The KeeWee Technology Analog Altimeter App for iPhone makes use of the iPhone’s GPS technology to provide information about elevation. While the face of the altimeter used in this app looks like the face of an analog altimeter, it doesn’t work exactly the same as a barometric altimeter. Instead of relying on air pressure to determine altitude as a traditional barometric altimeter does, it rather uses the GPS integrated in the iPhone to provide the altitude values.
Good to know. When an altimeter relies on GPS signals only to calculate altitude, the reading might differ from that given by an altimeter that relies on air pressure alone. But now even newer models of altimeters, such as the Garmin Edge 705, combine GPS and barometric inputs to calculate elevation.
When relying on a phone app or other technology in the outdoors, remember to consider the limitations such as batteries (which will need to be recharged) and extreme temperatures (which can affect battery life and LCD displays). While KeeWee Technology’s Analog Altimeter app might look like an old-school analog altimeter at face value, it’s more like a digital, GPS-generated version of the classic.
Want to know more about altimeter types and uses?
Read my article on the About.com Survival Skills website:
“The Barometric Altimeter: Survival Uses and Types”
App Image Icon © KeeWee Technology.
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