Using the iPhone As a Pointing Device For the Real World

Zrop writes "With a combination of GPS, Wi-FI-positioning, compass, and accelerometers, the iPhone is turbocharged for location-based services. Combine this with the new 3.0 iPhone OS and interesting things are certainly going to happen. Steve Jobs said that the iPhone will change the world when he presented it back in 2007, and that is exactly what it will do." The bulk of the article is about using the phone as a super real world pointer, which could be really cool if it could be accurate enough to be useful, although not particularly ergonomic. (Are you pointing the screen at something? The camera? The headphone jack?)

Comments

that's why

[Anonymous Coward]

And that's why I bought a Saturn.

Re:that's why

[geekboy642]

Good, you probably got the last one. Stupid GM's stupid bankruptcy. MY FAVORITE (CHEAP) CAR!

Yeah, I know, offtopic. I'll take my beating.

Re:that's why

[Anonymous Coward]

Roger Penske bought the Saturn name and the dealership network. He will import cars with the Saturn name.

Saturn will outlast Government Motors.

Re:that's why

[YourExperiment]

Off topic? That's a paddlin'.

Use them for what they are good for

[Q-Hack!]

Like all tools, you need to use it for what its calibration is capible of. For instance, like the i-Phone, my Blackberry has a bubble level app. I would never consider using it as a level in bridge construction, but for haning a picture it works just fine.

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[Anonymous Coward]

What you're referring to is really the age old Physics 101 discussion about accuracy and precision. I used my iPhone several times in the last couple of days to locate golf courses I was supposed to play at, and it was extremely accurate. It will remain accurate when looking for things much smaller than a golf course as well I'm sure, but the precision isn't sufficient to work on a much smaller scale.

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[Nerdfest]

I would think something like the G1 would make a far better pointing device than an iPhone, as it has a compass, and can actually tell what direction it's pointing in.

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[Anonymous Coward]

google sky map, baby cakes.

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[LWATCDR]

My GPS and Phone are accurate to a house. GPS can get you down to a meter or less so now the problem is with the maps.
I would trust a GPS to get me to within a meter of a know reference point.

Of course I wonder if there is any reason except for cost that they couldn't add a high resolution time source to each cell tower and use them for a land based GPS system. It should work in buildings and should be more accurate than a GPS since the transmitters would be fixed and you wouldn't have to deal with the ionosphere.
Of course you would have to have all the carriers agree on a standard and allow everyone to use the signal... So I just don't see it happening.

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[joelsherrill]

I went geocaching this weekend for the first time with my G1 using GeoBeagle. I also have a Garmin 60csx which is a very nice handheld GPS. The G1's application was slower to update the distance to cache than the Garmin and would jump more than I was used to. The G1 would also lose the satellites when the Garmin wouldn't. But the G1 was very accurate, often showing 2 meters to the cache when we had found it.

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[Nerdfest]

Replying to myself (after RTFA), Apple is actually adding the compass hardware to the new iPhones.

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[Sporkinum]

The accuracy inherent in the signals can vary. I drive a route to work with a hill on it. The hill's GPS reported height varies by as much as 10 meters on occasion, though is usually the same within a meter or two.

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[angelina9]

calibration uncertainty of the artefact itself. For instance, in calibration method has several advantages, thanks Angelina Jacob parking sensor

Re:Use them for what they are good for

[that this is not und]

My Newton could be capable of more, but due to Apple's policies, it's primarily only calibrated for use as a paperweight. They seem to have a whole team of people at Apple involved in the paperweight design effort.

Or you could

[jayhawk88]

Look at where you're going. With your iEyes.

Re:Or you could

[derGoldstein]

I couldn't find iEyes in the app store. How much is it?

Re:Or you could

[gEvil (beta)]

iEye, Cap'n!

Re:Or you could

[cleojo42]

Approximately one iArm and one iLeg.

Re:Or you could

[JustOK]

Not authorized as iEyes can be used to view porn.

Re:Or you could

[selven]

Stop making stupid puns on single letter marketing prefixes, gEyes!

Re:Or you could

[Anonymous Coward]

I bought an iPod Nano. Now I have iStrain.

Re:Or you could

[__NR_kill]

Yes, this is funny. But seriously, this kind of stuff is already out there. Jobs is a bit late this time. Take a look, google sky map on android is probably the most practical application demonstrating this function.

already do this...

