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Google Maps is getting more detailed spoken walking directions
Google is rolling out a Maps update that adds more in-depth spoken walking directions, with the aim of helping vision-impaired people navigate with more ease. The detailed voice guidance feature will inform users when to turn and tell them when they're approaching a large intersection, so they can exercise more caution when crossing. If users accidentally move away from their route, the voice will let them know Maps is re-routing them.
Uber makes it easier for riders, drivers to get to their destination
Even though Uber is in the middle of a ridesharing battle against competitor Lyft, that's not stopping the company from focusing to make its product better. With this in mind, Uber just announced a couple of new features that will improve the experience for riders and drivers alike, both on iOS and Android. For starters, the app now allows you to enter your destination as you're booking a ride, allowing the driver to easily see where you're going as soon as you step in the car. Drivers (who only use iPhones, by the way), on the other hand, can now see the destination you entered and use turn-by-turn navigation to get to it -- this is important to simplify the process, as it keeps every driver from having to manually input an address. More importantly, Uber says these updates bring it one step closer to its vision of "a day when there is no coordination necessary" to take a ride.
Waze for Windows Phone 8 promises not to drain your battery anymore
Windows Phone 8 fans got a pleasant surprise when social GPS app Waze arrived on the Marketplace after Google snapped it up. That's why it's such a shame that it caused massive battery drain issues for some users. After months of people airing grievances on various forums, the service has finally unleashed a new version that promises improved battery life along with the usual bug fixes. Unfortunately, the WP8 app stills lags behind its iOS and Android brethren, lacking Facebook and calendar integration, among other features. If you're cool with what the app can do and could use the battery fix, though, head on over to the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Waze partners up with Universal Pictures to let celebrity voices give you driving directions
GPS turn-by-turn directions are staid and boring, whether they are relayed by a male or female voice. Waze wants to give us what we really want, which is, quite naturally, driving directions delivered with the gravitas only Hollywood actors can bring. To that end, the social navigation company has partnered up with Universal Pictures to deliver some cross-promotional synergy that'll have actors in forthcoming films acting as your virtual co-pilot. The first such star of the silver screen is comedian Kevin Hart (promoting the aptly titled film Ride Along), and you can get a taste of what Waze will be like with Hart telling you where to go in the video after the break.
Mercedes-Benz imagines seamless door-to-door directions with Google Glass
Despite apps that let a few lucky Glass owners control their Nest thermostat or unlock that Tesla Model S, one of the futuristic headgear's most practical applications is still just the default turn-by-turn directions that come courtesy of Google. The R&D department over at Mercedes-Benz realizes that as well, but wants to take it a step further. According to a report in the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the automotive company is working on a Google Glass project that combines both pedestrian and automotive directions to take a user literally from door to door. MBRDNA President and CEO Johann Jungwirth told the publication that he wants Glass to seamlessly transition between walking and in-car navigation. Of course, not everyone has access to the pricey wearable just yet, so the project won't likely see real-world application any time soon. In the meantime, Mercedes does have a few more down-to-earth solutions for the gadgets you might already have.
CoPilot GPS navigation coming to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
While most Windows Phone 8 users have at least one option for driving directions, that doesn't preclude them opting for a little extra. ALK Technologies at least believes we're willing to splurge, as it's bringing versions of its CoPilot GPS apps to both Windows Phone 8 as well as Windows 8. Both platforms will share the extras we've seen in the Android and iOS releases, such as on-the-fly route editing, speed limit warnings and local search that involves Wikipedia, Yelp and Google -- shh, don't tell Microsoft. ALK is also promising a similar, two-tiered pricing approach that will offer both a free planning-only app as well as a paid Premium version that delivers turn-by-turn navigation and a year of live traffic information. The catch is an extreme wait for the Windows builds: the two will only appear just as we're setting out on our summer vacations.
