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Although the technology itself has been around for a while, it’s only recently that mobile devices – in particular the iPhone – have had the power and requisite features to deal with augmented reality apps, so now they have, we’ll be seeing plenty of them!  Until that time, if you want to give augmented reality a try on your iPhone, see the following apps, all of which should be considered pioneers of the technology.

Don’t forget though, augmented reality apps need a digital compass to operate, so it’s only iPhone 3GS users who’ll be able to enjoy these, plus your phone will need to be running OS 3.1 too.  Remember, augmented reality apps make good use of your phone’s capabilities, needing not only the digital compass to work, but the camera, GPS, accelerometer and geo-tagging features too.

• Robotvision.

Robotvision brings together the expected points of interest information plus local Twitter posts and Flickr photos, making the augmented reality experience far more interesting, socially.  Holding your phone in front of you shows your surroundings, complete with the information overlay, while pointing the phone towards the ground brings up Google Maps, and Robotvision make a big thing of having their search powered by Bing, therefore offering Yelp and Citysearch results in the app too.  Expect the next update to include Wikipedia too.

• Wikitude.

You don’t have to wait for the Robotvision update to have a Wikipedia reality, as Wikitude does it now!  First seen on Android devices, Wikitude overlays Wiki-sourced text related to local points of interest, along with details of distance and direction, plus you can search and filter your results too.  iTunes have given Wikitude a 17+ age-restriction, so expect a more uncensored world view!

• Bionic Eye

Available for all US cities along with Tokyo, France and the UK, Bionic Eye identifies points of interest in your surroundings and claims to have at least 100,000 already loaded, including hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and fast food chains.  Interestingly, Bionic Eye doesn’t need a network connection and relies only on the GPS and compass, making it helpful for travelers wishing to avoid nasty data roaming bills.  Like Robotvision, holding your phone in front of you activates the augmented reality function, while holding it flat displays a list of POIs and their distance from you.

• Cyclopedia

More Wikipedia information via augmented reality, but this time with an attractive interface and the same clever, front facing reality view or downward facing Google Map view as seen on Robotvision and Bionic Eye.  Using Wiki entries with geo-tags, you can set your radius to enhance or fine-tune your results, plus a simple click on the title will bring up a more detailed text entry.  Developers Chemical Wedding encourage users to add geo-tag information to more Wikipedia entries, thus enhancing the service for everybody.

• Fairy Trails

An augmented reality game!  Using the iPhone’s camera and compass, you can discover magical creatures, including fireflies, butterflies and fairies, all around you.  Capture these creatures to gain more power in order to see other, faster, rarer fairies too.  This should keep younger ones quiet for hours.

This really is only the beginning for augmented reality apps, and we can’t wait to see where it goes next, or when an enterprising soul creates a HUD accessory!