A fair number of boats we test today don’t have compasses, a shortcoming that many boaters consider a nautical no-no. A compass ensures safe navigation, even when a boat is equipped with a GPS.

From ancient civilizations to modern times, compasses have played an important role in helping people find their way. But with the advent of GPS and other advanced technologies, many people wonder if ...

A compass needle is essentially a thin bar magnet. If it were free to move in all three dimensions, a magnet would line up along any local magnetic field line. Field lines are graphical ...

GPS is vital to modern navigation, but it's extremely fragile. Never mind coverage — if a satellite fails or there's a jamming attack, it quickly becomes useless. Scientists may have a much more ...

iOS ships with a basic compass that you can use to find your basic heading when driving or hiking. It's not as robust as some third-party orienteering apps, but it will work in a pinch when these ...