If you hadn’t noticed yet from our barrage of tweets on the subject, Layar is looking to bring on a pair of all-star mobile developers in short order for an awesome summer project.

If you’re an experienced Android or iPhone developer and want to spend your summer in sunny Amsterdam, then we have one sweet deal for you. We’re cooking up some amazing projects for the future and need some kick-ass developers to help us knock it out of the park.

Layar is looking for the best of the best, the cream of the crop, and of course we know it will take more than asking nicely to get you here so we came up with the ultimate Amsterdam Summer Package:

Layar will fly you to Amsterdam, put you up in a cool apartment for the summer, to make sure you can get around like a local we’ll hook you up with a shiny new bike and provide you with one of the most fun work environments there is. Oh, and we’ll offer a competitive salary too.

Our office has beautiful views of both the city and the harbor, features delicious catered lunches each day and is home to some of the most friendly (and often off-beat) people out there.

Not to mention you’ll be in one of Europe’s most sizzling and entertaining cities (we’ll let you decide how to define “entertainment”) during the warmest months of the year. Amsterdam has a very large international community and every summer Amsterdam fills up with tourists because of the laid back vibe, festivals and other exciting things - and you’ll be here for all of it.

Sounding good so far?

You should have a proven track record at developing either iOS or Android applications. You should be able to show us amazing apps where you have played a major part in their development. We’re looking for the developers behind the really cool, featured apps on the app stores. Additional requirements include:

• 3+ years of experience developing on iOS or Android.


• 7+ years of development experience in a commercial (preferably startup) environment.


• Strong background in C++ and Objective-C or Java.


• Passion for making good looking apps with attention to every detail of the UI.


• You know how to make an app responsive, fast and likable.


• Experience working in an agile environment.

You’ll be working closely with our design and UX team, as well as with our other developers (mobile and server back-end) in Amsterdam and the Ukraine. Expect an intensive summer of coding, with the reward of building one of the coolest apps in the market.

We’re looking for people to start A.S.A.P. for two months, possibly three, and if it goes well and we like you we might ask you to stay on permanently. So let’s review…

Free plane ticket to Europe… free housing in Amsterdam… free bike… free food… terrific work environment… competitive salary… get to help create an amazing new product…

Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? What’s the catch? No catch. We just need to best iOS and Android developers out there. If that’s you, send a note to jobs [at] layar [dot] com.

Back in February, we released a beta version of the next iteration of the Layar Reality Browser. Today, thanks to the feedback from the beta, we are very excited to announce that Layar 5.0 is now available (in full-fledged non-beta form) for both Android and iPhone.

So what do we have for you in this version? I’m glad you asked. Layar 5.0 now features the ability to share content with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. The next time you find a really cool layer, gain achievements or even spot a cool 3D model you want to take a screenshot of, you can quickly and easily share it with the world.

“This year we are continuing to look for more ways to bring augmented reality into people’s everyday lives,” said Layar CEO Raimo Van der Klein. “With today’s new version, we’re able to take a huge step closer towards that goal by giving users the chance to discover exciting new content and share cool layers and augmented screenshots with friends.”

As Raimo said, with Layar 5.0 also comes the ability for more interactivity within layers thanks to our animation capabilities. Layers are no longer limited to static content; now icons and 3D models can come alive with animation, adding a new layer of engagement to augmented reality.

Additionally, thanks to the great user feedback we’ve received, some tweaks to the user interface have been implemented into the client. We have made it easier than ever to save your favorite layers, and now we keep track of your most recently viewed layers in the “Recent” tab.

Finally, for our Symbian users, don’t worry! We haven’t forgotten about you. In time our Symbian client will be updated to include all of the same features found on the Android and iPhone clients.

So if you haven’t yet, be sure to update to latest version of Layar. For iPhone users, Layar only supports iOS 4.0 and higher, so if you have yet to update, you will be prompted to do so.

For those that are new, to download Layar 5.0 on your mobile device, simply navigate to either the App Store or Android Market and search for Layar!

Thanks to the ubiquity of the Internet and the capabilities of laptops and portable devices, working remotely has become a common practice for millions. Freelancers, the self-employed or just those with employers who allow remote working - they all undoubtedly enjoy occasionally perching themselves at a coffee shop for a day of work.

The only problem is, what if you’re new to an area or you’re travelling to an unfamiliar city? It can be hard to find that perfect place to get some work done. That’s the problem that the startup WorkSnug tries to fix.

WorkSnug has teams around the world visiting popular workspaces, rating the Wifi, noise levels, environment and - of course - the coffee! The company lets users find workspaces using their iPhone and BlackBerry apps, and now, Android and Symbian users can access this wealth of workspace knowledge on-the-go in augmented reality with the WorkSnug layer.

Here’s a video of WorkSnug’s San Sharma talking about the layer!

On your mobile device? Click here to launch this layer now!

It’s a busy day for iPhone news at Layar today. If you haven’t already, make sure you hit up the AppStore and upgrade to the most recent release of Layar. There’s nothing different, no new features or anything, but this version fixes a few bugs that were occurring due to the release of iOS 4.3 by Apple.

And while you’re in the AppStore, search for an app named SurpriseMe AR - the latest app that makes use of our brand new Layar Player. The Layar Player allows iPhone developers to easily implement augmented reality into their very own iPhone apps by simply copy and pasting a few lines of code.

SurpriseMe AR is an app from Elipse Analysis and Design that lets you give and receive gifts to and from your friends using augmented reality. You can add your friends, pick a gift and place it in virtual space for them to discover. Or perhaps you will be the lucky recipient of an AR gift from them!

The app supports 3D models, photos, audio files and text gifts. You can place the objects like dropping a pin on a map, and your friends see the gifts pop up around them in augmented reality. The application connects to Facebook to help you add friends and manage gifts both on the app and on your personal computer.

To see how it works simply check out the video embedded below after the jump! And don’t forget to upgrade your iPhone to the newest version of Layar!

With the debut of the iPad 2, Apple released iOS 4.3 and unfortunately the update has caused some problems with the Layar client. The update to the iPhone’s operating system and APIs causes some images and icons in Layar to display incorrectly or not at all.

But don’t worry! We are currently working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible!

If you have yet to update to iOS 4.3, we recommend you hold off on the update for a few days if you plan to continue using Layar. An update should be available in the App Store in a day or two, and we’ll update this post when the download is ready.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience. If you have any questions, please email support@layar.com.

Keep it here for updates!

UPDATE #1: The fix has been submitted to Apple but is still pending review. You can expect it to be live sometime early next week! Thanks for your patience!

UPDATE #2: The fix is now available in the AppStore! Get it here.