iPhone 3.0 and—hey, there’s Mount Doom!
Rumor has it that iPhone 3.0 hardware may include a compass. Combined with Core Location, this is getting interesting.
Nature outlooks sometimes include bronze panoramic viewfinders that describe what you can see in the distance. For example, to your left you see a big mountain peak which the viewfinder—featuring a ridgeline aligned perfectly with the actual peaks—informs you is named “Mount Doom”. Another glance at the viewfinder tells you the river below and to your right is named “Anduin”. Kind of a low-tech heads-up-display, like the one in Minority Report.
Never mind that a built-in compass and Core Location will let Apple finally match the Android demo that showed Google’s Street View updating live while you pivot in a 360° circle—we can see more of those panoramic viewfinders!
Manhattan: “What’s that building over there…hey, it’s the Chrysler building!”
Seattle: “What’s that peak to the right over there…hey, Mount Hood!”
London: “What’s that pub over there…hey, beer!”
This is going to be fun.
Don’t forget the iPhone dock connector gadgets. It’s entirely possible this sort of thing could be added to existing phones as well.
Michael, you’re right: this functionality would work on existing phones, but the dock-connected gadget would have to include a compass.