I’ve just downloaded “Reality Browser 2.1,” and it’s much more robust than any competitive app. It includes a Yelp layer as discussed above, but there’s so much more: layers of wikipedic info, bars, restaurants, hotels, real estate, Flickr photos, an architecture guide, twitter (find the tweeps in your midst!) and so many more.
Basically, Layar’s Reality Browser finds almost anything on a super-local level. Brightkite’s layer lets you leave messages and photos for your friends in certain locations. (Which should render the common scavenger hunt obsolete.)

Big ups to brands like Trulia, Mazda, and Purdue University for stepping up and getting their own layers.

Marketers with an emphasis on local tools or resources would be wise to build their layer into this browser instead of reinventing the wheel with a separate app. For instance, Trulia has said it only took three hours to build their layer. Big ROI potential here, and no sasquatches OR hamsters.

In defense of creatives everywhere, there’s no shortage of great ideas just an inability to fund them, especially in such tight economic times when every activity is expected to prove ROI. First one to convince a client that branding the first down line will result in increased sales wins!