Point and Retrieve

Two services of “point and retrieve” have been announced almost simultaneously. iPointer and GeoVector (NYT article) are based on a GPS-enabled mobile phone with an embedded digital magnetic compass and a wireless data connection. They allow to retrieve information about a landmark by pointing at it:

When users wish to identify a landmark, they point the hand-held device and press a button. The iPointer™ device receives coordinate signals from GPS satellites and orientation information from the digital magnetic compass to identify the user’s location and device’s pointing angle. These coordinates are then sent over the wireless network to the database. iST’s geospatial database’s selection algorithms identify the selected landmark and sends information back over the wireless network to be displayed in text, visuals and audio on the user’s device.

Relation to my thesis: A technology that enables near field interaction with the physical space and local search. I am absolutly curious to know how users of such services manage the shortcoming of the technology. Does a magnetic compas increases or decreases confusion in navigating in urban environments?