Here’s a cool new upcoming application for iPhone 3GS users. Unfortunately it won’t work on older versions of the iPhone because the application itself makes use of the compass feature that is only available in the latest iPhone model.

You’re probably familiar with Google Maps and how the service can overlay a street view (photographs) of the area that you’re mapping. I’ve found this service to be insanely useful for determining if I’m booking an inexpensive hotel. Prior to finalizing my hotel reservations at a rate that seems “too good to be true” – I use Google Street View to scout the area and see whether it looks safe or if it’s in a ghetto.

Now there’s a new application soon to arrive for iPhone 3GS that lets you display a real time map of New York City subway locations. The key is that as you turn the map changes to display the direction that you’re facing.

In order to do this the programmers have made use of the iPhone 3GS’s built-in compass to orient the screen display so that it shows only what is in front of the direction you’re facing. Check out the preview video below.

Via: Wired