[Anonymous Coward]

I already use iphones as pointing devices:
when I see someone with an iphone, I know to point at them and laugh

Re:already do this...

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a sad, sad man-thing.

Re:already do this...

[Anonymous Coward]

The iPhone is a highly useful device when playing pin-the-tail-on-the-douchebag.

Just look for somebody using an iPhone, and you've located a douchebag

Re:already do this...

[johnlcallaway]

The iPhone has changed the world .. it's even more obvious who is willing to waste their money!

Cool stuff...

[pushing-robot]

...but this isn't exactly new, even on phones.

Missing Component...

[Drasil]

Laser range finder, preferably in the visible spectrum. Not that I would buy it, I'm not a fan of Apple.

Re:Missing Component...

[Old97]

Great idea, an iPhone mounted on a shark with a friggin' laser beam attached! Bwahahahahaha!

Re:Missing Component...

[SkyDude]

Laser range finder, preferably in the visible spectrum. Not that I would buy it, I'm not a fan of Apple.

Couple it with an "attachment' manufactured by Smith & Wesson. I'd buy it because then the iPhone would definitely be useful.

Re:Missing Component...

[Timmmm]

The actual missing component: gyros. We already know from the Wii that it doesn't accelerometers are pretty useless on their own for all but the most basic tasks.

This video illustrates the difference they make:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s19W-MG-whE

It would be very cool to have a device that integrated GPS, a digital compass, accelerometers and gyros. That would give you all the low and high frequency information you need to accurately locate its position and orientation in real time.

I have an iDea

[docbrody]

What would be awesome is if you could make reliable phone calls with it..... Conversations on my iPhone are like doing verbal crossword puzzles. I am constantly filling in the blanks.

Re:I have an iDea

[kannibal_klown]

Eh, all phones are like that. I was recently in the city in a large building. I guess they had repeaters or amplifiers because I had full (or nearly full) bars on my phone. Yet my calls from my Samsung mobile to the landlines back home were horrid; I was losing a lot of the conversation even while stationary. It was quite curious.

On one hand, I just want a good solid phone that maintains good reception. I don't have MUCH use for all of the bells/whistles like playing MP3s. The camera is fine for the rare occasion when I need to take some snapshots, like if I was just in an accident and want to take pictures of the damage/scene for insurance purposes, but it's pixel-count isn't a selling point for me.

On the other hand I'd like a solid smart phone with a nice screen / interface that syncs well with my laptop for calendar entries, address books, notes, etc. A large library of apps to choose from is also tempting so long as they're useful to me. And if it had WiFi for when I needed to browse (and didn't want to pay for the data) then all-the-better.

Re:I have an iDea

[derGoldstein]

Serving as a phone is 17th on the list of iPhone features. Right after "Peggle".

Re:I have an iDea

[bdcrazy]

The most likely problem in a large building in a city is the shear number of phones served by one tower. Your phone may have very high signal strength, but it is trying to communicate in a very noisy environment competing with lots of other signals.

Re:I have an iDea

[filthpickle]

this got a good laugh from me.....I doubt it's even as high as 17th on my iphone. Although it would be above peggle, I drunkenly bought that on steam one night.

Anyone know if they make an ignition interlock like device that can prevent me from buying games on steam that I'll never play when I'm too drunk to know better?

Re:I have an iDea

[docbrody]

Eh, all phones are like that.

Really? So I must have a defective unit then. How else could one explain my wife standing next to me, chatting away while I can't get a damn signal... and yes we are both on AT&T. Claiming that all phones are the same is just absurd. The fact is that some phones have better antennas than others.

I am sure that the iPhone is not the worst, but it is definitely not as good as at least a few blackberries and other brands you can use with AT&T.

So I still maintain that Apple should focus some attention on the phone itself. Apps are great. Location services are great. Multi-touch is great. Music and Video is great. But its called an iPHONE.

Re:I have an iDea

[docbrody]

Anyone know if they make an ignition interlock like device that can prevent me from buying games on steam that I'll never play when I'm too drunk to know better?

Ask and you shall receive (sort of): http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10122946-233.html

Re:I have an iDea

[derGoldstein]

I tried using Goggles to prevent me from sending embarrassing E-mails when I'm drunk. The problem is that when I'm inebriated, I'm actually better at math...

