Review: N97Compass
Score:
54%
Where is North? Can your phone tell you? Yes, if it's an N97 with a compass app. But should you bother, asks Ewan?
Version Reviewed: 1.00
Buy Link | Download / Information Link
It tells you where North is. Yes that's it, no more, no less. N97Compass from Wolf Tongren, now available as a free download from the Ovi Store, takes the new magnetometer technology in the circuitry of the Nokia N97 and provides a spinning compass rose on screen that points north. In theory.
You can get some insanely fun pointing action as the needle spins round on the screen when you first start the application. Steve sat me down and explained that the N97 needs a 'calibrating' action similar to a figure of eight movement to set up the circuitry, and after that everything calms down a bit and north becomes north. But the big problem is this... Steve had to explain it to me! Not the application, not the N97 with a helpful message... how would a new user find this out? One line in the manual hundreds of pages thick? That's a user interface fail on the part of both Nokia and the application.
It's also not the only application to do this, there are a number of applications that make the same programming call to get the direction, and display it on the screen (such as OffScreen's Compass, also in the Ovi Store). There's not much to draw between them all, they're simply a layer between the user and a piece of technology.
Yes, they are cute, but there's no artistry involved in these applications – with a rich programming environment and a little bit of creative thinking there could be a really good compass/direction application. How about adding in some maths and have the option of a solar compass? Or a star chart at night time? There are lots of things that could be added to make something that stands out... unfortunately they've all gone for a 'grab the api and chuck something up in the Ovi Store' approach.
Would I ever want to rely on this or any other digital compass? Frankly no. If I know I'm going to be somewhere for which my direction is needed then I'll grab something like the Silva range of compasses that go nicely with an Ordnance Survey map. If I find myself on some strange survival exercise then using the sun during the day (and stars at night) is far more predictable and much less battery intensive.
The digital compasses on the Ovi Store are all very nice toys, but I'm not sure I can see a case to make sure they're installed on my phone. Just because you can do something on a platform doesn't necessarily mean you have to do it.
-- Ewan Spence, Aug 2009.
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at