Mapping your route with Maps
Course-setting with Compass
Getting quotes with Stocks
Watching the weather with Weather
In this chapter we look at four of the iPhone's Internet-enabled applications: Maps, Compass, Stocks, and Weather. We call them Internet-enabled because they display information collected over your Internet connection — whether Wi-Fi or wireless data network — in real (or in the case of Stocks, near-real) time.
In the first edition of this book we said that the Maps feature was one of the sleeper hits of our iPhone experience and an application we both use more than we expected because it's so darn handy. Since then, Maps has become better and more capable. With Maps, you can quickly and easily discover exactly where you are, find nearby restaurants and businesses, get turn-by-turn driving instructions from any address to any other address, and see real-time traffic information for many locations.
If you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS, a pulsating blue marker indicates your location on the map when its GPS is used to find your location (see Figure 12-1). Otherwise, a somewhat larger circle is used to show your approximate location. Either way, when you move around, iPhone can update your location and adjust the map so the location indicator stays in the middle of the screen.
Note
If you tap or drag the map, your iPhone continues to update your location; but it won't recenter the marker, which means that the location indicator can move off the screen.
To find a person, place, or thing with Maps, tap the search field at the top of the screen to make the keyboard appear. Now type what you're looking for. You can search for addresses, zip codes, intersections, towns, landmarks, and businesses by category and by name, or combinations, such as New York, NY 10022, pizza 60645, or Auditorium Shores Austin TX.
Tip
If the letters you type match names in your Contacts list, the matching contacts appear in a list below the search field. Tap a name to see a map of that contact's location. Maps is smart about it, too; it displays only the names of contacts that have a street address.
When you finish typing, tap Search. After a few seconds, a map appears. If you searched for a single location, it is marked with a single pushpin. If you searched for a category (pizza 60645, for example), you see multiple pushpins, one for each matching location, as shown in Figure 12-2.
In Map, Satellite, or Hybrid view, you can zoom to see either more or less of the map — or scroll (pan) to see what's above, below, or to the left or right of what's on the screen:
To zoom out: Pinch the map or double-tap using two fingers. To zoom out even more, pinch or double-tap using two fingers again.
To zoom in: Unpinch the map or double-tap (the usual way — with just one finger) the spot you want to zoom in on. Unpinch or double-tap with one finger again to zoom in even more.
An unpinch is the opposite of a pinch. Start with your thumb and a finger together and then flick them apart.
Tip
You can also unpinch with two fingers or two thumbs, one from each hand, but you'll probably find that a single-handed pinch and unpinch is handier.
To scroll: Flick or drag up, down, left, or right.
Maps and contacts go together like peanut butter and jelly. For example, if you want to see a map of a contact's street address, tap the little bookmarks icon in the search field, tap the Contacts button at the bottom of the screen, and then tap the contact's name. Or type the first few letters of the contact's name in the search field and then tap the name in the list that automatically appears below the search field.
After you find a location by typing an address into Maps, you can add that location to one of your contacts. Or you can create a new contact with a location you've found. To do either, tap the location's pushpin on the map, and then tap the little > in a blue circle to the right of the location's name or description (shown next to Gullivers Pizzeria in Figure 12-2) to display its Info screen (see Figure 12-4).
Figure 12-4. The unscrolled Info screen for Gullivers Pizzeria (left), and the same screen when you scroll to the bottom (right).
Now tap either the Create New Contact button or the Add to Existing Contact button on the Info screen. You'll probably have to scroll to the bottom of the Info screen to see these buttons (shown on the right in Figure 12-4).
Note
You work with your contacts by tapping the Contacts icon on the second page of icons on your Home screen (swipe from right to left on your Home screen to see it) or tapping the Phone icon on your Home screen and then tapping the Contacts icon in the Phone screen's Dock.
You can also get driving directions from most locations including a contact's address to any other location including another contact's address. You'll see how to do that in the "Smart map tricks" section.
Tip
The fastest way to erase the search field and make the bookmarks icon appear is to tap the little x on the right, which causes the contents of the search field to disappear instantly.
