Lonely Planet reveals phone guides ideal for Australia holidaymakers

Many tourists may like to take a guide book or two when they head off on cheap flights to Australia but when travelling from place to place, such items can become annoyingly bulky.Now, however, guidebook favourite Lonely Planet has launched a new type of augmented reality guide which is available to Google Android users and can be read on a phone screen.

The company has launched 25 Compass Guides for holiday hotpots around the world and Matthew Cashmore, innovation and ecosystems manager at Lonely Planet, said the new guide books are “one of the most innovative things” the firm has ever launched.

“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,” he explained.

Tourists could use the phone to find the Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art, which is hosting an exhibition of the work of Italian designer Valentino from August 7th until the middle of November this year.

Written by Alex Cochrane.