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"Compass": Another App Built-In in iPhone 3.0??

ThE.MeSsEnGeR

ThE.MeSsEnGeR

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2009
678
85
Santiago, Chile
Hey All!!

We already know about the "Voice Memos" App being built-in in iPhone 3.0...

but what about this?? will this pic demonstrate that a new App will also be included?? maybe just for the sole role that the digital compass will be included for??

the reason why i'm thinking this way... is because in this pic [attached], the "current location" option could be turned on in "Maps" and in "Compass"...

maybe the app will show a 3D compass and it will show u nort/south/east/west in a real neat way.... maybe with Augmented Reality?? :D:D

What do u all think??:confused:
 

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xbuddycorex said:
I think the point he was getting at is that it looks like there will be a native "Compass" app, just like there's a native "Maps" app. I don't think he's talking about the magnometer hardware, but more of what software will come with it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, we already knew we were going to have some kind of "compass" presence on the iPhone, but an actual App devoted to it would be something entirely different. But would a separate app be useful? Wouldn't it make more sense integrated into the Maps App?
 
It would be pretty cool if it could be integrated into Google Street View so I can stand at one pub facing another and find out which one has Newcastle on tap for cheaper.
 
@ kas23

It might be really useful as a "presence" in Maps but Apple is well known for making different Apps for different uses, that could've been all-in-one
like in Mas OSX: iTunes+QuickTime+DVD Player+Front Row
and : Mail+Address Book+iCal
and on the iPhone: Voice Memos + Notes

but this time, i think it'll be cool to have a whole different environment for the Compass App different than the Maps App....
 
xbuddycorex said:
It would be pretty cool if it could be integrated into Google Street View so I can stand at one pub facing another and find out which one has Newcastle on tap for cheaper.
Click to expand...
IMO, it will be integrated in Maps as a whole, but will have a stand-alone App.... just like the accelorometer, it is integrated in almost all the Apps, but could have a stand-alone App to log the exact position of the iphone (if its in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal position...) but as it is not that important as a stand-alone, they didnt do it.... but as for the compass i think its important enough for a stand-alone...;)
 
ThE.MeSsEnGeR said:
IMO, it will be integrated in Maps as a whole, but will have a stand-alone App.... just like the accelorometer, it is integrated in almost all the Apps, but could have a stand-alone App to log the exact position of the iphone (if its in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal position...) but as it is not that important as a stand-alone, they didnt do it.... but as for the compass i think its important enough for a stand-alone...;)
Click to expand...


As long as it directs me to that frosty tap I'll be happy... And maybe safety if I'm lost in the woods.
 
Interesting observation... and makes a certain disappointing sense:

Google Maps doesn't rotate today. So it will probably stay the way it is.

Compass, a new app, would look and act ONLY like a compass... and optionally show a tiny corner map with your location.

Everyone's hoping for a combination app, but it doesn't sound like it yet.
 
kdarling said:
Interesting observation... and makes a certain disappointing sense:

Google Maps doesn't rotate today. So it will probably stay the way it is.

Compass, a new app, would look and act ONLY like a compass... and optionally show a tiny corner map with your location.

Everyone's hoping for a combination app, but it doesn't sound like it yet.
Click to expand...


Is it too hard to get Google maps to rotate? They're tiles, right? not like Core animation can't get the tiles and rotate them dependent on a reading from the digital compass, and then overlay a North sign?
But - if all the text is already on that tile, they'll have to remake them...
Is the text a vector graphic layer?

Even if they didn't do this - they could provide a Street View like pointer, rather than just a dot - to show the GPS fix and the direction the iPhone is in.

The possibilities were being talked about last year, if i recall rightly -

Don't forget also that the iPhone is likely to also have an internal compass ala Android I/O conference demo, and also have Street View - Street View shows that Google can do non-North views. If you have a compass, you just alter the data. Not too much of a technical problem to fix I imagine. If you look at Google Street View, the indicator of position shows direction also, so it could reverse that, and have the direction up, and the map rotate around it.
Why shouldn't developers code so it pre-caches the route map data? It isn't like there isn't enough storage, or data capacity through 3G / HSDPA when the signals there.
Click to expand...

- back in 08, and likely others here were talking about it earlier.


Google I/O will be interesting to see - for Android as well as trickle down to iPhone.

Picture - simple mockup. Street View is already available - they could have an option to split screen it.
They could overlay a North symbol in Street View
They could provide a rotating map
They could provide a pointer like Street View

Might depend on the licensing of the tiles potentially.

"Google APIs add-on
The Google APIs add-on extends your Android SDK to give your applications access to Google libraries such as Maps. Using the Maps library, you can quickly add powerful mapping capabilities to your Android applications."
http://code.google.com/android/add-ons/google-apis/index.html
 

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  • streetview2.PNG
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kdarling said:
Interesting observation... and makes a certain disappointing sense:

Google Maps doesn't rotate today. So it will probably stay the way it is.

Compass, a new app, would look and act ONLY like a compass... and optionally show a tiny corner map with your location.

Everyone's hoping for a combination app, but it doesn't sound like it yet.
Click to expand...

Wait, that's an excellent idea, I think. A Maps App that automatically rotates to the direction you are heading (like GPS) instead of always North facing. So, we wouldn't have to physically rotate the iPhone in our hand in the direction we are heading. This toggle switch may not signal a new app, but a new feature in the Maps App we can turn on & off. Remember, the maps on the iPhone is not called Google Maps, it's just Maps. Apple created this app using Google data, but they can still do whatever tweak they want to it.
 
Could Compass be about Friends? Find your fellow friends, with a map? IF Apple knows both peeps positions, they could show them which direction to go - so say if you were lost in a crowd, you could direct someone to you?

Likely something else - but it's doable.
 
t0mat0 said:
Could Compass be about Friends? Find your fellow friends, with a map? IF Apple knows both peeps positions, they could show them which direction to go - so say if you were lost in a crowd, you could direct someone to you?

Likely something else - but it's doable.
Click to expand...

Could be. Could just be a cute little name about something totally different. After all, Safari is not about, well, a Safari.
 
kas23 said:
Could be. Could just be a cute little name about something totally different. After all, Safari is not about, well, a Safari.
Click to expand...

True, but then we have Clock, Calendar, Camera, Contacts, iPod, App Store, Photos, Notes, Settings, Phone, Text, Mail also.
 
They should make an app called "Location" and put the whole maps app and the compass app in it. Makes much more sense.
 
I don't want to go through two screens just to launch a compass. Or have maps load alongside it when I don't need it.
 
well if the compass app gets built in what is it going to look like? Safaris icon is already a compass.
 
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