New Yelp iPhone app is also out. There's a cool... - Robert Scoble

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New Yelp iPhone app is also out. There's a cool easter egg (Augmented Reality feature). Here's how to do it:

Kenn Ejima, Denise Howell, Doug Schumacher and 95 other people liked this

Download the new Yelp app (came out yesterday). So you shake your iPhone 3 times. That activates a feature called Monocle. A message should come up if you activated it. A blue box will come up saying "the Monocle has been activated." It will create a button in the top right corner. Now you should be able to look at the bars, restaurants, etc. Only works on iPhone 3GS. - Robert Scoble

waiting Robert.... :) - Sampad Swain

You point it at businesses, or down the city block. I'll try it right now. - Robert Scoble

Yep! Works. Took a few tries to get it to activate. Some of the places it shows me have been closed for ages though, guess I need to update Yelp for the area. - Otto

That sounds so cool. Would love to see a video demo of it Robert! - Alex Calic

I wonder why it's an easter egg. That sounds great. - Daniel Ha

I just did it. Very cool. I hear this feature was added for me. I really love it! - Robert Scoble from iPhone

Daniel: probably to get it through the iPhone store approval process faster. - Robert Scoble from iPhone

Raises the question of whether they would have rejected it if they'd known about it. Or did Yelp tell the reviewers about it? - Jan Dawson

Very, very cool! Just tried it out. There's not a lot on Yelp near by work (kind of an industrial area), but I did get it to find the nearest restaurant. So cool! :-) - Josh Bancroft

awesome! - Marshall Kirkpatrick

as long as Yelp allows iPhone users to rate on the fly.. previously had to sync first (not smart) - Sam Levin

can anyone grab me a screenshot of this? i want to write about it - Marshall Kirkpatrick

I do love beating TechCrunch with news! :-) - Robert Scoble from iPhone

Yes, Mr. Scoble, you beat RWW, TechCrunch, AND Mashable! Damn. - Ben Parr

I can't get it to work... :( - Larry Roth

We need a Yelp for Federal, State and Local government services. - Chris Stevenson

Too bad nobody will ever see it 'cause you mentioned it here and not on your blog ;-) - Ken Sheppardson

I just posted a photo on my friendfeed account. - Robert Scoble from iPhone

Installing - Stephen Pickering

The instructions sound like World of Warcraft. - Steve Rubel

You android lovers will see that 'Layer' reality browser does the same as Monocle - Wayne Bentz

Yelp also just launched their Palm Pre app in the Palm app store. No augmented reality that I can find :-( - Ken Sheppardson

Yelp doesn't seem to have much support for Canadian business according to some reviews - Alex Knight

Marshall, I just blogged a screenshot. Will be on www.tinyscreenfuls.com as soon as Posterous gets it there. - Josh Bancroft

Stupid 3GS. You guys think you're so cool. Easter eggs, harumph! *mumble grumble* - Sarah Lane

Yay it works in Canada too! - JP Holecka - Jaypiddy

Nice idea but in my case the locations seem to be about 180 degrees off - i.e. showing behind me instead of in front - but may be down to a fuzzy GPS location or something - will have to keep trying - Jan Dawson

I wonder why it was "secret", ... undocumented API usage or just to create marketing buzz ? - Kooleido

Kooleido: I hear it was added at last minute. - Robert Scoble from iPhone

Damn, nothings happening. I've shaked it :( - Stephen Pickering

No iPhone 3G love because no compass? Phooey. :P - Cheryl Jones

Installed It! Works Awesome! Would definitely use it on my next lunch hunt in Downtown - Kooleido

Got it to work--just took a little more shaking...was worried I was going to put my phone through the ceiling! - Larry Roth

Kooleido, how'd you get it to work. I've installed and shaken, but nothings happening - Stephen Pickering

Oh--and very cool - Larry Roth

Stephen shake in long and hard strokes. - Robert Scoble from iPhone

I hate that the iPhone 3G can handle all this new stuff, but Apple insists that you need the 3Gs. Qik on the jailbroken 3G has been awesome! - Elijah Nicolas

@Elijah Nicolas The 3Gs is for the built in compass that is required for augmented reality to work. - JP Holecka - Jaypiddy

lol if it was added for you Robert it would show the cutest girls in the area instead - Sherry Reynolds

Didn't I hear that Apple had an embargo on AR apps til next month? - Brian O'Connell

Very cool, thanks for the info. It appears you have to be logged into Yelp though the app before the monocle option will appear. - Patrick Looney

just posted about it http://www.readwriteweb.com/archive... good job finding it first Robert! - Marshall Kirkpatrick

1st sentence typo in your post Marshall ;o) - Alex Calic

Couldn't get it to work by "shaking it" but I got it to work by moving my iPhone up and down 3 times in a vertical motion. Pretty damn cool. - Doug Rice

Marshall, how do you get that camera view? I can't seem to get mine to work. I've shaken and shaken - Stephen Pickering

