Compass PointMeThere GPS app for iPhone and iPad
4.2 (
2472 ratings )
Travel
Navigation
Developer:
Excelltech Inc.
2.99 USD
Current version:
2.40, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 21 Oct 2008
App size: 510.23 Kb
Have Compass PointMeThere point you to any location in the world!
Compass PointMeThere provides you with an animated compass showing your current heading, and a red needle pointing towards your selected destination.
Hit Add on the Home Location screen to add your current location to your list of locations, or enter the latitude and longitude to add more exotic locations such as the North Pole, Mecca, or the Western Wall. Store up to 30 locations. Select the location and the red needle will point you there!
Hikers -- Find a good spot to camp for the night, mark it, and then go exploring. Compass PointMeThere will point you straight back to camp no matter where you are!
Travelers -- Mark where your hotel is and youll never have to ask for directions again! Make sure your cabbie really is going in the right direction!
Boaters -- Mark your dock and you will always have the shortest path home. Never get lost at sea again!
At a large event -- Mark the location of your car and know where to walk no matter what exit you use!
We are sure you can think of many more uses.... Heres how it works:
Compass PointMeThere uses GPS data to calculate the direction you are moving. To activate Compass PointMeThere with an initial reading, move in any direction for 10-30 seconds. The compass display will rotate to show your current bearing and the needle will rotate to point to your selected location. Continue moving in any direction and the compass will update accordingly.
Compass PointMeThere also provides you with the most control of your phones GPS capabilities than any other compass application. In the Settings screen you can choose from our pre-defined GPS settings for walking, bicycling and driving, or you can use custom settings and have fine control over the Movement Threshold ( how far you must move for the compass to rotate), Accuracy Threshold ( how accurate of a GPS signal the application will insist it gets), and Distance Filter ( how far you must move for the application to request an update, larger distances saving battery life).
---Tips for Optimal Performance
*If you are not finding a signal, switch to a GPS setting with a higher accuracy threshold. The bars and number in the upper left of the compass screen show your current GPS signal strength and how accurate it is. The number should decrease until it is below your Accuracy Threshold.
*Use a Custom Profile to increase the Distance Filter for increased battery life, but less compass updates.
*When using a Custom Profile, set the Movement Threshold to around 1/4 to 1/2 of the Accuracy Threshold. Any lower and you risk the compass wandering incorrectly.
*2nd generation iPhone required for best performance
The recent 2.0 update provides greater compass accuracy. If you are having trouble with Compass PointMeThere email [email protected] for support.
Pros and cons of Compass PointMeThere GPS app for iPhone and iPad
Compass PointMeThere GPS app good for
i love being able to have so much control with the custom profile. im surprised others are complaining it is slow ---- just lower the update period! when Im hiking the needle is always pointing straight home, it meets and exceeds my expecations. i wish i could give 10 stars!
This is so awesome, Ive been using it to remember where I parked and its really great. I thought it was useful before, but the update makes it so much better. I cant wait to use it when I go hiking, it will be amazing because it can remember my exact location (where I put up my tent) and Ill never get lost...which is much better than a regular compass.
Let me tell you something - you need to use the application properly to get it to work. The iPhone is not a compass. You need to be moving to get the GPS in the iPhone unit enough data points to calculate the cardinal direction. That said Ive found this helpful enough when Im wandering the woods and not sure exactly where Im going. It cant replace a handheld Garmin unit but thats why the app only costs $2.99 and not a couple hundred bucks. Get the update - much improved.
Some bad moments
This is a poor app,doesnt even work with wifi. Quicker to look for moss on northside of the tree!
Ran a test on this app outside & in an open area, deciding to try something easy as a first shot. Unfortunately, I found it to be slow & largely unresponsive. After walking a loop of about 200 ft, the compass moved once, rather than shifting as I shifted direction. Sigh--what a wonder it would be to have anything approaching a standard compass. But this app doesnt meet even that low standard.
Perhaps future iterations will improve. Other comments? The compass units can only be set to meters or yards--options should include feet as few of us think in yards. The setting can be set for Walking, Bicycling, Driving or Custom. But there is no explanation of what changes with each setting. Are accuracies increasing or decreasing? Who knows? Font sizes on all displays are too small & should be enlarged by at least 50%. There is only one compass face option--the designer should provide several, based on classic compass faces.
But my biggest irritation is the lack of response when walking a site. Clearly the compass should shift and move its needle as the course direction changes. But even in an open field, that expectation was dashed.
I always noticed that the GPS receiver in the I-phone wasnt as good as the one in my purpose-made GPS. I didnt expect it too be. It makes up for it by being always at my side. But this app is too slow to be of any service. I dont know if its the program or the receiver, but the app cant keep up with the demands of differentiating course and speed, a job my regular GPS does with ease. I think Ill use my I-phone GPS for glancing at maps and write off this app to lessons learned.
Slow and unresponsive. Constantly updating never working. No matter where I try to activate it. If I could get my money back I would.
App only updates and runs out of time. Starts updating again, runs out of time. My first wasted purchase on my phone.
App needs to update when started. It wont. No update means no work. Bummer.
