WhereMark is a new augmented reality browser application that is coming to the iPhone soon. Like all the other world browsers out there WhereMark shows you what is around you in your current location, but WhereMark has a few differences that will make it an interesting alternative. For a start, WhereMark is customizable and allows you to create your own POIs of any location of interest, you could create a WhereMark of the location of your house and you’ll always know how far away you are and in which direction. It’s actually very useful being able to add your own POIs and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the number one feature request other augmented reality browsers providers receive. The good news with WhereMark you’ll be creating your own POIs and within no time you’ll have a full list of all your favorites.

Another nice feature is being able to use the iPhones multi touch to extend the range of the WhereMarks shown, by default the application will show you what is around you in a half mile radius but using intuitive multi touch you can extend the map to cover a larger radius for wider search results. It’s a feature so intuitive to iPhone users I am surprised the other browsers out there haven’t taken the same approach instead of having the user navigating through menu items. WhereMark also features Google local search so searching for pizza will present you with an augmented reality view of the local pizza restaurants.

How does WhereMark compare to the other browsers out there?  WhereMark are not positioning themselves as a platform for developers so they don’t compete with Layar or Wikitude who both have open APIs. Where I think they fit and do a very good job is competing with services like Yelp and providing users with useful relevant information on the things they are looking for. If you are using Yelp and the augmented reality Monocle feature you can only see bars, restaurants or everything with no option to filter for what you really want to see. So no option to see just pizza restaurants without every other restaurant in the area showing up in the display. Another clear win for WhereMark.

While WhereMark is not available yet but it does look interesting and would appear to be a viable alternative to Yelp.

I’m looking forward to giving it a road test when it’s available.

Check out WhereMark

WhereMark.com

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1. WhereMark Augmented Reality Browser
2. Ultimate Guide To iPhone Augmented Reality – Part III Browsers
3. Hidden iPhone Augmented Reality Feature
4. Wikitude For The iPhone – First Look
5. Wikitude 6.0 iPhone Release