At the bottom of the Bookmarks screen, you find three buttons: Bookmarks, Recents, and Contacts. The following sections give you the lowdown on these buttons.
Bookmarks in the Maps application work like bookmarks in Safari. When you have a location you want to save as a bookmark so that you can reuse it later without typing a single character, tap the little > in a blue circle to the right of the location's name or description to display the Info screen for that location. Tap the Add to Bookmarks button on the Info screen. (You may have to scroll down the Info screen to see the Add to Bookmarks button.)
You can also drop a pin anywhere on the map by tapping the curling page button in the lower-right corner, and then tapping the Drop Pin button. After you've dropped a pin, you can drag it anywhere on the map. When it's where you want it, tap the pin if you don't see the words Drag To Move Pin above it and Drag To Move Pin and a little > in a blue circle will appear. Tap the little > and the Info screen for the dropped pin appears. Now tap the Add to bookmarks button on the Info screen.
After you add a bookmark, you can recall it at any time. To do so, tap the bookmarks icon in any empty search field, tap the Bookmarks button at the bottom of the screen, and then tap the bookmark name to see it on a map.
Tip
The first things you should bookmark are your home and work addresses and your zip codes. These are things you use all the time with Maps, so you might as well bookmark them now to avoid typing them over and over.
Tip
Use zip code bookmarks to find nearby businesses. Choose the zip code bookmark, and then type what you're looking for, such as 78729 pizza, 60645 gas station, or 90201 Starbucks.
To manage your bookmarks, first tap the Edit button in the top-left corner of the Bookmarks screen. Then:
To move a bookmark up or down in the Bookmarks list: Drag the little icon with three gray bars that appears to the right of the bookmark upward to move the bookmark higher in the list or downward to move the bookmark lower in the list.
To delete a bookmark from the Bookmarks list: Tap the – sign to the left of the bookmark's name.
When you're finished using bookmarks, tap the Done button in the top-right corner of the Bookmarks screen to return to the map.
Maps automatically remembers every location you've searched for in its Recents list. To see this list, tap the bookmarks icon in any empty search field, and then tap the Recents button at the bottom of the screen. To see a map of a recent item, tap the item's name.
To clear the Recents list, tap the Clear button in the top-left corner of the screen, and then tap the Clear All Recents button.
When you're finished using the Recents list, tap the Done button in the top-right corner of the screen to return to the map.
To see a map of a contact's location, tap the bookmarks icon in any empty search field, and then tap the Contacts button at the bottom of the screen. To see a map of a contact's location, tap the contact's name in the list.
To limit the Contacts list to specific groups (assuming you have some groups in your Contacts list), tap the Groups button in the top-left corner of the screen and then tap the name of the group. Now only contacts in this group are displayed in the list.
When you're finished using the Contacts list, tap the Done button in the top-right corner of the screen to return to the map.
The Maps application has more tricks up its sleeve. Here are a few nifty features you may find useful.
You can get route maps and driving directions to any location from any location in a couple of ways:
If a pushpin is already on the screen: Tap the pushpin and then tap the little > in a blue circle to the right of the name or description. This action displays the item's Info screen. Now tap the Directions to Here or Directions from Here button to get directions to or from that location, respectively.
When you're looking at a map screen: Tap the Directions button at the bottom of the map screen. The Start and End fields appear at the top of the screen.
Type the starting and ending points or choose them from your bookmarks, recent maps, or contacts if you prefer. If you want to swap the starting and ending locations, tap the little swirly arrow button to the left of the Start and End fields.
When the start and end locations are correct, tap the Route button in the bottom-right corner of the screen and the route map appears, as shown on the left side in Figure 12-5.
If you need to change the start or end location, tap the Edit button in the top-left corner. If everything looks right, tap the Start button in the top-right corner to receive turn-by-turn driving directions, as shown on the right side in Figure 12-5. To see the next step in the directions, tap the right-facing arrow in the top-right corner; to see the preceding step, tap the left-facing arrow in the top-right corner.
Figure 12-5. The route map from Bob's first house in Skokie to Gullivers Pizza in Chicago (left) and the first step in the step-by-step driving directions for that route (right).
