Smartphones to transform the way we travel

According to a study conducted by the mobile network, in conjunction with trend forecasting company, the Future Laboratory, mobile phones and augmented reality apps will explode, offering users "a completely immersive travel experience".

The apps will cover everything from instantly translating foreign text such as signs or a menu, to allowing the user to explore a location through geo-tags posted by locals.

The network described tourists most likely to take advantage of augmented reality app for their mobile phones as 'insightseers'.

Meanwhile, 'supersumers' will use their handsets not only to compare prices of goods, but also to make informed decisions when shopping, by simply pointing their smartphone at a barcode to access a wealth of information - from the carbon footprint of the product to the credentials of a manufacturer.

Two in five smartphone owners said they no longer get lost thanks to the GPS in their handset and 20 percent admitted they felt safer when they had their phone on them.