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Will the iPod Touch get a digital compass too? Or is it something that needs the GPS and connectivity capabilities of the iPhone? I know it wouldn't be able to tell me what building is in front of me, but it would be nice to have a compass.
 
The app possibilities of this are amazing. It may start out with merely text based augmented data, but it could soon evolve into three-dimensional animated augmented overlays. Much like the paper marker augmented demos, but with compass and GPS data substituting the paper.

augmented-reality-hud.jpg


I'm sold.

If anyone doesn't know what augmented reality is, you need to read about it right now.

HowStuffWorks "How Augmented Reality Will Work"

Augmented reality - Wikipedia

This is the future.
 
Be nice when you're backpacking, hiking off the grid and you need to know your location. Of course, carrying a standard compass and learning how to find your latitude and longitude always works.
 
Prediction: Google maps will rotate depending on which direction you are facing. Although that would have to mean that text labels would also have to go for a spin. Would that be really hard to do or are street names and the like a seperate layer in the Google API?

looks like someone is a little behind the times. this functionality already exists in google maps for android so having it added to the iphone is a no brainer.
 
A yet to be released (and unconfirmed) feature would not be in an Apple commercial.
No, he's right. There is a compass app in the iPhone advertisement. It changes direction when the person tilts the iPhone. I'm not sure what mechanism the app uses to get its direction, but it's not a magnetometer.
 
I believe the iPhone...

... I do not not know but reminds me so much Skynet, that little thing has so much technology inside that in no time is gonna develop mind on its own.
 
Be nice when you're backpacking, hiking off the grid and you need to know your location. Of course, carrying a standard compass and learning how to find your latitude and longitude always works.

Lol, if you're backpacking off the grid, the last thing you want is to rely on batteries to know where you are and how to get back. This will never replace a standard compass and topo maps.
 
this would be a great feature.

as an avid Garmin Rino user for hunting, the lack of a digital compass hurts the current iphone. I'm not used to a map staying the exact same way despite constant turns. in fact, it drives me nuts that my iphone can't tell in which direction i'm heading.

Granted, I realize that is not the purpose of this device, but it does screw me up b/c i'm used to supreme navigational tools. maybe 'supreme' isn't the right word, but you get the drift :)
 
Just as another use - with the Army interested in the iPhone/Touch for millitary purposes - this function would be darn useful for people in the field.
 
negative ratings, why??

Who could rate this NEGATIVE, I wonder?? :rolleyes:

It looked like a promising hardware development to me if not exactly what many here were expecting to. Sometimes unheard applications can come into being with developments just like these. I would take that than asking for a 5 MP camera on phones, which are crappy anyway. :p
 
The app possibilities of this are amazing. It may start out with merely text based augmented data, but it could soon evolve into three-dimensional animated augmented overlays. Much like the paper marker augmented demos, but with compass and GPS data substituting the paper.

augmented-reality-hud.jpg


I'm sold.

If anyone doesn't know what augmented reality is, you need to read about it right now.

HowStuffWorks "How Augmented Reality Will Work"

Augmented reality - Wikipedia

This is the future.

Hey I know where that is!

Anyways, I believe this magnetometer is coming to the iPhone, but as another poster has pointed out; "kitchen sink"? Is this a Photoshop joke or something?
 
Hey I know where that is!

Anyways, I believe this magnetometer is coming to the iPhone, but as another poster has pointed out; "kitchen sink"? Is this a Photoshop joke or something?

The picture is from here

We've come a long way from this
augmented-reality-backpack.jpg


or this

By adding the magnetometers, and having accelerometers etc -
you can cut out the head-mounted display - The user will learn to tilt the device, and position themselves, whilst being able to see the screen. The GPS is already sorted, and the iPhone has the mobile computing power.

Kinda reminds me a bit of Terminator's HUD -
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/terminator/images/c/cd/T-800a_Clothing.jpg

http://graphics.cs.columbia.edu/top.html

http://microvision.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_archive.html

Who knows - you throw in some of the stuff they've been cooking up with Firefox 3.1/3.5 and HTML 5 and there might be some awesome apps

I'd recommend looking at this one


http://arstechnica.com/open-source/...xperimental-support-for-the-video-element.ars

To have basically created a movement tracker, within a web page is pretty darn cool.

http://blog.mozbox.org/post/2009/02/20/Video-Canvas-Worker-thread-A-movement-tracker
 
No, he's right. There is a compass app in the iPhone advertisement. It changes direction when the person tilts the iPhone. I'm not sure what mechanism the app uses to get its direction, but it's not a magnetometer.

Oh ok, I misunderstood what he said. Thanks for the clarification.:)
 
I'm excited for this. There is a lot of huge potential for this to take apps to a new level.

Now what am I going to do about updating my 3G?! :D
 
walkingsideways is right regarding what "kitchen sink" means in this context, so I'll just add some real life references from Google Code Search.

As for a compass, I wonder how good it will be. The digital compass in my old Garmini GPSMAP 60CSx works so bad that I never use it (all it does is eat battery).
 
Simple Reason

This makes turn by turn GPS work. By knowing which direction, you, the car, or the phone is facing, it can display the map in FRONT of you, at a view that displays the road.

This is very difficult to do without a compass, and requires you to be moving, which you are not always doing, so the software has to guess which direction your are moving or facing.

Now, all they have to do is to have location based alerts or activities (along with server based events).
 
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