Huawei seems to be ready to take the challenge to Google as it rolled out its AR map in the app market on 8th April 2020. The announcement was made official in the Huawei P40 series conference. This definitely is big news in the mapping software ecosystem.
Why the need for AR map
According to a report from the conference, Huawei’s AR map is compatible only with Huawei’s latest P40 series. So the people who are interested to try it will require a Huawei P40 model smartphone. For those who are unaware, the US government has put trade restrictions on Huawei due to which it can’t use any Google product on its devices.
The older Huawei devices are exempted from this. However, rising up to this challenge Huawei has taken on itself to develop hardware and software on its own and compete with Google. And its AR map has emerged out of this situation and necessity.
About Huawei AR map
The Huawei AR map is based on river chart technology. Huawei claims that its augmented reality feature almost dissolves the boundary between the digital virtual world and the real world. There are two open beta services currently made available by Huawei AR maps: Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and Nanjing Road Bund.
As with any other AR technology the real world becomes like a digital panel with a lot of real-time information displayed on it. The information is superimposed on live images and helps the user in navigation and can provide additional information too.
Highlights
Certain highlights of Huawei AR maps are:
1. AR live navigation
2. Recognition of the current position by just lifting the phone
3. Navigation is intuitive and provides guidance on real-time images to reach the target.
4. One can view the holographic information displayed.
5. Also, you can get additional information after reaching your target by clicking on the superimposed information signs.
The Huawei AR map looks like an interesting addition to the world of mapping software. To be successful it needs to extend beyond the P40 models at the very least. Whether it can pose a genuine challenge to Google Maps remains to be seen.
