A few weeks ago, BoyGeniusReport unearthed some screenshots which point to the presence of a magnetometer in the next iPhone model. A recent post on a Chinese language Apple fan site also relayed the same information. But what exactly is a magnetometer, and why should we care?
Put simply, a magnetometer is a digital compass, and it might make your iPhone experience a heck of a lot cooler. The G1 running Android currently has a magnetometer and is a good example of what will presumably soon be possible with the iPhone. In the video below, the user is using Google’s Street View capability on his G1. But since it’s equipped with a digital compass, note how the vantage point of the street view changes in accordance with the direction the individual is facing, resulting in full 360 degree viewing capability. Fast forward to 5:12 in the video for the relevant demo.
Examples of how this could be used include pointing your iPhone’s camera at a building and the phone telling you what building it is by combining GPS, accelerometer and compass information. The iPhone could even overlay graphics and text on top of the image to provide additional information. Another application described is the ability to show information about stars and constellations simply by pointing your iPhone towards the sky.