If you prefer your driving directions displayed as a list with all the steps, as shown in Figure 12-6, tap the curling page button in the lower-right corner and then tap the List button.
When you're finished with the step-by-step directions, tap the Search button at the bottom of the screen to return to the regular map screen and single search field.
Warning
As well as step-by-step directions work, we wish the iPhone offered the type of audible turn-by-turn directions feature found on some dedicated GPS devices. You know — where some friendly male or female voice barks out instructions (such as "turn right on Main Street").
Tip
GPS maker TomTom (http://iphone.tomtom.com) announced a combination hardware/software product that apparently does just that. We've seen a brief demonstration and it looks pretty slick. Unfortunately, the product wasn't available when this book went to press, so we can't tell you how well (or even if) it works.
After you've provided a starting and ending location and tapped the Route button, the next screen that appears has three icons near the top: a car, a bus, and a person walking. In the preceding example, we showed directions by car, which is the default.
For public transportation information, tap the bus icon instead. When you do, the departure and arrival times for the next bus or train appear, as shown on the left in Figure 12-7. Tap the little clock icon below the Start button (at the top of the screen) to see additional departure and arrival times, as shown on the right in Figure 12-7.
The step-by-step directions for public transportation routes explain where you need to walk to catch the bus or train, where you need to get off that bus or train, and where you have to walk from there to reach your destination, as shown in Figure 12-8.
For step-by-step directions for walking, tap the person walking icon. Walking directions generally look a lot like driving directions except for your travel time. For example, driving time in Figure 12-5 is approximately 11 minutes with traffic; walking time (not shown) is estimated at 1 hour and 24 minutes.
You can find out the traffic conditions for whatever map you're viewing by tapping the curling page button in the lower-right corner and then tapping the Show Traffic button. When you do this, major roadways are color-coded to inform you of the current traffic speed, as shown in Figure 12-9. Here's the key:
Green: 50 or more miles per hour
Yellow: 25 to 50 miles per hour
Red: Under 25 miles per hour
Gray: No data available at this time
If a location has a little > in a blue circle to the right of its name or description (refer to Figure 12-2), you can tap it to see the location's Info screen.
As we explained earlier in this chapter, you can get directions to or from that location, add the location to your bookmarks or contacts, or create a new contact from it. But there are still three more things you can do with a location from its Info screen:
Tap its phone number to call it.
Tap its e-mail address to launch the Mail application and send an e-mail to it.
Tap its URL to launch Safari and view its Web site.
The new Compass application, available only on the iPhone 3GS, works like a magnetic needle compass. Launch the Compass app by tapping its icon on your Home screen, and it shows you the direction you're facing. In both screens shown in Figure 12-10, that direction is north.
Figure 12-10. The Compass application says I'm facing north (left); the map with the cone also indicates that I'm currently facing north (right).
But wait — there's more. If you tap the little compass icon in the lower-left corner, the Maps application launches. Now for the cool part: Tap the little compass icon in the lower-left corner of the Maps app two times and the blue marker grows a little white "cone" that indicates the direction you're facing, as shown on the right in Figure 12-10.
Also note that when the map is in this compass mode, the little compass icon in its lower-left corner grows a little white cone as well, letting you know that you're now using the compass mode.
Tip
If you rotate to face a different direction while Maps is in compass mode, the map rotates in real time. So the map always displays the direction you're currently facing, even if you've moved around a bit, which is pretty darn cool.
Stocks is another Internet-enabled application on your iPhone. It's kind of a one-trick pony, but if you need its trick — information about specific stocks — it's a winner.
Every time you open the Stocks application by tapping its icon on the Home screen, it displays the latest price for your stocks, with two provisos:
So tap that Stocks icon and take a peek.
The first time you open Stocks, you see information for a group of default stocks, funds, and indexes. There are more of them than you can see on the screen at once, so flick upward to scroll down.
Because the chance of you owning that exact group of stocks, funds, and indexes displayed on the screen is slim, this section shows you how to add your own stocks, funds, or indexes and delete any or all default ones if you want.