Retail 2.0 is the next big thing(TM)

[saddino]

Traditional revenue models for pushing consumers to retail are beginning to show their age esp. in their transition to mobile, but app developers are already exploring location-based delivery of coupons and promotions that can be scanned at point of sale (e.g. on the iPhone: CardStar, Coupon Sherpa). Things are changing fast and the consumer, as usual, is poised to win.

Re:Retail 2.0 is the next big thing(TM)

[ground.zero.612]

While the consumer may usually be poised to win; in reality the retailer usually always wins.

The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweight

[derGoldstein]

How many of these articles are going to keep making it on /.?
Last time the iPhone was used to make the cover art of some magazine, which was of course comparable to the moon landing.

I know that this sounds like trolling, and by some definitions it may be, but I think that even an objective reader (someone who *isn't* sick of hearing how the iPhone cured cancer) would find this particular "article" incredibly pandering.

If I were *looking* for hype and gimmicks, there's always digg.

Probably would need to point the headphone jack

[sean.peters]

If you wanted the magnetometer to work, you'd probably have to point the headphone jack at it... I doubt it would get a very good magnetic signal unless the device was more or less horizontal. YMMV near the magnetic poles, though.

Re:Probably would need to point the headphone jack

[PPH]

Or it might incorporate a three axis magnetometer. That'll work in any orientation (although the periodic calibration procedure might be a bit involved).

Is nru already doing this?

[fruey]

http://lastminutelabs.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/android-app-nru-launches-in-the-usa => an Android app that uses Compass, GPS and location services to point you to bars, restaurants, hotels...

the iPhone does not have a compass

[alheim]

.. as the summary incorrectly states. there are only rumors that the next iPhone may have a compass, or "magnetometer"

Re:the iPhone does not have a compass

[alheim]

replying to myself, they just announced that the new iPhone 3GS will have a compass.

Word for...to trim.

[Anonymous Coward]

"If you have a team of writers that number in the millions that generate geolocated high quality content for free, what local newspaper will be able to compete with that?"

The ones that have an editor.

ultimate real world pointer

[jollyreaper]

The only part of the supergun the Army was looking into that I thought was neat was the use of onboard laser and GPS to send fire orders. If you see the target, you can lase it, know it's exact position on the grid coordinates and rounds can be incoming in seconds. That's a pointer!

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[oodaloop]

Or just learn how to read a map and call off your coordinates over the radio. It's not hard* and saves taxpayers money.

*Disclaimer: I used to teach mapping in the Marine Corps. YMMV. If you have trouble counting or following bold straight lines on a map, this may be extremely difficult.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[kannibal_klown]

Or just learn how to read a map and call off your coordinates over the radio. It's not hard* and saves taxpayers money.

*Disclaimer: I used to teach mapping in the Marine Corps. YMMV. If you have trouble counting or following bold straight lines on a map, this may be extremely difficult.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but no matter how well you read the map... isn't lazing the target is more precise.

It could mean the difference between hitting the target head-on vs striking next to it. Or hitting/entering the entrance vs striking the wall of the cave/bunker/warehouse. Plus, doesn't it also allow for the following of slow-moving targets?

Depending on the ordinance vs the armor, it might make the difference.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[oodaloop]

Yeah, depends on the target. If you're bombing a hilltop, lasing provides far more accuracy than needed. Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) is usually used in 6, 8, or 10 digit numbers. a 6 digit grid gives a 100 meter square on the ground, which is good enough for ground navigation and targeting of things like hilltops. An 8 digit grid gives a 10 meter square, which is good enough for most buildings. 10 digit grids give a 1 meter square, which are used for targeting extensively. You could denote not just a building, but which window or smokestack. Sounds cool, but it's usually more accuracy than you need. You can easily read a 6 digit grid off a tactical 1:50,000 map, or even an 8 digit grid with some practice. Like I said, for most targets, that's good enough. It's not sexy, but it works. Everybody's got GPS in the field these days though, so I guess it's kind of moot.