Review: Google Maps for iOS
Google is back with a vengeance after Apple unceremoniously dumped them on iOS with a free Google Maps app. People rightly howled about it, especially since the Apple Maps app was slick but undernourished in the data and accuracy departments. Apple's Tim Cook has apologized, and there have been improvements, but let's be frank, for many users, the app is still a mess. The Apple GUI, in my view, is very good and intuitive, but there is not the foundation that Google has after years of work and millions of dollars spent collecting data. I put Google Maps through its paces this morning, and mostly it is very good. Here in Southern Arizona, Google finds more points of interest, and has more information about them than Apple Maps. Image below: Google Maps Mall info, followed by Apple Maps pages The Google Maps GUI is quite attractive, and has clearly been re-done from what was on iOS before, and to my eye, it looks better than what they have done for Android phones. Of course last time, Apple provided the Google GUI. The truth is, I haven't had many problems with Apple Maps, but my experience is far from universal. To use Google Maps you enter a location in the search window. You can also speak the location, using the iOS speech recognition feature. Then it's just a matter of tapping on the location you want from a list. Choose your transportation mode, car, public transit or walking, and tap again on the routing you want if Google presents some options. Then tap on 'start'. I think it's not too obvious how to get started on your route. With Apple Maps you select a pin, and you get a 'Directions to Here' prompt. Then a start button. Nevertheless, I figured it out and I'm sure most people will. Google offers basic maps, satellite maps, and an option to see Google Earth. Apple offers vector maps and satellite views. I compared several areas, and Apple and Google are roughly comparable. In some places, Apple has more recent views, in many places Google is better. It's down to where you are looking. Apple does have 3D views in some cities. I don't find them all that helpful, despite the 'gee whiz' factor. Google offers Street View, which is quite useful. Image below: Google Maps satellite view L, Apple satellite view R When you get under way, Google provides a very clean understandable voice as does Apple. Turn warnings are well in advance. Google offers a list view of the route, or the more typical 3D view from above and behind your vehicle. I think Apple Maps look nicer while driving, but that's down to opinion. There are still some negatives to the Google Maps offering. Google Maps has no access to your address book, which is a major limitation. Almost all 3rd party apps can do it, so I expect it will come to Google Maps. Of course Siri doesn't talk to Google Maps at all, they aren't even friends, so that option is out. [Note: There is a way to trick Siri into talking to Google Maps, as MacStories points out. - Ed.] Still, it's easy to enter data in Google Maps and as I said, you can do it by voice once the app is running. You can say things like "Where is the nearest pizza" and Google will parse it and make suggestions. If you have a Google account, you can have access to your search history from other devices. Google Maps is an excellent addition to your iPhone. (There isn't a dedicated iPad version as yet.) It has the strength of Google's incredible data, and Street View which I used to think was a nice feature but now I rely on it. Lack of contact access is a real downer, and there is no way to make this app the default map app on iOS (although Google's API will make it easy for developers to use it instead). I really didn't have any big issues with Apple Maps, but it wasn't a full navigation solution. Google Maps isn't either, but it comes closer. The two companies should kiss and make up and give the customers a hybrid app that is best of breed. Google Maps has lower hardware requirements than Apple Maps. Turn by turn directions work all the way down to the iPhone 3GS, and the app requires iOS 5.1 or later. That's also a pain point for Apple, and something Apple could have offered (the theory being hardware sales would suffer). Google Maps is available in several languages, and since it gets most of its data via cellular or WiFi connection, the app is only 7 MB. Let us know your thoughts, and how Google Maps is comparing to Apple's offering.
