Layar Unveils New Version of its Augmented Reality Browser, Designed to Facilitate Content Discovery

Amsterdam-based augmented reality specialist, Layar, on Wednesday unveiled the latest version (3.5) of its flagship platform, the Layar Reality Browser. The new version is currently available for Android, and an iPhone version is slated to be available shortly. According to the company, the rapid growth of content for its platform has increased the need for real-time, location-based search. However, with the new version of the browser, the company says, users can now easily discover and experience AR without having to enter a search query or open a specific layer: according to the company, they will immediately see the most interesting content nearby whenever they open the browser--a development that it bills as "taking augmented reality from novelty to utility."

Layar bills the new version of the browser as "revolutioniz[ing] mobile content discovery, by simply presenting the most interesting mobile content based on a user's location and preferences." When they launch the browser, users are presented with what Layar terms a "dynamic" list of the most interesting content at their location. The list is sorted by time, location, proximity, popularity and preferences, the company says, and its chief benefit is that discovery is now possible without the need to hold up one's smartphone. This, according to the company, lowers the threshold for finding interesting content and encourages daily use. "Augmented reality is starting to behave like a true mass medium," Layar CEO, Raimo van der Klein, said in a prepared statement. "It is becoming scalable with the introduction of its own discovery mechanism. We know that real-time location-based content discovery drives frequent re-use of the Layar browser."

According to Layar, the published layer count for its browser passed 700 last week, and the company says that several thousand additional layers are currently in development. The company claims that these layers currently serve 2.4 million objects a day, and are now indexed and ranked using its patent-pending Stream technology. According to the company, the Stream technology supports any location-based object published into the Layar browser, such as check-ins, coupons, status updates, gaming, information, 3D models and more. Publishers will also benefit by seeing their content, for the first time, served up at a time and location most relevant to their users, Layar says.