You also have to look at the accuracy of the weapons systems involved. All those precision strikes you see on the news mask all the misses, some if which are way off. It doesn't do much good to lase a target if you can't reliably hit it.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[PitaBred]

What about speed, though? It's a hell of a lot faster to lase a target than it is to find it, then look it up on a map. From a distance, what do you do... estimate? Hope your maps are correct? Or would you rather have your GPS tied to a laser and a compass, and just "point and click", the target is instantly identified? A moving convoy, that's gonna be the difference between hitting them and hitting near them.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[oodaloop]

I can see costs going down eventually, but current lasing systems are expensive and I don't think the costs justify the small additional capability. The lasers used to lase targets are not the same as the ones in pointers or the ones they used in Transformers. They're very powerful and need to be detected from long distance. Plus the whole package has to be durable, waterproof, rugged, etc. And for a laser with a glass tube (the only kind around AFAIK), this means a lot of expensive packaging. I'm not convinced the benefits are worth the cost, given how effective low cost solutions are.

And again, depending on the targeting system, calling it up on the radio is fine. Think about the scene in Transformers again. They call in the target, A-10 Warthogs roll in, see the target in the vicinity, and shoot it. They used lasers in the movie, but they aren't necessary when you can physically see the target and are shooting it with bullets vice missiles.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[PitaBred]

What about shooting shells over a hill, though? Sure, call in air support, but why not bring some mortars in and target them appropriately? Oh, and it depends on the distance, but you can get commerical-grade laser rangefinders for $440, and they're accurate to +/- 1 yard at up to 930 yards. That's not too bad, or too expensive. Hook up some simple mems (like an iPhone) to get inclination and such, GPS and a compass for direction, and you have a very cheap targeting device. Couple thousand more at most to get it ruggedized for military use, and you have a nice over-hill targeting system that'll let you lob mortars onto enemies from a pretty good distance while exposing yourself minimally. And if the enemy's on the move, that's where the fast targeting transmission comes in.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[oodaloop]

A laser ranger finder is different from a laser target designator, which is what "lasing" refers to. When you "lase" a target, you are bouncing a special laser off a target so that another system (perhaps very far away) can detect the reflected light and zero in on the source (this is what they were trying to show in Transformers, but with the wrong kind of laser). A laser range finder will bounce a laser off a target back to you and tell you far away it is. Two entirely different systems. I think this difference in definition of "lasing" is what is causing the confusion. A system like one you are describing is certainly useful for some applications, but it does not compare to, nor could it replace current laser target designation systems.

But in any case, why would mortars need GPS or a compass? You have to point it towards the enemy manually, load it manually, and adjust the inclination manually. Having more information digitally wouldn't help.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[PitaBred]

But think... why have it so the remote system has to detect the laser light? If you can get an accurate GPS position relative to the position of the person doing the targeting, you can radio that in anywhere. That's a much cheaper, lighter and easier way of "lasing" the target. Just because that's how it's done now doesn't mean that it's the best way.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[oodaloop]

Uh, so you want a missile to lock onto the forward observer's location, and not the enemy's location? Doesn't that seem a little dangerous?

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[PitaBred]

Notice the word "relative"? It pulls the GPS position of the observer, combines it with the laser's targeting (azumuth, etc.) and distance finding, and then you have the target you're going to hit. Not that fucking hard to understand.

Re:ultimate real world pointer

[oodaloop]

Between the inaccuracy of the GPS (does NOT give pin-point locations like laser target designators) and the digital compass (which typically doesn't work well near metal objects, like your rifle, radio, etc), I see a marked decline in accuracy of the system you are describing (the laser range finder is probably the most accurate part of that system, but I don't know how far off it can be). Add to that the problems that have plagued systems like this in the past, like magnetic north vice true north (was that add 2.5deg or subtract?), using the proper datum when calculating the new position (is this area still in NAD 27 or WGS 84?), and above sea level vice ground level elevation calculation (sniper pointing a laser down into a canyon for instance). These problems have all resulted in non-combatant casualties in the past, and the laser target designator solved all of them. Just home in on the reflected light. Simple and effective. Yours is complex and inaccurate. Not that fucking hard to understand.

