(2015-04-05, 00:45)Twotems Wrote: I've never used the compass on any phone and I'm not sure what I would need it for. I boat frequently but there's enough equipment on board to cover navigation. Please enlighten me on this one.
Obviously everyone's needs are different. Here are my main uses for a compass...
(1) Google Sky doesn't work well without a compass, so it's hard to use the phone as an astronomy aid.
(2) When using the phone to navigate by car, it seems that the phone knows which direction I am headed by using GPS and velocity vectors because I am travelling fast enough, but when travelling on foot, the phone is not good at knowing which way I am headed/pointed without the compass. I can't stand somewhere and have it show me which direction to start walking to get back to some logged way-point.
(3) This is a bit specialized, but I currently use a crappy old Samsung Prevail to take strike (compass) and dip (inclination) measurements of rock outcrops for my geology work. So I can't use it for that.
Because I'd read that the THL 4000 had a "bright screen", "long battery life" and "better than average GPS" I was drawn to it for my scientific field work. I never considered that it wouldn't have the compass (the most important feature for my field work). Lol... live and learn.