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Augmented Reality Comes to the iPhone

By Rachael King

Augmented Reality Comes to the iPhone

In the movie Terminator, cyborgs could call up crucial information on an object or person in their field of sight simply by fixing their gaze on a subject. These days a technology called augmented reality is designed to help humans similarly call up virtual information and then impose it on a screen image of the real world.

Augmented-reality apps work on Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone by tapping the device’s location-based services as well as its compass and camera. Developers have created apps that let a user look through the camera at a building, for example, and see information about restaurants, stores, and other businesses inside.

In recent months dozens of augmented-reality apps have made their way to the iTunes App Store. This BusinessWeek.com slide show highlights some of the more popular and useful ones for professionals and business travelers.