Augmented Reality Tools

For $0.99 you can have your very own ruler on your iPhone. Your camera is utilized in this augmented reality empowered app. The ruler does a great job at accuracy and can even measure depth. You can customize the app to measure mm, cm, m, or inches. The app is accurate and cheap. ARruler is a must have AR tool.

Star Walk features augmented reality stargazing. This ability lets you see an overlay of the stars, constellations, and other points of interest right on your iPhone. By utilizing the camera you will see your true environment and what exactly is in the sky. Star Walk is a fantastic tool for anyone that needs to read the sky. There also is an iPad version available for $4.99.

Augmented Reality is a handy POI based app. Simply open the app while you are walking and your iPhone will show you where the nearby stores and POIs are. There is a beautiful overlay that clearly shows you how close you are to your destination. Augmented reality is a low-cost app that can come in handy.

SpyGlass is the ultimate AR tool. Included is a HUD, compass, bearing tracker, sun/moon tracker, star tracker, sextant, inclinometer/angular calculator, distance ruler and much more. SpyGlass packs in tons of features and makes them all very usable. SpyGlass is an excellent AR tool.

Plane Finder AR lets you simply point your iPhone at the sky and it will display all of the flights in your area. The app is far from perfect and there have been numerous bugs. The developers are continuing to improve it with regular updates. If you have ever wondered where that plane that just flew above you is headed, you’ll want to check out this app.

MetroAR is an okay app when it does work. Basically the concept is it will show you where your metro stops are. It works in a similar manner to the app “Augmented Reality,” but this time the focus is on metro stops. The city coverage is fairly limited. If you live in NYC, Paris, London, Chicago, South Korea, or Japan (where still applicable) then this could be a good app for you. If not, there are some good localized alternatives.

Yelp is a popular free, universal app to help you find restaurants and just about any sort of business in your area. But tap the Monocle button for some AR magic. Point your phone in any direction, and choose Restaurants, Bars, Friends, or Everything. You'll get information about them overlaid right on your iDevice screen.