Explore using Nokia City Lens for Windows Phone

Nokia Beta Labs just announced today that they’ve got a new beta program running for Nokia City Lens for Windows Phone. This is a augmented reality app which allows you to discover places in your city using an augmented reality interface.

To get this app on your Nokia Lumia device,  head over to this page on Nokia Beta Labs and click on the Try it Now Button on that page. Once you sign in with your Nokia account or use the Facebook Login option, you’ll get the link to the app to download from Windows Marketplace.

Once the app is opened up, you can choose what kind of places you want to explore around you. Check this screen below to get an idea of what you can choose.

I chose nearby places, to see what I get on the app. These were the options I got which were close to my location. You can choose between the landscape and portait modes to get differnt view. In the Landscape mode, the camera switches on showin places around me superimposed on the what I see in the background.

The Landscape mode shows a list of places with a tiny compass icon denoting which direction the place is, the distance from my current location and Rating of restaurants.

To get more information about a place, all you need to do is to click on the place (in either mode) and you’ll get to the details the place. In the Windows Phone Metro style, you can swipe this screen left or right to get the following information:

• An overview of the place, Contact Numbers, Websites and you can click on the Get Directions here to get driving direction from your current location to the place you’re interested in visiting.
• Guide – Link to Guides with reviews or more details of this place
• Photos – Where available, you can also take a look at photos of the place
• Nearby – to look for places close this place you’re viewing.
• Share information about this place through Email, SMS or you Social Networks

Overall, a nice app to discover new places in your city or when you’re exploring new cities while you are travelling. Be sure to check out the video below, and Nokia Beta Lab’s page on the Nokia City Lens app.