Popular travel book publisher Lonely Planet has begun selling Augmented Reality apps for 10 US cities for $5 each in the Android Marketplace. The apps were built in conjunction with Mobilizy, the company behind user generated content AR app Wikitude . In addition to offering Lonely Planet content overlayed on top of locations you view through your phone's camera view, you can also plan itineraries and get step by step directions from the app. Augmented Reality is a technology in a formative stage but support from the Lonely Planet brand is a big, if unsurprising, step. Sponsor Will consumers go for it? GoMoNews is skeptical , pointing out that AR technology is still clumsy and Lonely Planet's offering is very limited so far. National Geographic's travel blog voices no such concerns . Travel is the most logical application of consumer-focused Augmented Reality, but we expect a large number of consumer and marketing companies to explore this new paradigm of layering data on top of the viewed world. Some of the most interesting applications of Augmented Reality are outside the consumer market; AR could prove very useful for medical procedures or mechanical repair, for example. The technology remains limited, though, by the inability of most applications to process live video of what they are actually looking at, instead of merely offering up data based on what's believed to be in a given GPS position. Discuss

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Lonely Planet Launches Augmented Reality Apps

Morgan Stanley has released a couple of bulky documents about the mobile internet: 'The Mobile Internet Report,' a 424 page report which explores 8 major themes; and 'The Mobile Internet Report Key Themes,' a 659-slide presentation that drills down on thoughts covered in the report. We've embedded both documents below. Perhaps the most remarkable statement in the report is that the Mobile Internet market will be "at least 2x size of Desktop Internet," which Morgan Stanley bases on math comparing Internet Users with Mobile Subscribers. Sponsor The report starts out by saying that Apple's iPhone / iTouch / iTunes ecosystem "may prove to be the fastest ramping and most disruptive technology product / service launch the world has ever seen." It goes on to state that "a handful of incumbents (like Apple, Google, Amazon.com and Skype) appear especially well positioned for mobile changes." Growth in the Mobile Internet is being driven by 3G adoption and the increasing popularity of smartphones, of which the iPhone is the leader. Morgan Stanley predicts that smartphones "will out-ship the global notebook + netbook market in 2010E and out-ship the global PC market (notebook + netbook + desktop) by 2012E." The firm has always been bullish on mobile internet, as Mary Meeker's Web 2.0 conference presentations over the years show. See also our analysis of Meeker's 2009 Web 2.0 presentation . The reports are far too big to summarize here, so we recommend you read them below - or download from Morgan Stanley's website. Via Scribd Via Scribd Discuss

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Morgan Stanley: Mobile Internet Market Will Be Twice The Size of Desktop Internet

Sketch Nation is a forthcoming iPhone app that takes iPhone photos of drawn images and uses them as avatars, obstacles and enemies in a customized fly-and-shoot mobile game. It's pretty sweet and was the winner of the recent AppsFire AppStar Awards for unlaunched iPhone apps. I was one of 20 judges for that contest and yes, I voted for SketchNation. Check out these demonstration videos below and keep your eyes peeled for Sketch Nation to go live in the App Store. We have no idea if and when that will happen, but hopefully soon. This looks awesome. Sponsor It would be great to see other classic game-types that could be created using this same process (those old Nintendo hockey games would be fun to draw players for), but there's no indication yet whether that's part of the plan. SketchNation is also on Twitter , where we're sure they'll announce the availability of the app as well. Discuss

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Draw Your Own iPhone Game With Pencil and Paper

