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Video-In and Magnetometers Could Introduce Interesting iPhone App Possibilites

And Microsoft's response to this innovative, exciting and rapidly expanding platform is.... a big ass table.
:D
 
Unlike accelerometers, a 3-axis magnetometer can determine absolute position.
Click to expand...

As a militant physicist, I feel duty-bound to point out that this is utter nonsense.

In and of itself, a 3-axis magnetometer can only detect the roll, pitch and yaw angles of the device relative to the Earth's magnetic field lines. It can't even detect the phone's position relative to that field. It's only when these readings are coupled with data from the GPS and the accelerometer that the device will be able to calculate its position, velocity, acceleration, heading and attitude. Admittedly, that'll be pretty impressive and useful but, even then, these data are all relative values, and not absolutes.

To be fair, these relative values are probably of more practical use to everyone except maybe astrophysicists and cosmologists!
 
ravenvii said:
If this actually becomes reality in the new iPhone, I'm officially old.

When you are so mind blown by technology like that, is when you know you're no longer a member of the current generation.
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lol the current iPhone maps app did that with me. I was blown away that I could type the name of a store, see where it was and within 2 presses of the button id be speaking to them!!

I actually use the maps app more like the most sophisticated phone directory ever with the added bonus that you can use it as a map too lol
 
Hard not to wax poetic when you see demos like the first one. Just incredible.

Now, the capitalist in me sees a huge marketplace for creating virtual pet overlays for real time communications, virtual reality apps and all sorts of video blue screen scenarios.

Let's hope the rumors are true, and this stuff is opened up at the SDK/API level, as the developer community will have a field day with this.

Now if I can just get Apple to port the iPhone OS platform to Apple TV, my living room would be positively electric!

Cheers.

Mark
--
Read: "Right Here Now" services: weaving a real-time web around status
 
Doesn't the G1 have a compass like that and when you move the phone in maps it moves the maps? They need that in the iPhone.

This would be really cool :) Honestly how do people deny that the iPhone started the mobile computing revolution??? It is insane what the iPhone has come to be and will be in the future! Can't wait :D

Oh, what i really really really want to accompany the next round of iPhone hardware and all this cool potential we are seeing, is a new Apple TV with an SDK and app store on the Apple TV. Can you people honestly imagine how FREAKING HUGE that could be??? Just think about it........Games linked to your TV with Apple TV and your iPhone as the controller, Tivo/DVR apps, widgets, Safari, endless possibilities........ Apple would seriously pave the way to the living room of the future. Please Apple open your eyes and do it quick before it is too late!!! :eek:
 
Omg that's freaking awesome! So MUCH awesome ZOMG!!

The great thing about the iPhone is that with its established app distribution store these things can be a reality as opposed to other platforms where the hardware may be there but not a viable option economically for companies or individuals to sink time into.
 
I know this might sound odd, but could anyone tell me if they actually use their iPhone for real work? By work I don't mean making business-social arrangements, or replying to a quick e-mail, i.e. things you can do with any 'phone. I mean sit-down-and-concentrate work - the sort you might be able to do with a real laptop for hours on a train, or plane, or in the park.

The screen is just so small, and without the reassurance of a replaceable battery, the iPhone seems to be targeted as a portable gaming console and casual GPS client.
 
cal6n said:
As a militant physicist, I feel duty-bound to point out that this is utter nonsense.

In and of itself, a 3-axis magnetometer can only detect the roll, pitch and yaw angles of the device relative to the Earth's magnetic field lines. It can't even detect the phone's position relative to that field. It's only when these readings are coupled with data from the GPS and the accelerometer that the device will be able to calculate its position, velocity, acceleration, heading and attitude. Admittedly, that'll be pretty impressive and useful but, even then, these data are all relative values, and not absolutes.

To be fair, these relative values are probably of more practical use to everyone except maybe astrophysicists and cosmologists!
Click to expand...
As a militant milk drinker, I feel duty-bound to point out that this is udder non-sen... oh, never mind... :p
 
Oh-es-Ten said:
And Microsoft's response to this innovative, exciting and rapidly expanding platform is.... a big ass table.
:D
Click to expand...

Microsoft's solution has to be big, it has to support Steve Ballmer's weight as he bounces on it and rubs himself over it shouting, "Developers" over and over again...
 
Mac Heretic said:
In the future with virtual sofas everyone gets fat while sitting on the floor.
Click to expand...

