Star Droid: Star Gazing Android Application By Google
In addition to launching Android applications for Google’s traditional product line, the company has also playfully dabbled with more creative concepts. For example, they launched an application that keeps track of sports scores called Google Scoreboard and one Google empoyee used his 20% time to create a little game called Divide & Conquer. But the most creative/novel Android application to come out of Google hasn’t yet been released – StarDroid.
Here is how StarDroid will work:
- It will use the built-in GPS of your Android Phone to pinpoint your geographic location, and with that, it can determine the position of the stars in the sky as viewed by you
- It will use the built-in accelerometer to determine what part of the sky your phone is pointed towards
- It will combine these two pieces of information to show you, on the viewfinder, the names of stars, planets and constellations
I was never an Astronomy fan… until I watched the below video. Now I am somewhat obssessed:
This narrated account putting the findings of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope into perspective absolutely BLEW my mind. If you have never seen this before I think it will – and hope it does – change you outlook on what you see when you look at the sky. And for those who have already seen it… I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching it again. WATCH THE ENTIRE THING!
I really hope we see more applications and games that utilize the power of GPS and Accelerometer. The latter of those two might see an explosion of new software if 29-year-old Jubei has anything to say about it. He has created an Android Controller which he is making Open Source that will unlock a ton of Android Power:
Imagine the possibilities…
[Via Telegraph]