Lonely Planet has launched a series of Augmented Reality (AR) Compass Guides for Android users in the UK, where real life is annotated with Lonely Planet travel information. The guides cover popular European, US and Asian cities.

“This is one of the most innovative things we’ve launched and we’re really excited to see how people use this application,” says Matthew Cashmore, Lonely Planet’s innovation and ecosystems Manager. “The application pinpoints your exact location, so that when you find yourself in a new city and want to know what there is to see and do around you, just look through the camera and a wealth of Lonely Planet information on the best destinations, accommodation, sites, bars and restaurants appear stuck like posted notes to points of interest around you.”

Key features of the Compass Guides include GPS-enabled maps and location-based information for hundreds of points of interest for every city, while the phone’s built in compass allows users to see their current location and how far or near they are to destinations and sites. The guides also enable travellers to use all content, with the exception of the maps, offline, to avoid data roaming fees.

The 25 AR guides available at launch are for Amsterdam, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Paris, Prague, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Vancouver, Boston, Chicago, LA, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC.

Lonely Planet phrasebook apps, currently on sale in the US, will also soon be available to UK Android users. The apps are available for English speakers and translate commonly-used phrases into popular languages, including Arabic, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Mexican Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish and Polish. Each phrasebook contains over 600 spoken and phonetic pronunciations, covering everything from greetings to places to go out. 
Lonely Planet’s Compass Guides and Phrasebooks are available for $4.99 (£3.15) from Android Market, and work on all Android phones.