Augmented Reality Property Search With Junaio

The Junaio browser started life as an augmented reality social networking application which enabled users to share pictures with friends and other users across the Juanio network. The difference with Junaio photos was the fact that users could embed 3D images into the pictures to make interesting scenes. Everything from placing Santa hats on a sleeping granny to a tyrannosaurs rex eating out your cat’s food bowl.

Today Junaio still has its social networking routes, though the emphasis is less on creating and sharing scenes as the focus has shifted towards becoming a fully-fledged augmented reality browser with a social element.

Junaio has the usual mix of ‘channels’ to help find places to eat as provided by Qype and viewed in the camera view, but other users are able to create channels of their favorite places to eat as well so you’ll get to find out what other people like and recommend.  The social networking aspect extends to all the channels groups, if you have ever been to a foreign city and wondered what nightlife there is, you can get the Qype view which shows every night club in town, or you can find out what other people are doing and what they recommend. If you have ever been the only person in a night club you’ll know why reviews from other people are so useful.

The Junaio browser comes with a variety of channels including a games channel that lets you play a 3D version of space invaders.

Today Metaio (the developers of Junaio) announced that their partners ROFO and HotPads are one of the first in the real estate industry to use augmented reality to visually show users all nearby properties in a several-mile radius on their phone to take the hassle out of property search. HotPads shows users real estate while ROLF shows office space for rent. Both channels look as though they are the US only (since Rightmove appears to control 99% of the UK market and the app finds nothing near my location). But for Junaio users it’s another interesting way to hunt for local property listings and have them overlaid on top of the camera view.

Junaio is free and available in the iPhone AppStore and in a developer beta for the Android. It’s worth installing even if you are not in the USA and browsing the channels to see what is around you.