlay API on the software side. Wikitude was the showcased partner for this tech, but at DevCon Asia, they’ve announced a fresh version for older BlackBerry handsets. Of course, you won’t be able to get the cool effect of pointing your camera in a given direction and seeing location-contextual information put on top, but at least the BBM integration is still there.
Augmented reality apps are still about as nichey as near-field communication, so the loss of the feature isn’t a huge deal, but if it boils down to little more than a local search app, then I might prefer to use something like Poynt or Google Maps. There’s a ton of different information layers Wikitude can tap into though, which make it a fair bit more broad than most other local search apps.
Regardless, it still feels a bit weird that Wikitude, an app that made its name for getting into AR is launching apps without it. Seems a little regressive, no? In any case, BlackBerry 6 users can download Wikitude from App World here.
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
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