Hey, did you know that there’s a compass inside your iPad? Well, there is, and developer plaincode decided to geek it out with a ton of other things that compasses can do. Technically, it’s a Vector Magnetometer, which means it measures the magnetic field around you (which is what a compass does, basically) as well as acceleration. Apparently, the devs had an iPhone version, and are working hard on a Universal version of this app, so they’ve got this one up (iPad only, for now) for free.
After downloading the app from the App Store and launching the app, you’ll get a pretty slick looking round compass-like area with a 3D blue needle in it.
This magnetometer mode (accurate on 3G devices only) can display the absolute magnetic field around you, the compass directions you may be familiar with, and a declination mode. The acceleration mode, switched to on the bottom tab, can show the acceleration of your iPad across all three axes, X, Y, and Z, as well as reverse.
Interestingly, Compass HD can also be used (with some limitations) as a metal detector! Again, this requires the 3G version of the iPad, but still – pretty neat. Imagine strutting around the neighborhood, finding hidden treasure armed with only your iPad and this slick free app. Full-on joy, right?
Check this one out while you can, while it’s free, and let us know what you think in the comments below.
[Via Engadget]
