links for 2009-09-11

Economist on Augmented Reality: "AR starts with reality itself and then augments it… It all sounds rather distant and futuristic. The idea of AR has, in fact, been around for a few years without making much progress… Several AR applications are already available. Wikitude, an AR travel-guide application developed for Google’s Android G1 handset, has already been downloaded by 125,000 people. Layar is a general-purpose AR browser that also runs on Android-powered phones. Nearest Tube, an AR application for Apple’s iPhone 3GS handset, can direct you in London to the nearest Underground station. Nokia’s “mobile augmented reality applications” (MARA) software is being tested by staff at the world’s largest handset-maker, with a public launch imminent."