Don't worry...

In the future we shall have unibody aluminium sofas, that are too expensive to buy and uncomfortable, so we'll be forced to wander around with our iPhones looking after our virtual dogs and pointing it at our aluminium tables filled with random objects
 
Veri said:
I know this might sound odd, but could anyone tell me if they actually use their iPhone for real work?

The screen is just so small, and without the reassurance of a replaceable battery, the iPhone seems to be targeted as a portable gaming console and casual GPS client.
Click to expand...

I use mine for both work AND play. I think it is quite obvious that it is not supposed to be a laptop replacement, but it is more than adequate for writing out detailed notes, reviewing PDFs - not to mention having the most accessible e-mail and calendaring of any phone I have ever had (I have I owned a bunch of smartphones over the years).

I don't think there is any device under the size of a netbook that does not have limitations for work on the road. I hated trying to work with a stylus etc.
 
dongmin said:
Google is already well on their way in creating 3D maps of major city centers. All that is required now is an efficient framework to stream 3D data to your phone.

Imagine another couple of years when people can wear special goggles with magnetometers built-in that can overlay 3D information onto the real world you're viewing through your goggles. Imagine also being able to project this information onto your car windshield. The possibilities are really endless. This could be a whole new paradigm of combining the internet's vast data with the physical world.

Not too far off really. All that's required is an iPhone Goggle™ and a really fast network connection to constantly fetch 3D overlay data.
Click to expand...

I think I will wait for the interface directly with your mind using a bluetooth connection to an iMplant. Wearing goggles as I wander the street would be rather limiting.
 
Very cool. I could waste another 6 months just playing with this stuff. --Not really, I do have work to do, impressive as this all is.

You would think a computer (sorry, iPhone) like this could AT LEAST have background apps... Then I could really use this thing for work.
 
From what I hear there are a good few Japanese mobile phone games which make pretty active use of the camera... Here's hoping western devs take note. Augmented reality could be damned cool.
 
slowpoke said:
From what I hear there are a good few Japanese mobile phone games which make pretty active use of the camera... Here's hoping western devs take note. Augmented reality could be damned cool.
Click to expand...

Now that BG apps are the only things left for people to complain about (which is also technically possible. Apple has to work harder to prevent it from happening, for battery life reasons), once Apple enables those when battery technology allows it, what will people start complaining about?

I am putting my money on "I can't get my work done unless Apple sells it in a flashy pink color with a picture of a giraffe engraved on the back"...

In all seriousness, though, more than background processes (which again, are a technical usability issue) Apple needs to improve inter-app communications, and notifications. The notification system with the popup dialogs is not very scalable, and will become a mess with push notifications.
 
Well done people

43 comments so far, and nobody whining that {insert device here} has already had this for ages (ok, MacFly123 mentioned the G1, and the article itself obviously references the Nokia 6210 - but neither in a detractive way)!

For all their annoyances and tardiness in other areas (cut & paste?) the thing Apple really does well is integration. If the magnetometer rumour proves to be true (and it sounds very plausible) you can bet that the Core Location APIs will "just work" with them (either transparently, or with some extensions). So developers will be able to easily take advantage of them and that means more cool apps for the rest of us.

This is something you just don't see on other platforms (caveat: I haven't used the Android APIs).
 
Video-in...

One use for video-in I'd LOVE to see would be as a monitor for video shoots. Seriously. When I'm shooting, it would be so helpful to have a small, compact monitor for my boss to look at without me even having to leave the camera, or depending on our small LCD display.

I think that's a fairly practical use. Obviously, if it could somehow be wireless, it'd be even more amazing.
 
addicted44 said:
Apple needs to improve inter-app communications, and notifications.
Click to expand...
Would be nice - but there are issues there that make it a harder problem than it sounds.

The notification system with the popup dialogs is not very scalable, and will become a mess with push notifications.
Click to expand...
How would you do it?
How would BG processes help with the scalability?

Personally, from having used, as well as developed for, mobile platforms that allow third party background process, I'm really loving the iPhone's lack of them and think the Notification Service system is the right solution. There might still be 0.01% of apps (figure plucked from the air in true forum posting fashion) that would benefit from having them, but I think it's a case of "the needs of the many".
Of course Apple can still screw it up with a MobileMe-esque rollout - but I'm hoping they were serious when they said the delay was while they redesigned it to scale enough to meet demand.
 
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