Crosshairs plus Google Earth Data

[StCredZero]

Like all tools, you need to use it for what its calibration is capible [sic] of

You could get quite accurate for big landmarks, which would be useful for navigation in cities like New York, Chicago, and Houston. Implement an app like the camera app with realtime video and add crosshairs. The pointing app would use the camera, GPS, the accelerometers, and the compass. You'd know about where you are, and which direction the camera is pointed. You could then send a *highly* compressed photo to an app at Google, which would calculate the outlines of the big landmarks in the area for the orientation of the iPhone for various positions within the GPS circle of error. The app could then pop up formatted data about the landmark.

You could also use Google Streetview data to recognize when the app is pointing at famous storefronts. Heck, why not just build all of this into the Camera app?

An app with those capabilities would be the envy of Real Estate agents. Heck, they might envy it enough to hate it -- it's just a little *too* easy!

Oh yes.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Interesting things is certainly going to happen" indeed!

Want to get rid of the reality distortion field and all the hype? Sorry, there's not an app for that.

Re:Oh yes.

[Anonymous Coward]

First app fanboi "Zrop" should download: grammar checker.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[darthnoodles]

In related news, for the first time ever an iPhone was used in a colonoscopy to detect cancer. Using the sleek design to its advantage the device was able to "get in there" and take the photos required. The doctors said it was a success...the patient said "Ow!"

letter to the editor

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Editors,
Thanks for posting this article from a "news" site.

Actually, at second look it's just some retard's blog.

Please do not encourage blogging as a "news" source.

Thanks

Mod -10^1000 / insane

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh my good, visionary...

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[Anonymous Coward]

Last time the iPhone was used to make the cover art of some magazine, which was of course comparable to the moon landing.

Actually it was the New Yorker and on no other device can you paint with as well as the iPhone/iPod Touch. The best I could do with my BB is take a picture.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[derGoldstein]

no other device can you paint with as well as the iPhone/iPod Touch

You should've conditioned that statement with something like "at that price point" or "of that size". As it is, I can simply say: a Tablet PC has better resolution, accuracy, software, and likely will not destroy your eyes when you use it to paint on the fly.

Point?

[skyriser2]

What's the "point"? :)

Oh Dear Lord

[angryphase]

I wrote these apps for Windows Mobile, I've writtten a couple for Android, I've even written some into specialized devices using basic GPS Dongles and cellular network access for triangulation.

Now that Apple is doing it, suddenly it's going to CHANGE THE WORLD (tm). Location-based services/applications along with advertising have been looked at before, they failed then, they will fail now. People don't want adverts on their phones, they don't want bluetooth spam or to be bombarded with "Hey, come and enjoy a Pizza half-price at Hungry Joe's" everytime they walk past a pizza restaurant.

The article is poorly written, lacking in experience or significant research into previous implementations and sings the praises of Apple combining their award-winning expertise with this amazing new tech to change the marketplace forever.

Pass me a bucket, mine is full already.

Way to be fashionably late...

[pwfffff]

You've got to be kidding me.

They have a video of Wikitude on the G1 already doing all of this crap in an article HYPING THE IPHONE.

Steve Jobs must have sold his soul to the devil to get his freakishly skilled marketing department.

Android Sky Map

[Speare]

One of the best apps I've seen that uses the combination of GPS, 3D Accelerometer and Incline-corrected Compass is the "Google Sky Map" available for download. Once started, your phone becomes a window into a 360-degree x 180-degree planetarium dome (a full sphere). Hold the phone straight ahead, and see the virtual horizon line. As you rotate, see the N E S W markers slide into view appropriately in real time. Hold the phone overhead to see the "Zenith" marker, or look through the floor for the "Nadir" marker. Everywhere else on the virtual dome, you see the major stars and constellation lines, planets and other astronomical items. Want to find Jupiter? Select that goal from a menu, and the phone will guide your hand until you're looking in the direction of the current position for Jupiter, even if it's below your feet or behind the sun.

Oh yeah, and it's on the Android phone. For free.

Re:Android Sky Map

[Facegarden]

One of the best apps I've seen that uses the combination of GPS, 3D Accelerometer and Incline-corrected Compass....

Here here!
That app is awesome, and free! :)
It is really truly impressive.
-Taylor

Unless you bitch in all the other threads...

[Tokerat]

...about device news, you're trolling. You don't like it because it's Apple, and it's expensive. You're not entirely familiar with the OS it runs, and some douchebag in Starbucks brags about how productive and virus-free he is because he bought "the BMW of computers".

