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Jul 14, 09 - 01:20 pm Comment from: bond co. stooge

Do people really have that much trouble understanding that ferrous metals and magnetic compasses don't exactly mix??? Sheesh...

Jul 14, 09 - 01:21 pm Comment from: Deus Ex Technica

Aha! Perhaps the stock price is wired into these crazy magnetometers!

Jul 14, 09 - 01:21 pm Comment from: HMCIV

Compasses are tricky devices. It's like there's a magnet in them or something and they react funny near other magnets.

Jul 14, 09 - 01:26 pm Comment from: silverhawk

I drive. My wife reads paper maps. We don't get lost!

Jul 14, 09 - 01:27 pm Comment from: jtc

The only time I noticed the interference issue was when I was sittin on my motorcycle figuring out where I was trying to go..

@ Deus Ex Technica

Except that when I move Apple's stock price in a figure-eight pattern, it doesn't reset properly for some reason.

(I blame it on the close proximity of magnetic stock analysts who don't know what they're talking about.)

Jul 14, 09 - 01:34 pm Comment from: iPhoner

I talk. My wife writes on paper. We don't need computers!

Jul 14, 09 - 01:37 pm Comment from: Rob

How do the GPS units compare to iP's compass?
Are there any tests of compasses built into GPS units?

Jul 14, 09 - 01:52 pm Comment from: jtc

@Rob

I wonder the same thing...

The Garmin eTrex Vista HCx has a built in compass. I'm not sure how many others do.. this is a handheld gps.. so I dont know if the in car ones do or not.

Jul 14, 09 - 01:53 pm Comment from: Demon

If you are moving (even at a slow walk) the GPS in the iPhone should be able to show you the direction you're moving.
GPS Unit's don't use magnetometers they can also use orientation antenna. Stick to GPS antenna in the iPhone and use the GPS to show you direction it's not hard or even complicated just requires some math routines and knowing which antenna got what signal.
a magnetometer is a waste of space.

Jul 14, 09 - 01:53 pm Comment from: Uncle Al

My wife talks, I ignore. Wait, what were you saying?

Jul 14, 09 - 01:56 pm Comment from: jtc

@Rob

Also forgot the new Oregon 550 has one and has a built in camera

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/garmin-gps-unit-adds-a-built-in-camera/

The GPS works pretty well and is mostly accurate. It sometimes takes a few seconds for it to locate you precisely, but then seems to stay correct.

it's neither a hardware or a software issue. it's a network issue.

if Compass doesn't have a network connection, Apple can't tell it which direction to point in.

(ba-dum tssh!)

Jul 14, 09 - 02:15 pm Comment from: jtc

@jackspratt

but if you are just using the compass it should not need a network connection since it has a built in magnetometer.. if it needed a network connection to work then it would be a software made compass working off the 3G/Edge or GPS connection

Jul 14, 09 - 02:29 pm Comment from: Big Al

A compass can be protected from outside influences but that is a hardware solution.

Lets remember that magnetic north is over 20° different in New York than it is in Los Angeles. That is a software solution that requires location input.

Magnetic north and geographical north are two different places.

Jul 14, 09 - 02:48 pm Comment from: Wingsy

If you're going to check the iPhone compass, the best way is to compare it to an ole fashion mechanical compass. They don't lie.

As far as using one in a car, have you ever bought a dash-mounted or windshield-mounted car compass and seen what all you have to go through to calibrate them? That should tell you right there that a car isn't an ideal place to rely on a magnetic compass. Besides, why is a compass necessary in an iPhone if you're using it in a car? Once you drive 50 feet the GPS can tell you which way you're going.

Jul 14, 09 - 03:02 pm Comment from: Jay-Z

I've also been disappointed with the accuracy of the compass. Sometimes it points in the opposite direction.

Yah, I've been frustrated by the compass, also... mostly while in my car... it showing me driving diagonally or the opposite direction altogether. When I'm hiking or walking a trail, it usually seems to be more accurate. So, I'm not sure if they can overcome the magnetic field in my car with any software fix.

Jul 14, 09 - 03:16 pm Comment from: jtc

@Wingys

It would be nice if google maps would show an arrow instead of a blue dot to show your direction. I assume that on google maps now when you click the little locator icon twice that the spotlight that appears is showing north and not showing the direction you are going... though if its showing the moving direction... then it has not once worked on my phone correctly at all. shows opposite.

Jul 14, 09 - 03:19 pm Comment from: Brau

"on tour with Dorothy Hamill"

Oddly, the local Tai-Chi instructor has no trouble getting his to be accurate.

Jul 14, 09 - 05:06 pm Comment from: Cubert

This is the reason why:

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/02/27/6900064_Magnet_Pole_Shift/

Jul 15, 09 - 09:18 am Comment from: NCMacMan

What other companies also forget is that the SDK software Apple uses has been around since the early 90's and refined over time. You can't duplicate the simplicity involved which has enabled mom and pop developers to make apps.

Score???
Apple -- 1.5 Billion, all others -- 0

Ask a pilot. Compasses are sensitive to accelerations. I was recently reading about all the different compass corrections they make while navigating with a compass. I suspect the compass may get thrown off a little when a vehicle is accelerating and braking and turning etc.
That my explain some of the issues people are having?

Take my wife . . . please.