Google Maps Navigation for Android comes to Mexico
For the past few months, Mexico has been sitting in limbo as far as Google's mapping services were concerned: you could see Mayan ruins in Street View, but you couldn't get directions to them from your phone. Google has redressed that balance now that Google Maps Navigation is reaching the country. Anyone with an updated version of Google Maps on Android can get turn-by-turn directions, traffic and nearby points of interest as they cruise towards Veracruz. Mass transit navigation appears to be the lone (if glaring) omission for Mexican use. While we'd like all mapping options to be available, it's good to know that drivers can more smoothly cross the vast expanses of Mexico City. [Thanks, Luis]
One not-so-secret reason Apple built its own Maps for iOS 6
In the uproar over iOS 6's move to Apple's homegrown Maps service, the driving theme is user frustration (not to say outright anger). Even the most ardent apologists have to acknowledge that Maps has serious issues, and the company's critics are having a field day. Some of the challenges may be remediable in the short term, while others may take far longer to address effectively. Apple is reportedly doing deep-dive recruiting into the fallow, contract-complete engineering pool that helped to build Google Maps in the first place. Yes, this stuff is hard. We're going to dive into the Maps conundrum (and a little product launch from Friday) on tonight's Talkcast, so bring your suggestions, complaints and consolations. You can connect to us live here at 10pm Eastern Sunday night, or listen in after the fact. For iOS 6 users, especially those who upgraded without realizing that Maps was changing under their feet, things are awkward. In the short term, we're seeing a lot of workarounds and substitutions for everything from Google's Street View feature (the $0.99 Live Street View app does a fine job) to transit directions (if they cover where you live, Embark's offerings are sharp and accurate) to simply going with a bookmark to the mobile version of Google Maps itself. We're also seeing a lot of enthusiastic attribution of motives: "Apple wants to force its customers to use its own products, even when they are not as good as those from rivals," opines Joe Nocera in the New York Times. "They put their own priorities for corporate strategy ahead of user experience," suggests Anil Dash. "Apple put crapware on their most important product on purpose in order to screw a rival at the expense of users," claims Mike Elgan over at Cult of Mac. (Elgan's post suggests that Apple is obsessed with Google, but he also says that "Google+ is the Google Maps of social networks," which makes me wonder if perhaps he hasn't got some other things mixed up.) Those assertions make for strong narratives and good, meaty, angry articles. They're forceful, and have the ring of truth. But to suggest that the only reason Apple would make this change is for the sake of forcing Google off of iOS -- punishing users in the process, without a care or a caution -- is naive and mistaken. Apple's move away from Google's maps isn't about screwing users to make a corporate political point; it's about trying to give iOS users a better maps experience in the long run. What's the one big thing that Android devices -- since 2.0, in 2009 -- have been able to do with their maps that iOS devices, natively and without expensive third-party apps, couldn't do? Realtime, turn by turn navigation. The feature that lets you replace your $100-and-up dashboard GPS unit with only your phone and your voice, included in the box with millions of Android phones. A specific, unarguable and easy-to-market differentiating feature. Droid does; iPhone doesn't. Why doesn't the Google-backed Maps app on iOS 5 do realtime nav? Well, as Ars Technica pointed out in June, it's simply not allowed in the Google API license agreement for Maps. Easy enough for Google to provide the feature to its own operating system (once the underlying map data licensing hurdles were cleared when it turned over from NAVTEQ data to its own geobase in the late 2000s), but third parties? Nope. This was confirmed as a constraint when developers asked the question at WWDC several years ago. No realtime nav, no vector map tiles, no way. But, surely, Google and Apple could make a deal to get around that pesky license? Given the special relationship between the two companies? Apparently not. As iMore notes and the Wall Street Journal delves into, Google was not willing to license turn-by-turn to Apple. Perhaps Apple drove too hard a bargain; perhaps Google's team wanted more access to user data, or to bundle the Latitude find-your-pals application into the mapping suite. Some suggest that Google wanted to keep turn-by-turn as a competitive tool for Android. But Charles Arthur's assertion in the Guardian that Apple "didn't want it" regarding realtime nav appears to be unfounded. Apple wanted it; Google wouldn't give it up. Google's role as the mapping provider for iOS was never an easy fit from a corporate perspective, but it became downright untenable when the intransigence over turn-by-turn kept the iPhone's mapping capability a generation behind the Android