The mobile devices are getting increasingly sophisticated. With the combination of GPS, compass, camera, Internet Connection and a big screen it’s now possible to create amazing, context aware, first Person UI’s. Imaging for a moment that you’re in a foreign city, standing in front of a statue that you never seen before. Point your mobile phone at it and it will tell you what it is, who built it etc, imposing the information as a layer over the reality.

Future of Internet Search: Mobile version

Up till now this has merely been concept ideas for future technology, like the Futuristic Glass above, but it’s now becoming real! For the Google Android platform there’s already working prototypes, like for example this one. It’s called Layar and claims to be the first mobile Augmented Reality browser.

If you want to read more about this, Luke Wroblewski has written two articles on the subject, showing examples from both the iPhone and the Android platform, including YouTube videos of the applications in action.

• iPhone with a Compass = First Person UIs?
• First Person UIs on Android