Five AR Apps to Watch For

1) Yelp's iPhone app

An iPhone AR pioneer, Yelp's Monocle feature lets viewers point their phone down a street and get Yelp star ratings for merchants.

2) Trulia for Android

The real-estate search site uses Layar's Reality Browser to overlay listings on top of a Google phone's camera view. Scan a neighborhood's available properties and even connect to the realtors.

3) TAT's Augmented ID

Social networking meets AR: Point your Android phone at a long-lost acquaintance for his Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube activity.

4) Mattel's Avatar toys 

Mattel's action figures for James Cameron's 3-D opus include an "i-Tag," enabling the toy to come to life on computer screens.

5) Transformers 2 DVD

AR add-ons are included on a number of new home-movie releases. Hold up the disc cover to your Webcam to see Optimus Prime storm all over your desk.