Try out real estate “augmented reality” mobile phone applications and the cascade of thoughts goes something like this:
Very cool. Just hold up the mobile phone, peer through the camera view and scores of properties for sale and rent will suddenly be visible, like some super x-ray!
Here we go. Hmmm. Nothing.
OK, maybe if I just spin around a little. There!
Wait. What’s with the floating dots? Is that it? And the nearest property is a mile away, beyond several buildings and a highway overpass. How is this helpful again?
So-called augmented reality technology works on mobile phones like the iPhone 3GS or models with Google’s Android operating system. It uses the phones’ camera, GPS, compass and Internet features to conjure a computer-enhanced, virtual overlay of objects in one’s surroundings. The concept is similar to a heads-up display one might find in a jet fighter cockpit.
The usefulness of some augmented reality apps can be instantly recognized — say you find yourself in an unfamiliar neighborhood looking for the nearest bus stop or subway entrance. Augmented reality can point you in the right direction and show you the relative distance to your destination.
But as a tool for finding homes for sale or rent, augmented reality produces results that feel more like a novelty than a novel improvement on the mobile real estate search experience.
One reason is the technology, while used by the military for years, is still relatively new for applications like real estate search, says Larry Fisher, research director for NextGen, a unit of ABI Research, a technology trend tracking firm.
“It can be useful, but … it’s really limited at this point,” Fisher said. “It’s going to take a couple of years to develop.”
A good way to start is to punch up your mobile phone’s app store and download Layar. It’s available on iTunes…