Is the compass feature really just something you point at the sun rising in the East and it tells you where South is? Do we need a watch to figure out rough cardinal directions?
TheLabNot exactly. You point the hour hand at the sun and then position South between the hour hand and 12 o'clock. This is useful if you aren't following a designated path and you need to adjust your bearings often.
More information here: http://www.oocities.org/watch_crazy/compass/compass.htm