Japanese cell-phone makers have combined GPS, compasses, and cell phones to give people the power to get information about any location simply by pointing their phone at it. Because emergency regulations in Japan require cell phones to have GPS on board, most new phones come equipped with the necessary tools to run the service (having a camera in your phone is not required). Imagine standing on a street corner and pointing your phone down a street, then getting listings for every restaurant in the area. Once you choose one, the phone gives you directions, even showing you a map. While it sounds pretty amazing, we shouldn't expect the technology to reach our shores for a few years. The U.S. cell-phone market is already infamously behind the times compared to the European and Asian markets, and currently the only two carriers that support GPS at all (Verizon and Sprint Nextel) are far too inaccurate to utilize the technology sufficiently. However, an idea such as this can't be kept away forever, so we have high hopes it'll be developed and released here sooner rather than later. We'll keep you updated. — Adam Frucci

Via The New York Times