Not all of us Mac users are like that, and the iPhone isn't a Mac at all. It is very well designed; so well so in fact that it inspires people to make these kinds of "discoveries"; we realize these things are not new because we read Slashdot, which is good enough to give us LOTS to read, including news about cutting edge research to make phones into real-life pointing devices. Now that the iPhone is gaining popularity not just with the super-business-savvy Blackberry crowd, or the yet-to-exist-in-significant-numbers-Android crowd, but with everyone, these ideas can be realized en-masse, which is much more exciting, even if the first attempt at it fails.

In the meantime, I'll see you in 2024, when the next moon landing occurs and Skynet takes over, because apparently events of that type of significance are the only thing your narrow mind cares to read about. PS: You can turn off updates regarding Apple, you know. Mod as Flamebait if you will, but the parent in NO WAY deserves +5 Interesting.

Re:Unless you bitch in all the other threads...

[tsa]

He DOES deserve +5, Mr or Ms fanboi. The iPhone is way too much overhyped, and posting an article from 2007 now makes no sense at all. I like Apple stuff, but you can only write so much about a product before you exhaust yourself.

Re:Unless you bitch in all the other threads...

[derGoldstein]

Not all of us Mac users are like that, and the iPhone isn't a Mac at all.

I think you've extrapolated a bit too far. Who said anything about the Mac or Mac users? And by "like that" do you mean the example you gave about the "douchebag in Starbucks"?
We could get into a whole debate about Macs, and normally I would, but in this case I really didn't say anything but point out a clear hype-laden story that got on slashdot. It has nothing to do with Macs. It's just of poor quality and I'm surprised that articles relating to the iPhone seem to get a push simply for including the word "iPhone". And no, I don't turn off Apple-related updates because many/most of them do interest me.

But here's what you got right, as far as guessing my opinions:
1) Apples are expensive.
2) I'm not entirely familiar with OSX.
Neither of these opinions have anything to do with my comment.

Re:Unless you bitch in all the other threads...

[Hognoxious]

just sew a button on it, you big ponce.

Re:Unless you bitch in all the other threads...

[Tokerat]

He DOES deserve +5, Mr or Ms fanboi. The Linux Kernel is way too much overhyped, and posting an article from 2007 now makes no sense at all. I like GNU stuff, but you can only write so much about a product before you exhaust yourself.

O RLY? All tech news is equal, but some tech news is more equal than others.

Re:Unless you bitch in all the other threads...

[Tokerat]

These days, it's really hard to separate the highly-moderated trolls from the legit opinions. I guess you just get so used to taking flak from everyone about something that seems so insignificant ("Your opinion is worthless and your manhood is questionable because you like an expensive computer with a piece of fruit for a logo" is not all that uncommon) that you just react as though any criticism is trolling. Apologies, and I'll try not to let it happen again.

Re:Unless you bitch in all the other threads...

[Anonymous Coward]

well, yes. new news is more new that old news from 2007.

This just in: iPhone can detect gravity

[Aceticon]

This just in:

"Stunned users have discovered yet another feature of the iPhone - it can be used as a gravity detection device.

iPhone owner and fan John Smith from Los Angeles CA told us of his surprise at discovering this surprising feature on his iPhone: 'It was incredible, I just opened my hand and instantly my iPhone started accelerating in the same direction as the local gravitational field - I never noticed that my iPhone could do this before' - he told us while sipping a triple-shot Cafe Mocha.

From testimonies by other users, it seems that this feature in the iPhone shows itself whenever it is released at a distance from any surface.

Combine this with the new 3.0 iPhone OS and interesting things are certainly going to happen. Steve Jobs said that the iPhone will change the world when he presented it back in 2007, and that is exactly what it will do."

Re:This just in: iPhone can detect gravity

[Anonymous Coward]

Not only just that, it can also be used as a telephone. The iPhone is truly amazing, it is 21 things in one:
mp3 player
video game console
movie player
tv show player
email box
movie trailer player
photo album
calculator
movie camera
pointing device
cow bell
photographic camera
digital beer mug
interweb browser
digital aquarium
paperweight
flashlight
vibrator
pointing device for the real world
directional gravity quantizer
telephone

wow... 21 many things in one single package. Steve Jobs said the iPhone will change the world, and it has already changed the world. No longer will people have to carry a backpack full of clumsy easily broken gadgets: the iPhone does it all. I'm fascinated. How can they cram so many things into one thing?

