Core Facts

Finding local businesses is now easier than ever and a lot more fun, as Yell adds Augmented Reality to its supremely popular (and free) iPhone App.
 
Yell.com is building on the success of its number one business App with the development of an Augmented Reality version, available free on the App Store. The free Augmented Reality iPhone Beta App has been designed by Yell Labs, a group of technicians and strategists dedicated to making Yell the best way for local companies to advertise themselves and the best way for local people to find them. The App allows users to ‘see’ local shops, offices, restaurants and other useful services through the iPhone’s camera viewer - even if they’re round the corner or in the next street.

Yell’s integrated online, on-phone and in-print services are the natural way to find a local business or service, just like it used to be when there was only the Yellow Pages.

How it works
As you move the iPhone around, yellow boxes are displayed over the live feed of the world directly in front of you.  If you touch one of these boxes, information is displayed about that specific business such as address, phone number, opening hours and website. It’s a combination of the iPhone’s GPS and compass, which combine to pinpoint exactly where you are, and the way you’re facing. Yell then seamlessly overlays the relevant information, taken from its database of two million businesses.

The App, which requires an iPhone 3GS, features:
•   Radar: shown at the top of the screen, indicates which businesses are around you, 360°
•   Categories Bar: swish your finger to the right and a display with popular searches appears allowing you to get to the information you want quickly
•   Range: swish your finger to the left and you can set the distance that you want to see, therefore allowing you to reduce the amount of information on the screen

Quotes
“Yell’s new Augmented Reality iPhone app means that any business can be found easily, even if it’s tucked away around a corner or in the next street.   So as people get used to using this kind of technology, having a prime ‘high street’ location could well become a lot less important.” - Matthew  Bottomley,  director of new media product marketing at Yell.

“We’re pleased with the result of our first experiment with Augmented Reality and are now working on fully integrating AR with our mobile service later in the year.” - Matthew  Bottomley,  director of new media product marketing at Yell.