MapsForMobile
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Live transit updates in Google Maps help you plan your romantic bus-catching sprint
Brooklynites on their way to the latest Reggie Watts show have long had real-time bus-tracking information, but public-transit aficionados in six other cities now have one less reason for BK envy. With the latest version of Google Maps, even the least cool citizens of Boston, Portland, Ore., San Diego, San Francisco, Madrid and Turin can see not just when their bus or train is scheduled to arrive, but when it actually will. Selecting a stop on the map displays "live departure times" and service alerts, thanks to Google's data-sharing partnerships with city transit operators. That won't always guarantee fewer delays or less waiting, but will help riders budget their time, and maybe find those precious seconds necessary to post more Tumblr pictures of "ironic" Hitler-kittens.
Google Maps Navigation to get offline mode? Garmin and TomTom on notice
Dutch tech site All About Phones claims that Google Maps Navigation will get a true offline mode later this summer. In December the Android app received an update that cached routes and the surrounding areas, but without a data connection you still couldn't enter a new destination. A source inside the Dutch telco industry said that Goog would removing the requirement for coverage -- an obvious next step for the nav tool, especially with Ovi Maps bringing its turn-by-turn prowess to WP7. The move is also bound to be another thorn in the side of standalone GPS makers like Garmin and TomTom. After all, it's tough to compete with free.
Google Maps for Mobile 5 unveiled, adds dynamic map drawing and offline mode
Why look at static images when you can get a more 3D view of the urban scene? Google's Maps for Mobile 5 just got previewed on stage by Andy Rubin at D: Dive Into Mobile -- with a prototype Motorola Honeycomb tablet, no less! The biggest visual change is dynamic map drawing: vectors instead of flat images that scale without render hiccups and will show the buildings fleshed out for over 100 cities -- we gotta say, it looks great. Even more fun is that you can now use two fingers to tilt and rotate around the map (in addition to moving and pinch-to-zoom, of course). We've been told it's a much snappier experience, and the storage for these vectors is much smaller than the current images, which brings us to... offline caching. Maps will keep on file the locations that you go to (and search) most often, and it'll be able to reroute while offline in Navigation. You'll still need a connection for altering the route altogether -- sorry, subway-hoppers -- but once you go, even if you stray, you'll still be rerouted back on track. Most modern Android phones from the original Droid onward should be able to enjoy most if not all the new features, depending on hardware capabilities (3D rendering) and "distinct multitouch" hardware support -- the Nexus One, interestingly enough, supports vector maps but not the rotate functionality because it lacks the latter multitouch requirements. Google sent us a list of devices that support 100 percent of 5.0's features, which you can find after the break. The update is due out in the "coming days," according to Rubin. Great way to kick off Nexus S' launch, then. %Gallery-109373%
