Eight Augmented Reality iPhone Apps

1. Sun Seeker: 3D Augmented Reality Viewer

Useful for real estate buyers, gardeners, photographers, architects and sun lovers, this augmented reality iPhone app gives you a flat view compass and augmented reality camera 3-D views that show the solar path, its hour intervals, winter and summer solstice paths, rise and set times and more. This iPhone app can be used for finding the sun exposure of properties if you are a real estate buyer considering acquiring a property. For gardeners, this app can be used for finding optimal planting locations while photographers can use this app for planning optimal light conditions. Architects can use it to get a feel of spatial variability of the solar angle the whole year round. And finally if you’re a mere sun lover, you can use this app to find the sun even if it’s hidden by clouds or walls. Other features of this app include - GPS magnetometer, flat compass view, 3D augmentented camera overlay, optional pointer for camera view, choose any date and solar path for the day, additional rise, set and culmination times, and option to include summer solstice and winter solstice in both flat compass view and camera view. (Price: $2.99) (Download link)

2. Heads Up Navigator: 3D Augmented Reality Navigation

Here’s a cool augmented reality app that you’ll appreciate if you try using it. The app provides you with an “augmented reality” navigation experience by overlaying floating 3D labels directly onto the world around you using your iPhone’s camera. It lets you visualize landmarks and addresses near you as the display tilts and pivots as you move your phone. The app also allows you to easily indicate the locations you want to visualize by entering addresses or the names of important parks or landmarks. You can also enter locations of interest by directly adjusting a map pin. The app is available in ad-supported and ad-free versions. (Price: Free) (Download link)

3. DishPointer Augmented Reality

If you’re planning to install a satellite dish at home, you might want to check out how this augmented reality iPhone app can help you out in finding where the satellites are. This app identifies any line of of sight (LOS) issues with trees or buildings as well as the look angles. This app will definitely help you get the job done. The app works world wide at any location with any satellite. It does not require cell signal or internet access. You can also select the satellites to be displayed from a list, add or delete your own satellites to/from the list, displays satellite settings and current magnetic settings. (Price: $9.99) (Download link)

4. ARGH - Augmented Reality Ghost Hunter

Here’s an augmented reality iPhone app that we would advise you not to take too seriously. Well, the app is great technically but I’m pretty sure most of us don’t believe in the paranormal. Anyway, as an augmented reality app, this app apparently lets you discover ghosts in your environment. It also allows you to search other locations for rare sightings of ghostly appearances. To make the experience more realistic, the app even has an original atmospheric scoring. The app also lets you share your captures through Twitter or email. (Price: $2.99) (Download link)

5. Augmented Driving

This app works best in stop-and-go situations. It detects moving vehicles in front of you. The app detects and highlights other vehicles in your lane while you are out there on country roads or highways. It displays relevant information regarding your current driving situation visually and acoustically. What’s good about this app is that it keeps you safe while driving as it gives your driving course and informs you as well when you are speeding. Other features of this app include - dynamic AR overlays, heads-up display (HUD) for system and status information, configurable warning threshold, and more. (Price: $2.99) (Download link)

6. Travel Guide with AR

Here’s a rather useful augmented reality iPhone app for travelling. It serves as a cool travel guide for every city in the world. The app gives you information on the best attractions, the most interesting monuments, points of interest and places in the city where you are travelling. It guides you to every single place you choose, via AR overlay. The app contains more 1,000,000 points of interest and more than 3,100,000 articles in more than 20 languages. It lets you take a photo of objects around you using your iPhone camera and you’ll get the names, direction and distance of the points of interest. (Price: $1.99) (Download link)

7. Meteo360 Augmented Weather Reality

Using GPS on your iPhone, this augmented reality iPhone app lets you see the weather at your location as well as other areas within 15-30-50 km away. The app lets you use it through 3 modes of operation - flat, sky and 360. Flat mode displays your location on a map, weather in cardinal directions on a mobile compass if your iPhone is positioned horizontally. Sky mode lets you see current weather at your location via GPS if you point your iPhone to the sky. While 360 mode can be used by positioning your iPhone in an upright position - allowing you to point the device in any direction and get the weather information at a distance of 15 km. (Price: $3.99) (Download link)

8. ARPhoto

Here’s a simple yet pretty cool augmented reality iPhone app. What it does is to let you view your photos that are too big to be displayed on the iPhone screen by moving automatically depending on the position of your iPhone. It uses the iPhone’s gyroscope feature pretty well. Imagine it as a magnifying glass that you can use to view your photos. The app also lets you zoom the photos through pinch gesture and choose existing photos or use the iPhone’s camera to take new photos that you can view in AR. (Price: $0.99) (Download link)