Filed under: Cool tools, How-tos, Tips and tricks, iPhone
Inside iPhone 3G S: Seeing your direction on iPhone 3G S maps
One of the highly touted features of the new iPhone is the ability to have the map display your direction of travel. A great idea, long overdue. As people were walking out of the Apple Store today it was one of the first things some people wanted to try. They brought up the Google Map app, and then started spinning around. But these whirling dervishes weren't getting anywhere.Since I was the real smart TUAW dude, I told them I could get it going. Nope. Nada. Zero.
After a bit of a search at the Apple web site when I returned home, I found it. You have one more tap to do on the map. When you tap the location icon at the lower left of the map screen a second time, it changes to a new, previously unseen icon. It looks like a little wedge in a circle. When you activate it, you're good to go. Or spin.
I think if I were designing this I would have made it an option on the map to default to direction of travel, or North at the top. Oh well, nobody asked me. Not the most obvious GUI design, but I guess once you know it, you know it. Now you know it too.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
PSM said 5:38PM on 6-19-2009
OMG thank you! This was my biggest disappointment with the new phone. TUAW to the rescue!
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Luke Mundy said 5:56PM on 6-19-2009
Ohhhhhhh... thanks!
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onefish2 said 5:46PM on 6-19-2009
Or you could just RTFM and not have a problem figuring it out.
Got my 3GS today played with it for a bit after syncing it and then decided to read the little book that came with it and even downloaded the User Guide PDF:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iPhone_User_Guide.pdf
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mark said 10:08PM on 6-19-2009
Or, from the phone, consult the online iPhone User Guide:
http://help.apple.com/iphone
(By default there's a link to it within mobile Safari's bookmarks.)
Zack kitzmiller said 5:51PM on 6-19-2009
I thought the smart TUAW guy would have watched the Keynote _AND_ the Guided Tour video.. Guess Not.
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Desterado said 5:55PM on 6-19-2009
Normally I side with TUAW guys but this time, yeah...it was shown numerous times.
jonathan said 6:10PM on 6-19-2009
i was just about to say that. that was definitely mentioned twice in both videos i saw. figured that out instantly, however i do agree, an option to make that default would be nice.
tommy k said 8:21PM on 6-20-2009
No kidding I thought the same thing. Thanks TUAW!
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sean said 6:06PM on 6-19-2009
wow...and you're a TUAW blogger???
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chris said 6:26PM on 6-19-2009
I found this very helpful. Count me as one of the "too stupid to catch this" I guess. Or maybe I just don't have the free time that others do. Glad this was blogged.
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richard said 6:31PM on 6-19-2009
ha h aha... um, did you watch the keynote? Or the guided tour?
I don't like being the guy who always posts negative stuff on the comments, but yesterday you claimed that 1st gen iPhone users wouldn't be able to use Push notification — another mechanism that's been clearly explained and documented by Apple.
I'm surprised you guys heard about the iPhone release today? Or were you too busy lining up at the Apple Store because you saw a line and wanted to be first?!
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jeffofla said 6:34PM on 6-19-2009
And it's not like it wasn't demonstrated in the Apple Demo that "Nelson" gives on the Apple Website. It is worth it to watch the video.
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jeffofla said 6:35PM on 6-19-2009
Opps. I should have read the posts above. Yikes.
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Tariq said 6:38PM on 6-19-2009
Didn't you guys go to the keynote, or at least liveblog it? This was clearly pointed out. As well as being on Apple's site in their guided tour and in the manual. Excellent reporting...
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Matthieu said 6:51PM on 6-19-2009
It's not an unreasonable thing to overlook, stop giving Mel such a hard time, what's the point in it?
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Alan said 7:04PM on 6-19-2009
North up and track up are options that have been available in aircraft gps and nav systems for years, it would be nice to see such features on iPhone!
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samuel said 9:05PM on 6-19-2009
I think it should be default too.
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Dr. Spaceman said 9:46PM on 6-19-2009
Didn't even watch the guided tour? Fail.
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Elias said 9:52PM on 6-19-2009
Wow dude, I think TUAW just jumped the shark. Do you not read your own blog? I swear it's been posted at least twice on this blog that you push the locate button a second time. Plus it was in the Keynote. And the guided tour. And on every other review, walk-through, blog, etc.
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mark said 10:14PM on 6-19-2009
LOL.
Also, TUAW wrote:
"I think if I was [sic] designing this I would have made it an option on the map to default to direction of travel, or North at the top."
And, with all due respect, guess what that would be? Interface clutter. And redundant. :-) There's no need for a feature like that to take up space in the UI. Since the GPS button was already there and (previously) served only one purpose, the current solution is far more elegant. And that's why we love Apple!