GPS module, sense of direction

[Jim Thompson]

Vladimír Lapáček wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am quite currious about the GPS module planned in Neo 1973. For me
> it is one of the really nice things about Neo. I don't have much
> experience with GPS, but this really makes me thinking about buying
> the device.
> 
> My question is if in Neo will have sense of direction in much similar
> way a compass has. This would be very handy for orienting the map
> overlay that every one would most like to use in connection with such
> device.
> 
> Any ideas explaining this are more than welcome.

GPS only gives you position (assuming 4 satellites, in 3-D space).

If you're standing absolutely still, the GPS can't tell you which 
direction you're facing.

You can take the vector of the last motion as an approximation, of 
course, and as soon as you start to walk/run/drive again, you can 
correct any errors.

If the cell towers would give the phone the angle of arrival (a 
side-effect of beamforming) from two or more towers, then you could make 
an estimate of which direction the phone is facing.

There are electronic compass chipsets, but the Neo1973 doesn't have one.
The addition of something like Honeywell's HMC 1055 could provide not 
only a tilt-compensated electronic compass, but the accelerometers could 
make for interesting additions to the GUI(s).

Jim