Happymagenta Releases Spyglass 2.0

Happymagenta has announced the release of Spyglass 2.0, a major update to their popular digital compass and HUD display for iPhone 3GS devices. Developed specifically to leverage the iPhone's unique capabilities, Spyglass is a fun-to-use multi-function augmented reality tool and heads-up display with a live compass, GPS information, as well as tilt horizon - right over the live feed from the built-in camera, (or even an auto-rotated map), turning any iPhone into a sophisticated location-aware viewfinder.

Featuring an easy-to-use interface, Spyglass includes a milspec compass, GPS locations and constant bearings tracker and finder, sun and moon tracker, inclinometer, sextant, rangefinder, angular calculator, camera (with 5x digital zoom), maps, and lots of other useful features. It is useful for all types of outdoor activities from marking and then finding the car, camp or hotel, as well as during hunting, fishing, hiking, scouting, seafaring, sports and touring.

Just like in airplanes, sci-fi movies or military-styled night vision binoculars, Spyglass works in any orientation encompassing a three-dimensional space. While viewing through the iPhone's built-in camera, tilt or rotate the device to see incredibly detailed, live information in any direction. All Spyglass features, such as digital zoom, color filters, HUD colors and imperial or metric units are easily configurable.


Feature Highlights:
* Heads-up display style (like in planes or sci-fi movies)
* Compass (milspec, working with any orientation)
* Multiple destinations and bearings tracker (AR)
* Sun and Moon positions tracker (AR)
* Add or edit custom destinations and bearings
* Rhumb line (nautical) navigation
* Sextant (AR), inclinometer and angular calculator
* Stadiametric optical rangefinder (300-1500ft or 100-500m)
* Measure vertical, horizontal, spherical angles
* Measure distance to or size of objects
* GPS (coordinates, altitude, speed, course)
* Maps with autorotation
* Digital zoom camera (up to 5x)
* Take photos into the album
* Milspec, imperial or metric units (+MGRS WGS84)
* Variety of HUD colors and color filters
* Highly configurable

"The idea behind Spyglass was initially to create a fun as well as useful tool similar to binoculars that are commonly used in sci-fi, military and action movies.," said Pavel Ahafonau, founder and CEO of Happymagenta. "And with over 100 changes in total, this huge update of Spyglass has matured from being mostly a fun tool into being mostly useful one. And of course, there is even more fun too."

Version 2.0 users can easily take pictures and screenshots that are properly oriented and stored into the photo album, as well as show the user location pin on a map, and easily switch between backwards or classic compass.

Spyglass now allows simultaneous tracking of multiple targets (GPS locations or constant bearings) that can be added either manually or by using maps. Current positions of targets that are being tracked (including sun and moon) are displayed as augmented reality markers (as bearing hints) on a compass when they are not in sight of a camera. The compass and spyglass itself were designed to milspec devices, and work in any orientation. Spyglass supports military units for angles (angular mils) and locations (MGRS). For nautical and marine activities Spyglass supports navigating along thumb lines.


The sextant and built-in angular calculator are used to measure distance to, and/or size of remote objects. Improved reliability and precision are reached when visually measuring angles by using augmented reality markers that help to properly orient the device - spherical coordinate mapping and all scales are close to real camera field of view and dependant on current zoom that makes positioning of scale markers more precise. And just like the rangefinder used in sniper scopes, Spyglass' built-in optical rangefinder helps to quickly measure approximate distance to objects of known size. Scale is 300-1500ft (100-500m) for objects with height of 5.6ft (1.7m).

Pricing and Availability:
Spyglass 2.0 is only $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Navigation category. Review copies are available upon request.


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