Japanese augmented reality destination app Sekai hits global stores

The widely praised augmented reality iPhone app Sekai Camera has launched globally after a hugely successful introduction to the Japanese market.

Named the best app of 2009 by Apple Japan, Sekai Camera is the brainchild of the Tonchidot Corporation in Tokyo and throws location-based AR functions against social elements such as trip and point sharing and text/video communication.

Users are able to identify and obtain information about existing tourist sites and other locations on their iPhone, similar to existing AR tools on the market.

But where Sekai has won its plaudits is with its use of tagging functionality to allow users to mark locations through the app with their own comments or multimedia.

Text, video and images can then be shared instantly into our outlets, such as Twitter, as well other users being able to see content on their own devices.

Sekai has also built functionality into the system which allows users to send Air Tags of content to others in the vicinity using the iPhone’s inbuilt device-to-device monitoring technology.

To filter the inevitable content noise that will build up around well-known locations, Sekai has created a timeline and relevancy function so users can browse through the most interesting or recent tags that can be seen around a location.

The profiling system in the app allows users to put a virtual Air Tag above them wherever they are so contacts can see where they are on their own apps.

Launched in September 2009 in Japan, Sekai Camera achieved 100,000 downloads in four days, accounting for around one in ten of the total Japanese iPhone market.