We just came from an interesting talk by Mark Paley, Principal Lead Program Manager at Microsoft for Windows Phone. The focus of the discussion was sensors and cameras, specifically what devs can now do with them.

Yesterday we reported on how only new, not-yet-released devices will have the hardware to support gyroscopes. We also mentioned that this is an option to add gyro, not a chassis requirement. The question was then what about all the devices without gyros, how will software work with them?

The answer is the "Motion Sensor" API, which basically takes the accelerometer, compass (new) and gyroscope (new), combine them into one "sensor" and does all the math behind them. In turn, the devs job is made much easier since the code is so simple. But there is also a 'Motion.IsSupported' code that checks to see if the hardware is there--if not, it just uses the accelerometer and compass (which we all have now).

In other words, software is software and devs can just write code using the Motion Sensor API--if your device has gyro, it uses it, if not, it still works. So what's it like not having gyroscope? Well, it's like it is now on the LG devices with their augmented reality apps--they work just fine, they're just not as smooth or accurate as a device with a gyroscope. No fragmentation, no issues.