front line. Navigation isn't a trivial feature; getting a solid app for your driving directions can cost real money, or require an ongoing subscription. Apple's users were getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop because Apple didn't own the technology -- and that's the horse driving the cart in this case, not the other way around. If Apple can't build products that include the features users want most, they won't be insanely great, they won't delight, and they won't sell. That's the not-so-secret reason for the change to Apple's Maps. If iPhone users couldn't do turn-by-turn directions for free, Apple surmised, at some point they would stop being iPhone users. Maybe that's a crass, commercial reason, but it's not politics; it's real features for real customers. And it's part and parcel with other Google-controlled or blocked features (voice search for Maps, requiring a Maps tile to show whenever the geocoder is used, high-quality vector Maps for Retina) that were dragging the platform behind. None of that helps the current facts on the ground, as it were, when it comes to Maps in iOS 6, even if Apple should have leapt off long ago. In fact, users of pre-iPhone 4S devices may be extra peeved, as they don't even get the benefits of the turn-by-turn nav as they're sacrificing the data depth and accuracy of the Google infrastructure. This stuff is hard, and perhaps Apple's sin here is one of hubris -- thinking that the company had the smarts to solve several genuine problems at once, without realizing that the problems are actually that difficult. It's unfair and unfactual to say, as Joe Nocera does, that the Maps iOS 6 situation would not have come off the tracks the way it has if Steve Jobs were still running the company. Goodness knows, hubris -- and failure -- were things Steve had plenty of experience with, as Jean-Louis Gassée points out. But what is true is that Tim Cook and his team now face the challenge of rebuilding some user trust, explaining why they chose this path, and actually fixing the Maps app without resorting to any reality distortion fields. Thanks to Rene Ritchie for research help on this post.
Alternatives to iOS 6's Maps app for navigation and search
OK, we know Apple's Maps app in iOS 6 hasn't been a favorite feature for many people (allow me a bit of sarcasm). Yes, it adds realtime voice navigation, keeps walking directions and links to transit apps -- but it's still painful in many spots. You still, however, must travel from point A to point B without the Google Maps app you used to know. All is not lost if you are resourceful, and we know our readers are. Of course, you can put Google Maps back on your iPhone as a web app, or do the same with Nokia's excellent NAVTEQ-powered maps. Just bring up Safari and type maps.google.com, then save the page to your home screen via the action button. It's not as pretty as Apple Maps, but it has the benefit of Google's years of experience and data. When you first bring Google Maps up, you'll be asked if you want to save Google Maps as on icon on the desktop, and that might be a good idea. Of course, you won't be using Siri to choose destinations by voice, and you won't get spoken turn-by-turn directions, but you'll get transit directions, and even bicycle routes. (The webpage should prompt you to let it access the phone's location.) Google's iOS search app and the Google Places/Google+ Local app all connect to the web-based Google Maps as well. If you're searching for local resources and Maps's database doesn't have what you need (a common reported issue), you can try one of these instead. What else works? On the pay side of the ledger, Navigon has just upgraded its family of apps with transit directions and integration with Apple Maps. It also features Google Street View and local search, and spoken turn-by-turn directions. Other mapping apps are currently on sale, like the Western States (US $24.99 for their regional version). Motion X GPS Drive starts at $0.99 with several options available as in-app purchases. TeleNav GPS Plus is another nice app for $0.99, but you'll need a subscription to use it beyond 30 days. Garmin, which owns Navigon, will have an update to StreetPilot USA any day now with Google Street View and public transit directions. If all you're missing is Street View, check out the $0.99 Live Street View app. There are free apps of course, including the MapQuest app from our corporate cousin (both TUAW and MapQuest are owned by AOL) and the popular-with-commenters Waze. Many of the free nav apps depend on the same data that Apple Maps users are complaining about, so that's probably not a sensible way to go. One bright spot in this rather dismal situation is that I foresee prices of paid apps dropping. The Apple Maps solution is working fine for many users here in the US. It's not holding up so well overseas, and even the US version has plenty of holes. But free is hard to compete with and I expect Apple to step its game up, since a reputation is a horrible thing to waste, and the paid apps will likely get cheaper even if those solutions are better in many ways. We're open to some suggestions, so let us know in comments if you have some good substitutes.
