what is the accelerometer used for in mobile devices?
Accelerometer in an iPhone. Definition: An accelerometer is a sensor which measures the tilting motion and orientation of a mobile phone. The Apple iPhone was the first popular mobile phone to make the accelerometer a key feature of its user interface. The accelerometer is used to ensure photographs are presented in the correct way - portrait or landscape - depending on the way the phone is held. Accelerometers are also increasingly used as a means of user input, most noticeably in games where tilting and rotating the handset can control onscreen action.