Score!
Any mobile worker knows the keys to a good environment are coffee, power outlets and an absolutely perfect high-speed Internet connection. The problem is that it can take too long to duck in and out of coffee shops to figure out which ones have good wi-fi.
Lookator is a nifty augmented reality-based solution to that. Hold up your phone, and you'll see scores of wi-fi signals around you with their relative strengths.
The app comes from Loft Developers, a three-person team based in Tel Aviv, Israel that's self-funded at the moment. The app uses vector-based models that continuously update as the user moves around to figure out the direction and strength of wi-fi access points. The team is planning to add features that show which wi-fi networks are password-protected and that allow users to click-to-connect. The app is built for Google's Android platform but Loft is working on getting it to the iPhone.
There's a competing app called WorkSnug, but it relies on user reviews to create a database of good places to work. Lookator finds wi-fi connections directly.
Augmented reality is a growing field that allows apps to superimpose information over the real world in a phone's viewfinder. We've seen some augmented reality apps that are a bit frivolous at this point, but occasionally one will show up that promises to be pretty useful. Lookator could be one of these.