Google Maps Navigation for Android hits nine MENA nations, adds Arabic voice search
If there is one thing you can't say about Google's mapping team, it's that they are a lazy bunch. Update after update puts paid to any of that kinda talk, and again, here's another example -- navigation for Android is now available in nine more countries. It's the Middle East and North Africa that get the attention this time, with Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and Saudia Arabia all getting the update. The service comes complete with Arabic voice search as well as "search along route" for routes to near-by POIs that won't take you the long way round. You'll need Android 4.0 or above if you want in on the action, but it's available now for those that do.
Google Maps unveils new features in India, New Zealand and 150 universities worldwide
Google is bringing voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation to Android smartphone users in India. While the functionality's been available since January if you've rooted your device, the official version lands today with a localized "Indian English" voice option. At the same time, it's adding live traffic information for major roads in big cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad -- with both arriving today on handsets running Gingerbread and up. At the same time, it's giving Google Map Maker and Biking Directions to users in New Zealand -- and college students at over 150 universities worldwide will now be able to find themselves thanks to Street View maps on campus. Of course, that does mean you can no longer use Google as an excuse as to why you missed Phys. Ed. 202 next semester. [Thanks, Devanshu]
Telenav Scout for Apps comes to Android and Windows Phone, Scout Drive Button released for website-based nav
iOS app devs got Telenav turn-by-turn navigation access in March of this year, and now the same can be said for folks programming for Android and Windows Phone. In case you forgot, the Scout for Apps platform allows developers to incorporate Scout's personalized navigation directly into their applications. Not only that, but Telenav's making it easier for website owners to do the same for their websites with the release of the Scout Drive Button. The button puts the power of browser-based GPS mapping in an easy-to-implement widget, for free, with no coding expertise required. It also allows users to click the Drive button in their desktop browser to send a link to their phones that'll launch navigation directly, as opposed to inputting the address into a nav app manually. Interested? More info awaits after the break, and devs can get down and dirty with both Scout for Apps and the Drive widget at the sources below.
TomTom refreshes Navigation app for iOS, adds social features
TomTom has refreshed its Navigation App for iPhone and iPad with a new user interface, Foursquare integration and constantly updated maps. It'll also automatically check into your favorite hangouts to avoid forgetting to oust your frenemies at your local coffee house. The revised application will also help you avoid French speed traps that don't fall foul of new laws on traffic alerts, with the whole thing playing very nice with the recently announced car kit. The app retails for $50 (€70) in the App Store -- although we're not sure how popular it's going to be if those same features will be bundled in iOS 6.
TomTom opens up MapShare to all 60 million of its GPS units (video)
TomTom has seen the inexorable rise of smartphone navigation and decided that it needs a cheaper way of updating its head units. Its cunning solution has been to open its MapShare community to all 60 million TomToms in the wild -- which was previously limited just to smartphone apps and select devices. MapShare works by allowing users to update their, erm, maps, when they spot a change has been made, which is then uploaded when they get home. It'll now be aggregated and pushed out as a free daily download. Users can filter updates, deciding if they want ones submitted by "some," "many" or those officially verified by the company itself -- so don't bother trying to game the system to make your morning commute easier.
Windows Phone 8 to use Nokia map data with built-in turn-by-turn navigation (update: deals too)
You won't have to use a Lumia phone any longer to get Nokia's mapping expertise: Microsoft just announced that Nokia's map technology is being built into Windows Phone 8. Along with the requisite NAVTEQ map information, it'll carry many of the things that Nokia Drive users love so well, including offline map support, developer control over maps, and (you guessed it) turn-by-turn directions. That makes three major mobile platforms that have or will have driving directions baked in from the start -- it's now becoming par for the course rather than an advantage to lord over others. Update: Along with core navigation, there will also be support for Microsoft's new deals feature as part of the mapping update, so you'll know when the coffee house around the corner is discounting cappuccinos. To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog!