Well, thats slightly cool. - Sean Oliver

Stephen, you should probably just keep shaking. In publish, with lots of people around. :) No, I don't know. I don't have a 3Gs so I don't have a compass so I don't have the Yelp AR. - Marshall Kirkpatrick

Holy crap. It really works. - David Sharpe

Unreal... landscape and portrait works. - Drew Lucas

Check out our Yelp AR layer inside of Layar Reality Browser ... Android. http://www.GoWeb3D.com - Dave Elchoness

Scoble, I just published on Mashable: http://mashable.com/2009... - Ben Parr

Doh! mashable wins with the most link-baity headline again. - Marshall Kirkpatrick

Putting up a video on Gear Live. - Andru Edwards

we have video too :P - Jennifer Van Grove

@Marshall - We still love you guys, your article's great. :D; @Robert, props. Total props. - Ben Parr

@Robert thanks it's fun http://bsu.gr/4414782 - briansugar

I made a screenshot here: http://www.flickr.com/photos... It takes a few tries to turn on the option though! - Daynah

posted about this on Obsessable and my blog. We'll see if Techmeme grabs it and actually puts this FriendFeed thread first, or if they just ignore it until TechCrunch covers it lolz http://www.obsessable.com/news... & http://www.sampletheweb.com/2009... - C. K. Sample III

ah Marshall got it up first on a notable blog... http://www.readwriteweb.com/archive... - C. K. Sample III

I got it to work and man, is it sweet! So smart. - Leslie Fishlock

Shake the darn thing 3 times :)- they say that break dancin was learnt , robbing hubcaps of a movin car in NYC.. so lets so what the new thing will be by the time th iphone has all the motion sickness activiated apps !! - Peter Dawson

just got word of a THIRD app with AR live in iTunes store! http://www.readwriteweb.com/archive... I'd say it's official: AR apps have come to the iPhone! - Marshall Kirkpatrick

I already had 2.0.2, but I'm downloading 3.0 now. I'm not thinking it's going to work in my office, but we'll see. - RobinDotNet

Ok, that's really cool. It even works sitting here in my office at home. - RobinDotNet

Downloading now. I am absolutely fascinated by the idea of augmented reality! - Victoria Harres Akers

This is pretty cool but the shake 3 times thing doesn't work too well - Jason Wehmhoener from iPhone

This is fantastic, just activated Monocle. For those having trouble, its best to move/raise and lower the iPhone 3 times vertically instead of just shaking it. I was shaking mine like a madman until I tried the vertical move. - Bryan

[Video] Yelp iPhone Augmented Reality Application http://blip.tv/file/2524950 - Steve Garfield

very cool - I can't believe stuff actually shows up near my house on the bay - sweet :) - Susan Beebe

Damn, guess I'll have to upgrade to the 3GS now. - Damon Cortesi

I am using the app in Indianapolis to find a restauant. As I guessed the augmented reality is cool but not very useful. Other than to help figure out which direction to walk in. - Robert Scoble from iPhone

Argh. I wish I had wifi here so I could download it. A trip to Starbucks might be in order. - Ha3rvey (Free hugs!)

killer in nyc - mike "glemak" dunn from iPhone

dang it - iPhone 3G... - Jodi

iPhone 3G... not in the States... meh - Johnny Worthington

It's innovative and that's awesome, but I think this type of interface will be a passing gimmick until more advanced image processing is built into the mobile device. My thoughts on what does matter about it here - http://bit.ly/12wtcY My $0.02. - Alex Hawkinson

shake your iPhone 6 times, that activates GoogleVoice - HansVanRock

Pretty damn cool. Thanks for the heads up - Jim Goldstein from iPhone

I just got this going on my friend's 3Gs. I don't even know what to say. That is freaking incredible! Makes me want a 3Gs *just* for that feature! - Michael Lynton

Just tried this. Awesome! Too bad I'm in a po' dunk town with nothing to do. :) - Bryan Lee

Amazing, how on earth did you find it! It's still 6:00 am, perhaps I'll Yelp for breakfast - Nalin Perera

Wow, I'll have to say this is phenomenal. Wish I'd had this on my trip to D.C. a couple weeks ago. Yelp just made an incredibly useful app even more useful. I've seen a lot of developers working on this technology lately but it looks like they beat everyone to the punch. - Mike Elliott

screen capture of it in action http://twitpic.com/fklr4 - mike "glemak" dunn

very cool....it took me a few times to get the blue box, but then it worked. thanks - Pam Negoro

I just got the yelp AR to work, and I am staying tonight in a hotel, so I went to my window, and held the camera to the window and it was able to show me reviews of the businesses right across the street from me! I am in love with yelp all over again! - Colide81 (James)

Can't get it to work! Shook long and hard! - Islandwoo from iPhone

This youtube video should help you learn how to get it Islandwoo, I think its in how you shake it, I tryed several ways but after I watched this video I did it like the guy in the video and it worked. http://www.youtube.com/watch... - Colide81 (James)

Yeah, you've got to learn to shake it just right! :-) - Nalin Perera