My first and most vivid memory of augmented reality is a scene in Terminator 2 where Arnold Schwarzenegger walks in a biker bar to collect some clothes. Back then I didn’t know I was going to write one day about this technology… Nokia City Lens doesn’t have anything to do with Skynet or John Connor: it is a great location based augmented reality service, which is expanding our portfolio of Nokia exclusive apps for Windows Phone. If you have a Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 800or Nokia Lumia 900, you can download it now from Nokia Beta Labs where you can leave your feedback and contribute to improve the app while we are polishing and refining its feature set.
What I like the most in this app is that you can keep you head up when you’re using it. Instead of looking for a place on a map and look down on your smartphone, with Nokia City Lens you are actually looking at the world around you through your smartphone. Nokia City Lens http://nokia.ly/Im17jr instantly connects you to all of the places you’re looking for—and even more importantly—gets you there exactly when and how you want to. Now available on Nokia Betalabs.
Just landed in town and looking for a good restaurant? Interested in checking out the local museum or theater? Time to hit the nearest transit station to catch a ride uptown? No longer is finding your chosen destination a hassle—whether you’re in a new city or your hometown. Now you can simply launch Nokia City Lens on your phone to easily find all the places you want to go. City Lens instantly reveals what you’re looking for on your phone’s camera display, no matter if it’s down the street or just around the corner. You simply tap your chosen destination on your screen to conveniently access walking directions, make a reservation, or learn more detailed information about the locale.
Digital maps are indeed very useful and we all use them every day. They help us finding the places we are looking for and they are giving us directions to get there. This is why we have developed Nokia Maps. But sometimes you need a new way to orientate yourself and recognize the places in your immediate vicinity. This is where Nokia City Lens is helpful.
So what exactly can you do with Nokia City Lens (beta) for your Nokia Lumia?
You can instantly see what’s around you: landmarks, restaurants, hotels, shops and public transport stations visually right on your phone
Select your interests in many different categories: Nokia City Lens will filter the points of interests and present your choices
All the details at a glance: simply tap to read reviews, descriptions and destination information
One tap to call or navigate to the location
Share a place with friends via email and SMS or via the built-in sharing feature of Windows Phone
Grab your copy of Nokia City Lens now, from the Nokia Beta Labs. And if you haven’t installed it yet, make sure to check out the video at the top to see how you’ll benefit from this in a real-life environment.
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