Apple's upcoming iPhone 4 is now equipped with a three-axis gyroscope to accompany the three-axis accelerometer, which is already included in previous iPhone models. A gyroscope is designed to measure rotation or angular motion while the accelerometer measures the linear motion. Combining these two can provide developers with much more accurate data on the device's movement and orientation.
This great new hardware addition will primarily be a perk for gaming developers, but could also be applied to other app types that already utilize the accelerometer data. Steve Jobs demonstrated this extra ability using the game of Jenga and how precise the movement measurement can be. Seeing as iOS 4 has gone golden master today, I'm certain we'll see some great apps appear in time for the iPhone 4's release.
Keep tuned for more information on this and other news as it rolls out of WWDC 2010.
