One of the big selling points of the iPhone 3GS is that it comes with a compass style navigation system that you can use to find directions. When I was at the Apple store buying my iPhone and wondering whether I was wasting my money on a smartphone, the compass feature of the 3GS really made me consider buying the more expensive phone.
I know that the S is better and faster, but now that I own a 3G, I can see that the compass feature was not really something I need… the reason? I can turn my phone around to match the direction I’m facing. Doing that, I haven’t had any problem using the iPhone’s Maps application to get where I’m going. To use it in the car, it helps if you have a friend in the shotgun seat navigating, but it does the job I need it to do. The little blue pin moves as I move, and the navigator in the car just needs to be sure they have their bearings right.
Before I realized how convenient this application was, I was thinking about buying a navigation system for my car. Buying the navigation system was supposted to save me money by saving me time and gas… now the iPhone helped me save even more by not even needing a navigation in the first place.
- Money saved? $100 or so I would have spent on an inexpensive car navigation system. (And another $100 I might have spent on the 3GS just for the Compass feature)
- The effort or trouble? Whoever is using the iPhone has to try and stay aware of the direction the car is headed, which is not too hard considering the little blue pin will move along the map as the car moves along the roads. When there is no navigator, you can just print something out from mapquest or google maps before heading out and do your best. Also, the estimated travel time is always off in certain areas around me. I know it’s not going to take me 3 hours to go 10 miles so it’s OK, but it gave me a little pause the first few times.
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- Annoyances or trouble? To be honest, the time to get from one place to another is always off in certain areas. It’s overestimated by hours, however the distance is correct. It doesn’t take a lot to realize that it’s not going to take me 3 hours to travel 10 miles.