On other news: I bought a fancy 4-in-1 bowl last week, it is a pasta bowl that is also a cereal bowl AND can be easily converted into a salad bowl by putting salad in it. Not only that, but in just seconds it can be transformed into a soup bowl! I was skeptical at first, but I saw it with my own eyes, and now I am a believer! It's a 4-in-1 bowl... amazing, what will they come up with next? I heard The Bowl 2.0 will also turn into a fruit bowl. I'm saving up so I can get the new one as soon as it comes out.

iPhone

[Anonymous Coward]

iPhone. Small 'i'. Small brains must remember: small 'i'. Thank you, Mz Taco.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[Ltap]

How many of these articles are going to keep making it on /.? Last time the iPhone was used to make the cover art of some magazine, which was of course comparable to the moon landing.

I know that this sounds like trolling, and by some definitions it may be, but I think that even an objective reader (someone who *isn't* sick of hearing how the iPhone cured cancer) would find this particular "article" incredibly pandering.

If I were *looking* for hype and gimmicks, there's always digg.

I agree. They seem to be posted here all the time, and show the iPhone as having these amazing new features, features that have often already been done. I don't have a problem with it - I just think that it isn't balanced (i.e.: seeing who has already done/is working on that feature).

LOLWUT?

[0xdeadbeef]

Android did it first with Street View. There is nothing unique about the iPhone in this regard, every mobile computer with a camera and a network connection is a viable platform.

And the idea itself is twenty years old. Why does fanboy drivel like this get posted?

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[PitaBred]

You can pocket your tablet PC? Amazing!

The point is that the iPhone is a device capable of all kinds of neat things, even if it's not the absolute best at any one thing. Jack of all trades, if you will. I mean, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II will take MUCH better pictures than a silly iPhone. Why would you even take pictures with a phone when the camera is so much better? Even if you're a master of none, being a Jack of all trades really makes for an interesting device that lets you do things you can't do with anything else.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[derGoldstein]

You can pocket your tablet PC? Amazing!

Did you read the comment you replied to? I explicitly said: You should've conditioned that statement with something like "at that price point" or "of that size". The comment I replied to stated "no other device can you paint with as well as the iPhone/iPod Touch", which, verbatim, was an obviously false statement. I even gave two example conditions under which he could have made that argument, one of which to latched on to.

Read. Then Reply.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[hurfy]

oh well, i only made it to the 2nd paragraph

"What is the right way? Unobtrusive delivery of well targeted ads."

It WILL make a great pointing device...point the index finger of the hand holding iPhone toward point of interest and spread the other fingers open to indicate....err...oops

Be careful ...

[PPH]

... at whom you point that iPhone. You could start an intergalactic war.

Not because the aliens mistake it for a weapon, but because they prefer the Palm Pre. And you know how these platform wars get out of hand.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[Anonymous Coward]

Last time the iPhone was used to make the cover art of some magazine, which was of course comparable to the moon landing.

You mean it never actually happened, and was all faked somewhere in Neva$36%
&(JHG@~@~@}
{:@
no carrier

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[recharged95]

Because Apple pays a lot for advertising and building the brand name. Taking a chapter out of P&G and Disney, it's about building the brand/image and time to market--not delivering a superior product.

.

It is annoying these articles get on the FP of /. -- I mean the Google/Tmo G1 and some S60 phones already do what we're talking here. It's nothing new, oh except that it's 'the iPhone'.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[Anonymous Coward]

Articles of this kind do belong on Slashdot because perceptions mean more to your paycheck than reality.

.

The article is speculative futurism, but seeing around corners is a worthwhile enterprise, esp. for computer scientists wondering where to invest a finite amount of time learning new technologies.

If you prefer hard data about what has really happened in the past, 40 million sold is worth thinking about. The just announced number includes the iPod Touch, but still. That's a lot of paperweights.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[inline_four]

I believe there already is a device that can be used to draw and to point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil

You mean like Nokia Maps?

[Colin Smith]

Which has been available (free) on Nokia mobiles for... I don't know... ever. What is forever in software years? 2 years?

 

Re:You mean like Nokia Maps?

