Android's first killer app: Compass Mode
NEW YORK – With a built-in keyboard and Google's open-source Android platform, there may be many things the new T-Mobile G1 can do that Apple's iPhone can't. But at its long-awaited unveiling in New York City Tuesday, one feature stood out: Google Street View in Compass Mode.
Until now, you needed a computer to see the 360-degree panoramic street-level photographs of thousands of locations in the United States, France, Italy, Australia and Japan that Google began making available in May 2007. Google had previously demonstrated Street View on prototype phones running its Android operating system, but the G1 is the first commercial cellphone that has it built in.
Compass Mode on the new G1 takes Street View one step further. Rather than having to drag or click to navigate the images of a particular street corner, you just swing the phone up, down, left or right. The image on the screen shifts as the phone does, creating an effect not unlike the one you would get through the built-in camera if you were actually standing on that street corner, rather than just visiting it in cyberspace.
It's very cool. And there's no reason that Google (GOOG) couldn't make it available on the Apple (AAPL) iPhone or the iPod touch.
But for now, if you want Compass Mode, you have to buy an Android phone.
T-Mobile's G1 comes with a 1 GB memory card and and a removable battery. It will go on sale Oct. 22 for $179 with a 2-year contract. Unlimited Web browsing costs $25. For $35 you also get unlimited messaging.
You can see an early demo of Compass Mode here. For more on the G1s features, see Scott Moritz's hands-on review here.
So maybe I'm missing something. What's the point of a compass without GPS? I just think this app is named improperly.
I dont remember the last time I help my laptop vertical to use a keyboard…besides it has touch screen "buttons" if you want. Might not be as shiny as an apple, but won't crash like a windows platform. This came just in time, I was about to switch companies for an iphone, but this….woah! It's easy to hate
Regarding the keyboard – do people realize that you can only use the keyboard when the phone is in landscape mode (and slid open, obviously)? And vice versa, that there is no way to type when the phone is in portrait mode, because Google did not provide an on-screen keyboard? What a chore.
Compass mode is a gimmick. I could imagine using it maybe 1 out every 10 times I'm looking something up on a map (as long as the data is coming fast enough) – that is if I wasn't forced to stand up and spin in a circle to navigate this feature.
Come to think of it, this would be great for a Wii game, not for a mobile phone.
Agreed that compass is a hardware feature and won't be available on the iPhone too soon. However, though it's an interesting addition, it's not a "killer" app. Also, any such phone at this point will have to sacrifice some features to have a decent pricepoint, e.g. the camera lens aren't as great – or not enough memory, etc. Personally, a compass wouldn't be on my list of top 100 desirable features – though GPS was in the top 3! There are only so many blades one wants to carry in a swiss army knife, and 2 pairs of scissors are overkill.
Compass is a hardware on android phone and this piece of hardware is not available on Iphone, so I don't think Iphone will support this feature in near future. May be it need Iphone 3rd generation to add the compass feature.
Wow! Compass View or what have you is the gee-whiz feature of the G1? Hmm. . .Come here, I got a Shake-to-Shuffle iPod Nano that will knock your socks off!!
"Unlimited web browsing" T-mobile style means a 1GB cap per month, after which you're reduced to 50 bits per second. See the notes.
That $25 plan is much less appealing if you use the web over cellular a lot.
Jeremy, you really don't know what you're talking about when it comes to javascript. Apple has already added the new javascript engine, squirrelfish extreme, into its nightly webkit (upon which safari is based) releases. Squirrelfish extreme already out-benchmarks google's v8 javascript engine and mozilla's tracemonkey engine. The next point upgrade to safari will surely include it, and mobile safari will likely have it soon as well.
Apple's (Steve's) distaste (it's complicated and partially justified) for flash is the reason that street view isn't available on the iphone, perhaps someday they will manage to make a javascript implementation of street view but that would likly be very slow until safari incorporates the javascript speed improvements from Google's chrome browser and even then I just don't know if it's really a priority for apple.
Blaming Google for the lack of street view on iphone is just nuts.
Wow factor aside, AT&T take note… $25 unlimited web browsing! OTOH I dunno if T-Mobile's 'G1' model number connotes slooooooow, anyone know?
It would be hard to copy the compass mode to the iphone since the iphone doesn't have a compasss in it. This feature has been known for awhile if you had been following Android before today. Why isn't it out on the iphone already if it is such a guarantee?
With different manufacturers, more networks, and more development than the iphone, the future is pretty clear. Maybe if you weren't blinded by Apple's shinny products you could make a logical comparison between the two.
"Having compass is great when TAKING travel photos."
Could someone please take this person aside and explain to him what the software is for. This is what happens when someone fires off a comment and doesn't have a clue…complete nonsense.
Yes, the compass feature looks good. As correctly pointed out below, it won't take long for this to appear on the iPhone – whether the application is released by Google themselves, by Apple, or by a 3rd-party developer. However, I would say the feature is not likely to be useful for some time, if only due to lack of bandwidth. As we've seen, 3G speeds aren't nearly as robust as we are used to on desktops and laptops. Even seconds of lag time will make the wait annoying most of the time when loading Street View.
As for the general look and feel of G1/Android, it is a solid entry for an open source device, and of course there's the keyboard which will make some people happy, but I am sticking with my iPhone. Apple's software design is a step above Android (watch the video and look closely at button shapes, etc.) and its hardware design is two steps above HTC, at least this particular model. Also, it wasn't clear from this video whether the G1 has multi-touch capability (Android does, but they have to cooperate with the hardware maker to use it).
All in all, this will be an interesting development to watch. I don't think the friendly "coopetition" between Apple and Google will be broken. It's not like Google is going to pull its search and maps off of the iPhone to boost their own phone. I also expect Google's entry into the market to be slower and much less dramatic. Rather, I am eager to watch the market dynamics evolve as Apple, Google and RIM continue to grab market share in the growing industry and compete with each other for powering the ultimate portable device.
But it IS different. If you want to see what's in the opposite direction, you simply turn the (Android) phone in the opposite direction. Try doing that by dragging is not that easy. How do you know, when you have turned exactly in the opposite direction?! And try to 'move' arround multiple times will be confusing withour this compass feature. But with the Android way, you will easily keep your sense of orientation. WAY TO GO 
Good, so now the consumer that stiil is on the fence about the iPhone will decide between an Android Gooaphone, Blackberry or an iPhone… The rest of them can kiss their asses goodbye.
The iPhone believe it or not is only in it's infancy ( 1year…)it will develop into a staple that everyone can build (customize) to fit their fancy or need,just by downloading their software of choice. The iphone developer kit is OSX which is solid and proven and has a massive happy developer base. The iPhone will reign supreme for at least the next 4 years and will become as ubiquitous as the walkman the iPod etc…
Having compass is great when TAKING travel photos. However, how on earth is swinging the phone easier than dragging the photo? Sure, I can see people spinning on the street while staring at the phone….
This is how engineers get things out of hands – adding something cool, but completely useless.
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