5 Best Apps to Make the Most of Apple Sensors

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img align="left" alt="All Things Appy: 5 Best Apps to Make the Most of Apple Sensors" class="story-image" height="124" src="http://www.technewsworld.com/images/rw379177/ios-app.jpg" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="172" /></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 Best Apps to Make the Most of Apple </span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="story-byline" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11px;"> <span style="color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sensors are a big part of what makes smartphones smart, and Apple mobile devices are packed with them. Most of us use at least some of them every day -- even if we don't realize it -- but there are also apps out there that let you take them even further for a variety of fun and useful purposes. Read on for a look at the five best contenders for iPhone and iPad.</span></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No. 1: Commander Compass Lite</span></strong></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="50" hspace="2" src="http://www.technewsworld.com/images/article_images/79694_50x50-commandercompass.jpg" vspace="2" width="50" /></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Commander Compass Lite is rated 4 1/2 stars out of a possible 5 for all versions based on 4,429 ratings, and 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for the current version based on 895 ratings in the iTunes App Store.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This compass app takes advantage of the magnetic compass magnetometer that's included in recent iPhones and iPads to display directional navigation data -- just like a handheld compass. Position, bearings and speed are tracked.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> </div> <div class="story-thumbnail" style="background-color: white; float: none; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 12px; margin: 10px auto; width: 300px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Commander Compass Lite" border="0" height="500" src="http://www.technewsworld.com/images/article_images/79694_300x500.jpg" style="border: none; margin: 2px;" width="300" /></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heavily magnetic fields can interfere with magnetometer readings, so this app starts using a gyroscopic rotational sensor to compensate for that, as well.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No. 2: Planets</span></strong></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="50" hspace="2" src="http://www.technewsworld.com/images/article_images/79694_50x50-planets.jpg" vspace="2" width="50" /></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Q Continuum's Planets is rated 3 1/2 stars out of a possible 5 for all versions based on 53,222 ratings, and 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for the current version based on 223 ratings in the iTunes App Store.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's an app that takes advantage of the gyroscope sensor. Gyroscopes track localized movement of a device.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Planets is a 3D planetarium-style guide to the solar system. Once the device locks onto a location using GPS or cellular towers, movement of the device maps the planets and stars on the screen with the gyroscope in real time.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No. 3: AccelMeter - 3D Vector Accelerometer</span></strong></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="50" hspace="2" src="http://www.technewsworld.com/images/article_images/79694_50x50-accelmeter.jpg" vspace="2" width="50" /></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AccelMeter is rated 3 stars out of a possible 5 for all versions based on 269 ratings, and 3 1/2 stars out of 5 for the current version based on 16 ratings in the iTunes App Store.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether you knew it or not, the accelerometer is the sensor that orients the phone screen between landscape and portrait -- you've likely been using your device's accelerometer daily when Web browsing, looking at photos and controlling any games.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter Breitling's AccelMeter is the best app for visualizing and measuring actual acceleration. It includes all of the three axes -- often labeled x, y and z -- plus reverse acceleration and g-force calculations.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No. 4: Dimmer</span></strong></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dimmer is rated 3 stars out of a possible 5 for all versions based on 272 ratings, and 3 stars out of 5 for the current version based on 155 ratings in the iTunes App Store.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The light sensor on your iPad or iPhone automatically adjusts screen-brightness levels based on what the Apple programmers think should be optimum brightness -- based on ambient light. Well, that may not be what you think, and this app lets you adjust sensors manually.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be aware that a dim screen will save power, while a brighter screen makes small screens more readable.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sleep therapists reckon a burst of light at night fools the brain into thinking it's waking-up time, so use a super-dim screen if you're an insomniac workaholic.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No. 5: Sensor Monitor</span></strong></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sensor Monitor is rated 4 1/2 stars out of a possible 5 for all versions based on 24 ratings, and 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for the current version based on 11 ratings in the iTunes App Store.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's an app that lets you display and log raw sensor values for the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, GPS, battery, microphone, touch and proximity sensors.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The proximity sensor is the sensor that deactivates the display when the phone is in a call so you ears don't dial phone numbers.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> <i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Via: <a href="http://www.technewsworld.com/story/All-Things-Appy-5-Best-Apps-to-Make-the-Most-of-Apple-Sensors-79694.html">TechNewsWorld</a></span></i></div>

5 Best Apps to Make the Most of Apple Sensors

5 Best Apps to Make the Most of Apple  Sensors are a big part of what makes smartphones smart, and Apple mobile devices are packed with...

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