Driving around with Maps for iOS 6
Much of the excitement in iOS6 centers on the new Maps app. It replaces the Google Maps-powered version that's been part of iOS since the beginning The revamped Maps adds Flyover (3D aerial perspectives) for some cities; it also offers spoken turn-by-turn navigation, a feature that the old Maps never offered for iOS but that Google baked into Android phones. Maps in iOS 6 also integrates Siri for search on supported devices. Unfortunately, only newer devices get the snazzy features; turn-by-turn requires an iPhone 4S or an iPad (2 or new), for example, and obviously Siri is only available on the 4S & soon the new iPad. I made quite a few trips using the beta iOS 6 Maps app, and have lots of impressions. Keep in mind, the app really is beta. Some of the data is flaky; for example I was looking for a location in southern Utah by zip code and was directed to the east coast of the US. Never fear, these little glitches will get fixed by the time iOS 6 is released to the public in the fall. OK, let's get driving. The first really big advantage of this app is the direct integration with Siri. Say "take me to the nearest Home Depot" and you'll see a map with a pin on it. Touch the pin, press the start button and off you go. The map works in landscape or portrait mode, and that familiar Siri voice will guide you through each turn. When you arrive it will tell you if your destination is on the right or to the left. You can also say "Take me home" and if your home address is notated in your contacts, you'll be ready to navigate. The maps themselves look pretty similar to the Google variety, and you get a choice of a flat map, 3D or satellite. If you are in a big city, you'll see Flyover's beautiful 3D renderings of buildings. I did a brief check and saw that feature work in Chicago and Seattle. Flyover is very pretty, but not much use when driving. Viewing all that detail or playing with the map is not something you should do when your attention should be on the road. If your destination includes reviews from Yelp, you'll see the reviews when you ask for the destination, as well as photos if there are any. If you are in 3D mode, you can rotate around a location by rotating 2 fingers on the screen, and zoom in or out in the usual way by pinching or dragging. Of course you can bookmark any location, add it to contacts, or share the location with someone else. If you are properly equipped, you can print the information to a local printer. Overall, the app is similar to the older Maps app, but the iOS 5 app doesn't provide Siri voice integration or turn-by-turn directions. Like the older Maps app, map data is downloaded over the air, so a data connection is required. Without one, you'll see a dot representing your location, but the map will be blank. You can contrast that with apps like the Navigon family, where the map data is permanently resident on your device, and a cellular connection is not required. Still, for most people, the Apple app will be more than enough. The integration with Siri, Yelp, and the ease of use is a real plus. Just telling Siri where you want to go is really great, and a very compelling reason to use this app over other navigation solutions that involve some fiddling to set up. There is traffic data built in, and the app will offer alternate directions if conditions warrant it. Traffic was working in my city, and was color coded and superimposed over my route. Note that at this point, there are no public transit directions or pedestrian directions. For some urban users, this is a big missing item. Apple has said it will rely on 3rd party apps for this, but they are unlikely to be integrated into the Apple Maps app. [Cocoanetics has an interesting perspective on why this is the right move for Apple to make. –Ed.] Clearly, Apple was motivated to meet Google and Android head on, and they are well on the way. Google has had years of collecting data and getting the map experience to be very friendly. Apple has started from scratch, with a few key purchases of mapping companies, and come very close. There are no street level views with the Apple app. Google has that feature pretty wrapped up for itself, but for getting easily from point A to point B, Apple is offering an excellent solution that I think will become the first choice for many users. It's unfortunate that turn-by-turn navigation isn't supported on the iPhone 4, but Apple wants to sell you the latest phone and this is a not-so-gentle nudge to get you back to an Apple store. Even with some obvious bugs, and a few crashes, I was impressed with the new Maps. It will be a challenge for Google. Will it offer turn-by-turn voice navigation for the iPhone, or just concede? For older devices, will this be an opportunity for vendors like Navigon, Motion X and TomTom to sell up -- or for free turn-by-turn apps like AOL's Mapquest or Waze to get more traction? Competition is good, and Apple has thrown down the gauntlet. I think the other nav app companies with iOS products are going to feel uncomfortable with Apple in this business, but it's likely they will aggressively compete and we will all benefit. Check the gallery for screenshots of Maps in action. %Gallery-158418% Editor's Note: Mel is not personally subject to the iOS 6 NDA.
