iPhone 3GS Compass Unlocks a World of Possibilities for Apps
Appiphilia: Augmented reality iPhone apps for finding subways and Twitter neighbors
When Apple announced the addition of a compass to the iPhone 3GS, shortsighted onlookers responded with a yawn. Yay, we can find magnetic north.
But iPhone app developers quickly saw an opportunity, and a new breed of “augmented reality” apps are about to be born.
Holding the phone in front of you, locations are plotted on a live view of the world in relation to where you’re standing. The apps combine the phone’s key features — camera, GPS, compass and Internet connectivity — to create a sort of heads-up display reminiscent of first-person shooter video games.
iPhone 3GS Compass Unlocks a World of Possibilities for Apps.