Here's how to add a stock, a fund, or an index:
Tap the i button in the bottom-right corner of the initial Stocks screen.
The i is for info.
Tap the + button in the top-left corner of the Stocks screen.
Type a stock symbol, or a company, index, or fund name.
Tap the Search button.
Stocks finds the company or companies that match your search request.
Tap the one you want to add.
Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until you're through adding stocks, funds, and indexes.
Tap the Done button in the top-right corner.
And here's how to delete a stock (the steps for deleting a fund or an index are the same):
Tap the i button in the bottom-right corner of the initial Stocks screen.
Tap the – button to the left of the stock's name.
Tap the Delete button that appears to the right of the stock's name.
Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until all unwanted stocks have been deleted.
Tap the Done button.
That's all there is to adding and deleting stocks.
To see the details for an item, tap its name to select it and the lower portion of the screen will offer additional information. Note the three small dots under the words "Quotes delayed by 20 minutes." These dots tell you that there are three screens of information, all shown in Figure 12-11. To switch between these three screens, simply swipe to the left or the right on the lower part of the screen.
To look up additional information about a stock at Yahoo.com, first tap the stock's name to select it, and then tap the Y! button in the lower-left corner of the screen. Safari launches and displays the Yahoo.com finance page for that stock.
Referring to Figure 12-11, note the chart at the bottom of the middle image. At the top of the chart, you see a bunch of numbers and letters, namely 1d, 1w, 1m, 3m, 6m, 1y, and 2y. They stand for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months (selected in Figure 12-11), 1 year, and 2 years, respectively. Tap one of them and the chart updates to reflect that period of time.
That's sweet but here's an even sweeter feature introduced in iPhone OS 3.0: If you rotate your iPhone 90 degrees, the chart appears in full-screen, as shown in Figure 12-12. Here are three cool things you can do with full-screen charts:
Touch any point in time to see the value for that day.
Use two fingers to touch any two points in time to see the difference in values between those two days, as shown in Figure 12-12.
Swipe left or right to see the chart for another stock, fund, or index.
Figure 12-12. Using two fingers to see the difference in values ($27.08 or 28.70%) between two days (Feb. 18 and Apr. 16, 2009).
By default, Stocks displays the change in a stock's price in dollars. You can instead see the change expressed as a percentage or as the stock's market capitalization. The easy way is to tap the number next to any stock (green numbers are positive; red numbers are negative). That toggles the display for all stocks — dollar change, percent change, market cap. So if your stocks, funds, and indexes are currently displayed as dollars, tapping any one of them switches them all to percent — and tapping again switches them to market cap.
The second way takes more steps: Tap the i button in the bottom-right corner of the initial Stocks screen. Then tap the %, Price, or Mkt Cap button at the bottom of the screen. The values are then displayed in the manner you chose. Tap the Done button in the top-right corner when you're finished.
Weather is a simple application that provides you with the current weather forecast for the city or cities of your choice. By default, you see a six-day forecast for the chosen city, as shown in Figure 12-13.
If the background for the forecast is blue, as it is in Figure 12-13, it's daytime (between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.) in that city; if it's a deep purple, it's nighttime (between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.).
To add a city, first tap the i button in the bottom-right corner. Tap the + button in the upper-left corner and then type a city and state or zip code. Tap the Search button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Tap the name of the found city. Add as many cities as you want this way.
To delete a city, tap the i button in the bottom-right corner. Tap the red – button to the left of its name, and then tap the Delete button that appears to the right of its name.
You can also choose between Fahrenheit and Celsius by first tapping the i button in the bottom-right corner and then tapping either the °F or °C button near the bottom of the screen. When you're finished, tap the Done button in the top-right corner of the screen.
If you've added more than one city to Weather, you can switch between them by flicking your finger across the screen to the left or the right.
Tip
See the three little dots — one white and two gray — at the bottom of the screen in Figure 12-13? They denote the number of cities you have stored (which is three in this case).
Last, but not least, to see detailed weather information about a city at Yahoo.com, tap the Y! button in the lower-left corner of the screen. Safari launches and then displays the Yahoo.com weather page for the current city, as shown in Figure 12-14.
