Gearing up to take that fun summer trip? Trying to gather together some maps of that great location? Concerned this image below may end up being you?

Given the quick advancements happening in the world of augmented reality, you may soon only have to rely on the device that already sits by your side all day long.

Mashable’s post today on the topic (Why Augmented Reality is Poised to Change Marketing) officially made me a firm believer that we’re on the brink of something big. In short, application for augmented reality is endless. Just over the course of the past few months, I’ve found myself thinking about various applications of the technology:

Ski Shopping –  I live in a city. Mountains are quite a distance away. What good is it for me to stare at a $600 pair of skis and just trust that this is the pair I want to buy? Sure, I can demo the skis, but why not just let me hover over a tag above the ski rack and watch a quick demo video on my mobile? Ultimately, some quick hunting landed me on the video above but I can imagine few ski shoppers having the patience to hunt around online while in the store.

Record Shopping – Yes, yes, we all know it’s a miracle that record shops still exist. In many respects, I love it. I love sifting through CDs, looking at vinyl cover artwork and checking out hard to find zines. At the same time, digital music dominates the market. Why not provide record store shoppers with an easy way to check out sample music with a quick hover over an artist’s name in the CD rack?

Hiking – Assuming our state parks stay open, how great would it be to have the ability to scan tags along portions of a hike to update you on highlights along that portion of the trail or what lies ahead?

Relationship Status Scanning – I’ll stop there. Living in Seattle (where men are notoriously shy in their approach to women) I fear a city suddenly full of creeps pointing devices at each other to scan for whether someone is single or not. Saved heartache? Sure. Creep factor? Out the roof.

As you can imagine, beyond the personal and social applications, the opportunities for increased brand marketing engagement are endless. Check out this great demo video below and feel free to leave a comment below on whether you’re a AR fan, hater or drumming up your own creative idea for putting the technology to use.

Image courtesy of juzblurbs.