Together with the launch of version 3.1 we introduced our publishing environment to support paid layers. The two separate environments often leads to some confusion and therefore we will merge the developer and publishing environment into one environment. In this environment you can find all features. This means less hassle for you because you can develop and manage your layer(s) in one environment.

In order to make a smooth transition we recommend you to create a publishers account - if you still don’t have one. How to create a publishers account can be found here. On this page you can also find an overview of the basics of our publishers environment. If you already have a publisher account you won’t have to take any actions!

The migration of these two environments is scheduled for September. On the 16th of September we will organize a webinar to talk you through this new environment and explain you all the basics. After the webinar there will be room for questions. So don’t miss this one!

Webinar - New publishing/developers environment

Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM CEST

We just released our beta client 3.9 for Android, the preview of Layar 4.0. After all the news about the upcoming client we are happy to provide you with the beta version. In this client you’ll be introduced to the Floaticons and messaging options in Layar and are able try them out. Curious? We invite you to play with it and let us know what you think. Your feedback is very welcome and valuable to help us to improve the client for the Layar 4.0 release. >> Provide feedback here >> Report a bug You can download the beta client from our developer site. You need to be logged in to see the download link in the menu on the left side of the page. The easiest way to download the beta client to your device is to login to developer site through your mobile device and click on the link so it will instantly download the beta client on your phone. Please note that the installation will replace your current version of Layar.

Amsterdam, June 2nd 2010. Today Layar introduces a new way to browse with the latest Layar Reality Browser (version 3.5). The rapid growth of content within Layar increases the need for real time location based search. With the new version of the browser users can now easily discover and experience Augmented Reality without the need to enter a search query or open a specific layer. Users will immediately see the most interesting content nearby whenever they open the Layar Reality Browser, taking Augmented Reality from novelty to utility.

Layar’s Reality Browser revolutionizes mobile content discovery, by simply presenting the most interesting mobile content based on a user’s location & preferences. When launching the Layar Reality Browser users will be presented with a dynamic list of the most interesting content at their location. The list is sorted by time, location, proximity, popularity and preferences. The benefit of a list is that discovery is now possible without the need to hold the device up. It lowers the threshold to find interesting content, encouraging daily use.

Raimo van der Klein, CEO of Layar: “Augmented Reality is starting to behave like a true mass medium. It is becoming scalable with the introduction of its own discovery mechanism. We know that real-time location-based content discovery drives frequent re-use of the Layar browser.”

Last week the published layer count passed 700 with several thousand more in development. These layers currently serve 2.4 million objects a day and are now indexed and ranked using the patent pending Stream Technology. Stream supports any location based object published into Layar such as check-ins, coupons, status updates, gaming, information, 3D models and more. Publishers will also benefit by seeing their content, for the first time, served up at time and location most relevant to their users.

Layar Reality Browser version 3.5 with Stream Technology is available now for download in the Android Market. The iPhone release will be available soon.

About Layar Layar is the world’s leading Augmented Reality Platform and browser on mobile. The Layar Reality Browser has more than 2 million users and serves 2.4 million augmented objects every day. The browser comes pre-installed on tens of millions of phones from leading handset manufacturers and carriers by the end of the year.

Over 700 layers are published on the Layar Platform with over 2500 in development. These layers are developed by the global community of 3500 Layar publishers and producers, and by leading brands and agencies. Layar is located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The company is VC funded and has 32 employees.

The free Layar Reality Browser is available on Android devices and iPhone 3GS. The Layar Platform is available for anyone to create their own Augmented Reality experiences on.

Layar, see the world

>> Download all press materials

Layar highly values a great user experience - reason why we have an approval system for layer publications. It is remarkable that of all the requests for publication, we have to reject around 50% due to technical issues (not returning POIs or Layar provider not available). Approving publications takes a lot of time from our technical support team. This can easily be solved by developers themselves if the layers would be tested thoroughly before requesting approval.

Therefore we call upon all developers: please test your layer according to the “Notice” (test instructions) provided in the ‘your layers’ section on the Developer site. Please understand that if we have to reject your layer because of improper testing, we will not give it the highest priority when you re-request publication.

Claire Boonstra (co-founder)
Xuan Wang (technical support)

Dear Layar developers, the growth in the amount of brands, publishers and developers getting active on Layar is accelerating. This is of course great news for Layar and for the entire Augmented Reality business, but also means that there is a growing amount of questions and issues to be solved.

We are still a small team and cannot answer all questions within a reasonable time period. It would be of great help if you could answer or reply to questions being asked on the Google Group.

People like Jens de Smit are a great example of fantastic developers providing help here. We hope that more developers can follow this great example and help to grow the Augmented Reality ecosystem!

Many thanks in advance!

Claire Boonstra (co-founder)
Xuan Wang (technical support)