Google's Brian McClendon: 'committed' to bringing all of Maps' features to iOS, other platforms
There was a Google event today, but you'd hardly know it based on the Q&A session. Question and question was hurled at Brian McClendon -- Vice President of Engineering for Google Maps -- surrounding Apple. With discussion around Apple's desire to introduce a mapping system of its own in iOS 6 to unseat Google from its preloaded app selection, Brian fielded lots of inquiries on the matter. He did an admirable job of dodging the obviously asinine bits, but continued to impress upon the crowd that Google itself was "committed" to bringing all of the features in Maps -- 3D, offline, turn-by-turn, etc. -- to iOS and other platforms. That was largely in response to a question as to why Google Maps Navigation for Android was so superior to Maps on iOS, but honestly, it's hard to know where the truth sits. We've heard that politics have kept the two sides from coming to terms, but it's pretty clear that Google's more than happy to bring its world-class mapping platform to other mobile operating systems... so long as terms are agreeable, naturally. The good news is that 3D maps will be coming to Android and iOS "in the coming weeks," which makes one wonder if iOS 6 will be available for some time. As for offline on iOS? Your guess is as good as ours, but it sure sounds as if the ball's in Apple's court. Can't we just all play nice, guys? Relive the memories in our liveblog... right here!
Apple possibly held back by Google for years on iOS' Maps features, might bring turn-by-turn nav to WWDC
The tales of Apple possibly dumping Google Maps as the backend for iOS 6's Maps app are gathering steam, but we're now learning just how much forethought may have gone into the split. According to the WSJ's favorite tipsters, "people familiar with the matter," Apple isn't just hoping to spurn Android -- it's reacting to push-back it got years earlier. Google supposedly delayed Street View, and blocked Google Maps Navigation outright, as it wasn't getting the limelight for branding and couldn't push in social tracking services that tend to make a privacy-sensitive Apple jittery, like Latitude. The August 2009 buyout of Placebase was ground zero for Apple's shift, which saw subsequent deals for Poly9 and C3 Technologies flesh out the project. As for the end results? They supposedly include turn-by-turn navigation that mimics an "in-car GPS device," and regular mapping should now be free to integrate with other apps: Calendar might warn you if a traffic jam on Interstate 280 will affect that appointment at 1 Infinite Loop, as an example. We might not have long to wait for the truth behind the new tips and earlier leaked shots, as the contacts believe Apple could show its Maps overhaul when WWDC starts next week.
Telenav opens up Scout for Apps, the HTML5 GPS navigation service, to all interested devs
At the end of last year, Telenav revealed its browser-based HTML5 turn-by-turn navigation system and made it available to a select few devs to put it to good use. For an encore, it unveiled its personalized GPS service, Scout, at CES. Now, the company has created Scout for Apps and made the service available to all developers who want it, assuming they're coding iOS or HTML5 applications (Android support is in the works, and is slated to arrive later this year). That means that apps and websites can now incorporate turn-by-turn navigation directly, as opposed to launching a separate application to get you where you want to go. Keep in mind that Telenav isn't pitching this as a full GPS replacement -- more a value added proposition to developers -- and after spending some time using Scout, we can see why.We tested the browser-based Scout service on our Android handset to run a few errands, and we found it a useful tool, but it certainly pales in comparison to its application counterparts. There's noticeable lag when attempting to swipe around maps, no pinch to zoom (onscreen buttons are the only option), and it lacks features like traffic reports or a way to remember favorite locations. That said, it does do a good job of getting you where you want to go, and the rudimentary nav functionality is certainly more appealing than the static maps found in apps currently. Plus, it's quite nice to not have to launch a separate application to get directions. If you want to test Scout for Apps on your mobile, hit the source link below, but check out the PR and video after the break to learn a little more before you do.
