Last year, during the I/O developer conference, Google unveiled a new augmented reality feature for Google Maps, which would provide users with real-time directions from the phone's camera. David Pierce of the Wall Street Journal tried out an early version of the feature.
According to him, even though "it's probably not your go-to turn-by-turn option, it's a huge step in the right direction for Google Maps." He even described how one of the features worked. According to him, the app uses a person's location through BPS, and then uses Street View data to narrow it down to their exact location. After the location was fixed, it would show big arrows and directions on your screen. "It was as if Maps had plotted my directions to the real world, even though no one else could see them."
The explanation goes on and it says that the app doesn't seem to allow the user to use the camera persistently, asking for it to be put down after some time and still displaying its regular map interface once it does so.
As Rachel Inman, the company's user experience lead, tells him it's "for those moments like 'I'm getting off the subway, where do I go first?'"
According to Pierce, the interface he sees can change. Google, however, did not mention a possible date for the start of the availability of the novelty for "some Local Guides".
Some companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, North, Vuzix and others are already working on or even selling their own augmented reality glasses, which increases the likelihood that the new feature will arrive soon.
Source: The Verge