Social networking site MySpace has just launched a new version of their mobile website designed for iPhone, Android, and Palm WebOS users. The now improved site at m.myspace.com offers quick access to your profile, including comments, your activity stream, your status, your inbox, and more. Also available is a dedicated photos button which makes it easier to browse through your photo albums. However, the most notable of the new features is the built-in instant messaging functionality which makes the new mobile website a communication tool in addition to being just another social networking app. Sponsor New Features Although the mobile site at m.myspace.com is available from any mobile web browser, the newly updated version only displays to users of select smartphones. That's because the new site is specifically designed to take advantage of features present in the advanced web browsers present on those devices. Users visiting from other phones will still encounter the older site, which itself was revamped at the beginning of the year with a new look designed to make it more closely resemble the original, desktop-based website. In addition to real-time updates from MySpace, the new mobile site introduces a built-in instant messaging client which displays a web-enabled version of MySpace IM, the company's own instant messaging service. By tapping on the "IM" button under the "Me" tab, you can instantly go online and chat with friends just as if you were using a standalone instant messaging software application. Mobile Website Now Outperforms Native Apps What's most interesting about the new web-based IM functionality in the updated site is the fact that this is (for now) the only official tool provided by the company for IM'ing from your mobile device. Believe it or not, the dedicated mobile applications built for the iPhone, Android, and Palm do not include an IM client at all. This has been a much-requested feature from MySpace users who have had no other choice but to use third-party applications like BeeJive IM , for example. In fact, a quick Google search on the topic leads to multiple MySpace forum posts begging for this feature as well as this user-created YouTube video demonstrating how you can get MySpace IM on your iPhone via other methods. According to the company , 75% of their user base accesses the mobile web site, which could explain why they've focused on updating the site first before updating the native apps. However, it's likely that the majority of their mobile web visitors are those without expensive smartphones who are being redirected to the older site instead. Without detailed statistics from the company itself, this is only a guess, but given outside demographic studies that show how MySpace is dominated by younger users while it also (perhaps not coincidentally) registers as the social networking site whose users have the lowest income levels , it seems probable that the network's mobile website visitors don't own very expensive mobile devices. That makes the smartphone mobile website update and any forthcoming native app updates somewhat of a nonstarter for a good many MySpace users anyway. It will be interesting to see if MySpace soon updates their native applications to include this new functionality as well or if they're more sold on the idea that the mobile web is - or at least should be - the app of choice for their users. If you're interested in visiting the new site, you can do so via m.myspace.com using your phone's web browser. The new changes have gone live for everyone as of now. Discuss

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MySpace Launches New Mobile Website with Built-in IM

The dirt is still fresh on the grave of the CrunchPad; we ought to feel guilty for writing this post. But our good friends have been working with a few cohorts on a stealth-mode startup for quite some time - working on the problem of the lightweight, portable, web-friendly device. Only their product is smaller in size and larger in spirit than any netbook or notepad yet seen - perhaps there is a balm in Gilead after all. But you didn't come here for literature; you came to see pics and read specs. So here we go. Sponsor The name of the gadget geek's new muse is the PsiXpda (pronounced sigh ex PDA). It measures 174mm by 95mm by 25mm, and it looks like this: Specifications The device is a hardware nerd's dream, described as "very techy and hackable" by one of the minds behind the project, Ewan Spence. It's smaller than netbooks, roughly 2/3 in length and 1/2 the width. It weighs 430 grams, around 15 ounces. In the closed position, the screen is on the outside. There's no accelerometer, but there are key commands for rotating the screen. The keyboard is backlit - perfect for conference whores, said Spence. It has a VGA webcam and 2-4 hours of battery life, depending on CPU usage. It's got a USB port and a VGA port on the optional docking cradle. It's a full-strength computer with a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard. The first units will shit with Windows XP preloaded. Spence expects that hackers will get Android and Chrome OS running on it fairly quickly, as well. As for the web, the PsiXpda will feature bluetooth, WiFi and 3G connectivity. Users will be able to blog, run web apps, play Flash-based games or just browse their hearts out on the browser of their choice. A Pearl of Great Price The drawback? "Well, we're not going to put it in Best Buy," said Spence. This beauty is a pearl of great price for the most discerning only. With a very limited pre-holiday drop and a list price of $830 US (£500) - slightly cheaper than an out-of-contract iPhone - the PsiXpda aims to be the Lamborghini of the notepad/netbook/PDA 2.0 set. "If you look back to the '80s," said Spence, "to the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrums, they were small manufactuers doing a couple thousand machines to see if it worked or not. "One of the benefits of not having a huge staff and a huge VC investment is that we don't have to have unrealistic goals for unit sales," Spence continued. There will be lots of support for those who want to hack the device. Any needed third-party programs or drivers needed will be made available as soon as possible. "I am very interested to see what hackers do," said Spence. "Because of the numbers involved, if you have 10 guys and gals that start going crazy over these things, that's probably going to take us to capacity for the first drop." Provenance & Use Cases The device is the heir apparent to the Psion , which enjoyed an extended love affair with European techies. In the States, those devices were forced to compete with Palm, and lost. You can read an extended history of Psions, or you can take our word for it that Psion Series 5 still commands a dedicated fanbase in Europe. "We were doing this while you guys [Americans] were making the Palm Pilot," said Spence. But now, in the States and elsewhere, the PDA has gone the way of the pager, and consumers are clamoring for technologically lightweight, physically small, ultimately agile devices. The Apple tablet is a fable, and the CrunchPad is, even we are sad to report, the year's most disappointing vaporware. The PsiXpda has appeared on the scene to meet consumer demand at just the right time. "One of the places that's shown interest is someplace like a hospital," said Spence, "just drop it in a doctor's coat. Also, because of the size, it's very non-threatening for looking up information, so it'd work for salespeople. And it's wonderful on a ten-hour flight from London to L.A." In other words, it might be small, but it's by no means a browser-on-a-stick piece of hardware. This beauty was made for people who like to sit on the couch and browse the web, yes; but it also takes into consideration that most people need and want to have a read/write experience online. The machines will be for sale next week. Stay tuned for videos of the review unit. Discuss

