Yesterday Wikitude, a Wikipedia augmented reality application, hit the App Store. A quick wiki definition of Augmented Reality – “a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with-, or augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery – creating a mixed reality”

Augment your world with the Wikitude World Browser, the acclaimed android application is now finally available on the iPhone. See the world through your phone’s camera view overlaid with Wikipedia content, Qype reviews and user-generated content from Wikitude.me (www.wikitude.me)

The WIKITUDE World Browser presents the user with data about their surroundings, nearby landmarks, and other points of interest by overlaying information on the screen of the iPhone.

Remember, like with all augumented reality applications, Wikitude is only available for the iPhone 3GS. It also requires 3.1 firmware. Check out the App Store Description below for more info.

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App Store Description:

Augment your world with the Wikitude World Browser, the acclaimed android application is now finally available on the iPhone. See the world through your phone’s camera view overlaid with Wikipedia content, Qype reviews and user-generated content from Wikitude.me (www.wikitude.me)

The WIKITUDE World Browser presents the user with data about their surroundings, nearby landmarks, and other points of interest by overlaying information on the screen of the iPhone.

FEATURES:

* Points of Interest (POIs) are displayed on your phone’s camera view;
* Each POI displays a short summary of information within a “text-bubble”;
* A radar-overlay displays the users current viewing direction and POIs within a specified radius;
* AR content overlays can be selected to filter which content channel the user would like to view;
* Categories can be used to filter the content;
* The distance slider allows you to filter POIs based on your distance and proximity to the POI;
* A freeze feature enables users to pause the current AR content overlay;
* A search feature enables users to search for specific Content;
* POIs can also be displayed in a list view given access to a more detailed description of a POI or access to an entire article through a hyperlink.

Supported languages: English and German

Requires iPhone OS 3.1

“Pronto? Buongiorno. Arrivederci!” This was a typical conversation between my wife and me during the weeks leading up to our honeymoon trip to Italy. Neither of us had any experience speaking Italian, so we downloaded a few podcasts and began practicing as much as we could. I also downloaded a free app that used Google’s translation dictionary to fill in during emergencies. What I really wish we had had was something more visual, something that could help us with pronunciation, and something that could be quicker and less cumbersome than a big dictionary.

Enter ViDICTO+ mytrip (formerly iLingua), whose tagline is “see hear read link.” Indeed, one of the first things you notice about this language helper app is how pretty it looks. My promo copy was for Japanese, but the setup is the same for all languages. On the main menu, you can select “Categories” which will give you various everyday scenarios where you will most likely need language assistance. These included “at the airport”, “hotel lobby”, “dinner”, and “shopping”. A “Trainer” option allows you to select words and phrases from the categories interface to keep together and quiz yourself in future sittings. The app also allows you to create three additional short lists to view at a quick glance or study from.

As mentioned above, the layout and interface of ViDICTO+ is outstanding, perhaps, the best I’ve seen and experienced in any application on the iPhone. The menus are animated, colorful, and very smooth. Once the application has loaded (12-15 seconds), there are no hiccups or pauses at any point of operation. Navigating through the app is intuitive, though there is an excellent help guide included within the application. Tapping once on the picture or wordwill give you a pronunciation from an authentic speaker. Double tapping will give you options to add to your trainer or list, as well as access Wikipedia, a Thesaurus, and some common phrases for you to study.

Where ViDICTO+ falls short is its ability to teach. Although I have heard of some language programs that teach you by using important vocabulary words and phrases in situations (the podcasts we downloaded used this method), ViDICTO+ is not organized to do this, nor (to its credit) does it market itself as such. Instead, the application is designed to be a review mechanism for a language learner, or as a visual aid to use when a traveler finds herself in a situation similar to the ones included in the application. If I’m at the hotel, and I’d like to request a cab, I can pull out ViDICTO+ and either point to the cab picture or use the included phrase. Pump up the volume and I can even have the iPhone say the phrase that I want.

Some suggestions I would have for the developers include: a better system of drilling. I think ViDICTO+ could eventually market itself as a teaching app if it organized its situations into lessons and setup a module system. I’d like to see additional phrases, pictures, and situations included in updates, and possibly a translating dictionary within the app. This last suggestion could really combine a few apps into one and give ViDICTO+ a bit of an advantage over other apps. All in all, though, for $1.99, I find it very easy to recommend this application. Simply to award the developers for putting together a beautiful application that may just teach you a thing or two about a new language. ViDicto+ is also available in Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, and soon in French. There is also a free lite version for Spanish in case you want to check it out before buying.

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