[tpholland]

Yes, Nokia make some amazing stuff, like that web server I had running on my phone, what, two and a half years ago. The problem is that the department responsible for communicating the more cutting-edge of what they do is based in a secret bunker under the Finnish tundra, and have the national shyness in spades.

Re:You mean like Nokia Maps?

[^_^x]

I remember seeing a Nokia demo where you could point the camera at a hotel or other attraction and get a popup with information about it - do you know if that was ever released?

I've also long been in favour of tagging things with small Semacodes or QRCodes to help even GPS-less phones quickly scan and identify things, then maybe pull additional data from the web...

Re:You mean like Nokia Maps?

[dangitman]

It would only work on Nokia mobiles that have a compass... which isn't likely to be many models (if any).

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[BitZtream]

The iPhone cured cancer, but causes digestive problems. Steve is recovering nicely now though, they fixed that in the new iPhone for this year.

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[Anonymous Coward]

Well right now Digg is looking a lot more for Nerds, Science and practical articles.

Riyadh Shows First Movie in Decades
How the Mind Controls Pain
Will Einstein's Laws Apply Beyond Our Universe?
iPhone 3GS announced!
Pro-Western Bloc Defeats Hezbollah in Lebanon Vote
Dr Who fan buried in Tardis coffin with flashing blue light
Timeline: 40 years of Unix
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Tesla's Electric Sedan, the 2011 Model S watch!

Re:The new iPhone can also be used as a paperweigh

[Anonymous Coward]

Who the fuck said anything about pocketing a tablet PC? Are you reading the post or listening to the voices in your head?

Android G1

[Anonymous Coward]

I have been doing a bit of this with the G1 (Android) and it turns out (apparently) there are patents on the concept of - I know where I am and where I'm pointing so tell me information about what is over there.

FFS, this was done on Android so last year!

[Anonymous Coward]

And this is possible after 2 years and just now? Look at this video here to see what Android could do it just when it was released - with 1.0.

I don't want to jump onto apple fanboi bashing bandwagon, but for fuck sake - things like this and more are already done on other devices. Just because your jesus fucking phone could not do it earlier does not mean no other device could either.

And for what it's worth, this did not even win the Development contest then. A neat idea though!

Magic Wand

[greywire]

Which just reminds me of how I have wanted my Magic Wand for many years now.

I got my PDA back in the day thinking it could come close to this. Replace my remote controls for my TV, etc (can be done, not very well). Or the garage door opener (nope). Calculator (yes). Checkbook and calendar (yes). Laser pen pointer (nope). send/accept phone numbers (sorta). Hold all my personal data, including documents and things that I am working on (sorta). Game controller. Security key for car, computer, house, etc (needs to have also some biometrics to prevent anyone but you from using it).

I want a true personal digital assistant. One device that is the center of interaction for all electronical things around me.

Of course, if you lose it, or it breaks..

Can the iPhone wipe your ass?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously, enough already with this thing. It is a phone, not most perfect tool on the entire planet. Think of all the other things in the technology world that are getting no press, because of all the Appl&cent fanbois. How soon before the fanbois ask for tax exempt status for their new religion?

I can't. I'm blind.

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, blind-ing. Blind-ish.

Whatever. http://byesight.wordpress.com/

This is a godsend for me.

Jeeesus

[uiuyhn8i8]

The Jobs presentation back in 2007 was of course utter PR bullshit, but that is as expected. The article pointed to here was sad oh-isn't-Steve-cute wanking. The Zrop submission was the most pitiful piece of steaming manure ever, I mean 'the iPhone will change the world'... And that Taco guy is apparently also buying into the hype with his 'super real world pointer' fawning.

I feel it's like kicking on a chromosome-impaired kid lying on the ground looking for his coke-bottle glasses to comment on slashdots inability to write a good article. Especially when the overpriced fruit is concerned. So I wont. Seriously.

The Iphone - is there anything it can't do?

[mdwh2]

I'm amazed to read that the Iphone has groundbreaking features like WiFi and GPS, that surely haven't been commonplace of phones for years, oh no.

I look forward to articles such as "Using the Iphone to read a website" (actually we did have one of those recently), "Iphone now allows copy and paste" and if we're really lucky "Using the Iphone as a speaking device to communicate with people who are elsewhere". That would really be revolutionary.