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A New, Now Netbook You Can Actually Buy: PsiXpda

Twitter is testing out a new mobile interface at http://mobile.twitter.com the company announced just minutes ago and it really is a must-see. Beautiful design and some unique functionality are built on top of the company's own API. It's a relatively simple way to interact with Twitter but below are three key features that weren't available on Twitter's mobile interface before. Two features, lists and saved searches, are missing so far - and that's enough to be a deal-breaker for this reviewer. Sponsor View what you're replying to when you reply. The new reply view displays the tweet that's the subject of your reply below the message composition box. All Twitter apps should do this! Threaded DMs You can see the history of Direct Messages between you and any user whose profile page you're on. It's similar to how Tweetie 2 does it and it's pretty nice. Oddly, there's no way to view all your most recent DMs though. That's something that will probably be fixed soon. Mobile Fail Whale That's right - now you can get the beloved Fail Whale, Twitter's error message, on your phone. It's fun the first time. We'll see how it feels after repeated appearances. Two Missing Features and One Dream Unfulfilled There are no support for Twitter Lists in this interface. Twitter without groups of some kind is a cluttered mess if you have a lot of people you're following. This new interface is going to be best suited to people who make casual use of Twitter. There's no access to your saved searches , on of the nicest things about the web interface. There is access to trending topics, though. That's further evidence that this is intended to be a "fun" mobile interface. As such, it's great. Finally, there's no utilization of the new Geolocation API . It's been a week already and no one has changed our lives with this API yet! All in all, it's a great improvement to the mobile site - but it isn't going to replace the Tweetdeck or Tweetie iPhone apps on my phone. Discuss

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Twitter Takes Features (and the Fail Whale) Mobile

Originally set to launch in "early December," Twidroid surprised us by launching the next version of the popular Android Twitter client here on the last day of November instead. Twidroid 3.0, which is now available in the Android Marketplace, is a major update for this mobile application, introducing new features like geolocation, in-app image previews, threaded conversations, and, most notably an extensible plugin platform . Sponsor According to the release notes , the updated Twidroid app includes the following new features: Threaded conversations In-app image previews for twitpic, yfrog, twitgoo, phodroid, posterous and twitter profile images In-app link previews Twidroid plugins 1.0 + example on our website Action menu design streamlined with icons Share option for single tweet View large avatar in profile Saved searches sync with twitter Marker for tweets annotated with geo information Report spam Remember timeline position setting (default: on) Jump to top in timeline button Autocomplete usernames for timeline and replies Bring up tweet box directly by typing @ DM list now with avatars Friends/Followers now available in free version and moved to profile view The update also includes a fix for HTC Hero image upload problems, which users of that handheld will undoubtedly appreciate. As you can see from the list above, the new Twidroid is now a worthy competitor to its iPhone rivals, especially Tweetie 2.0, which also introduced similar features like threaded conversation and geolocation only months ago. In fact, Twidroid may have just one-upped its competitors as it is now one of the first mobile applications to introduce a plugin platform. Twidroid Does Plugins Twitter client plugins are just now started to be heavily discussed, thanks to a post by web guru Dave Winer which argued for the need of a programmable Twitter client. Loic Le Meur, maker of the Seesmic application, then followed up by expanding upon his vision for Seesmic's development platform. Having just announced his move from Adobe AIR to Windows for the continued development of the PC-based Seesmic Desktop application, Le Meur writes that the app is now ready to become a programmable client. When launched, the desktop version of Seesmic will allow third-party developers to build features or services that can be integrated into Seesmic's core application. Similarly, Twidroid's plugin platform offers the same type of promise, albeit on the mobile platform. Thanks to this new functionality, third-party developers can extend Twidroid with features like URL shortener integrations or additional sharing features, notes the website . To kick off the launch, the company has introduced a sample plugin for Google Maps integration which shows a Twitterer's current location on a map and allows them to update or annotate that location as well. Adding a plugin architecture is a major achievement among Twitter client applications - and certainly among the mobile set - as it will allow the apps to become highly customizable and personalized creations unique to each and every user's needs. The only problem with plugins is that those you add in one client may not be available in another. That is, plugins added to the upcoming version of Seesmic won't necessarily be available in Twidroid and vice versa. This points to a need for Twitter itself to become the extensible platform and not each individual app. However, in the meantime, regular users of Twidroid will certainly enjoy this added functionality as they begin to customize the app to their liking. Discuss

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Twidroid 3.0 Launches with Plugin Support