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Quantum 'compass' promises navigation without using GPS
GPS is vital to modern navigation, but it's extremely fragile. Never mind coverage -- if a satellite fails or there's a jamming attack, it quickly becomes useless. Scientists may have a much more robust answer, though. Scientists have demonstrated a "commercially viable" quantum accelerometer that could provide navigation without GPS or other satellite technology. The device uses lasers to cool atoms to extremely low temperatures, and then measures the quantum wave properties of those atoms as they respond to acceleration.
Waze adds built-in audio player to spice up your commute
You won't have to use Google Maps if you want a built-in music player to accompany Google's navigation tools. In the wake of a Spotify tie-in last year, Waze has released beta versions of its Android and iOS apps with a native audio player that supports eight services in total. Deezer, iHeart Radio, NPR One, Pandora, Scribd, Stitcher and TuneIn are now available alongside Spotify to give you a choice of listening material for your commute. Not every app is available on every platform (you can use TuneIn only on Android, for example, while Deezer only works on iOS), but you only need to sync Waze with a third-party app to have access to familiar tunes on your next drive.
Waze navigation is now available on Apple CarPlay
If you're an iPhone owner in need of driving directions, you've probably had one thing on your mind since June: when will that version of Waze with CarPlay support show up? Thankfully, you don't have to wait any more -- it's here. Hot on the heels of a corresponding Google Maps upgrade, the Waze app can take advantage of your car's touchscreen to provide its crowdsourced approach to navigation. The experience will likely be familiar if you've used the Android Auto equivalent.
Google Maps works with Apple CarPlay following iOS 12 update
We've known since WWDC in June that iOS 12 would herald the arrival of Google Maps on CarPlay. Apple released the latest version of the iPhone and iPad software Monday, and after Google updated its app to support CarPlay, you can now use that navigation option on your car's infotainment system.
Here attacks Google Maps with new freemium website plan
When visiting the website for a local restaurant or other small business, you'll likely see Google Maps embedded to show the location. Developers of such sites were recently thrown for a loop, however, when Google announced new, more expensive pricing and demanded a credit card and Google Cloud account for all API access to Maps. To profit from this discord, Here has unveiled a new "freemium" plan that offers many more free "transactions" (page loads) than Google Maps, with no need to provide a credit card.
The automated in-car navigator that predated satellites
Standalone navigation devices are a dying breed. These days vehicles tend to have navigators plumbed into their dashboards, and as long as there's a smartphone to hand... well, there's an app for that. Demand for the devices nosedived years ago, but the technology underpinning them is alive and well, floating out there in space. What we all know as GPS wasn't operational until the mid '90s, though this was predated by Transit, the first satellite-based geolocation network completed in the '60s. But the first automated in-car navigation system was developed long before we had the technology to put anything into space.
Facebook's app will personalize navigation to fit your social habit
Facebook adds new features on the regular. It has recently revamped its Marketplace section, made its news feed more friend-focused and changed algorithms to reduce fake news and clickbait. Now, Facebook is redesigning the navigation bar in its mobile app to better show you shortcuts to things you use most often. The company said that the new system should roll out globally in the coming weeks.
Waze will provide its traffic data to US cities
Waze's real-time, crowdsourced info will soon do a lot more than help you avoid traffic jams. The Google-owned company is widening a partnership with Esri to provide its live alerts for free to American cities and municipalities that are part of its Connected Citizens Program. The move gives officials up-to-the-minute info they can use to make key decisions about road infrastructure. If many drivers report crashes at an intersection, that could lead to better signs or a change in the roads themselves.
Waze can get you a roadside tow in Europe
Car trouble on the motorway is frustrating enough by itself, let alone if you don't have a roadside assistance plan to ease your worries. Waze may soon help get you out of a jam, though. The Google-owned navigation app is teaming up with Allianz Partners on an in-app Roadside Help (SOS) button for European drivers. Tap it and a call center or digital platform will get in touch to help you with a breakdown or emergency, whether or not you have insurance or a roadside assistance policy. You shouldn't have to frantically search for a towing company when all you want to do is get home.
Apple is fixing Maps using its own data
Apple Maps has come a long way since the fiasco when it first launched, but there's no question that there's room for improvement. It just isn't as robust as Google Maps, which has the luxury of both a years-long head start and complete control over the mapping process. And Apple knows it. In an interview with TechCrunch, the company's Eddy Cue has revealed plans to revamp Maps using its own data set rather than the current piecemeal approach, which has relied on info from the likes of OpenStreetMap and TomTom. The new technique promises not only greater mp accuracy and detail, but faster updates that take days rather than months.
Google Maps for Android no longer books Uber rides
Google added the ability to book Uber trips directly through Maps at the start of 2017, but it appears that this convenience was short-lived. The search firm has quietly pulled direct Uber booking from Google Maps for Android after yanking it from the iOS app last summer. It's not certain exactly when the feature vanished. However, Android Police noted that the feature was still present as recently as February.
Apple Maps is down, 'all users' affected (update: it's back)
Update: As of 1:23PM Eastern, Apple Maps service has been restored. Apple Maps is down and has been for a few hours today, 9to5Mac reports. Users are noting on Twitter and Apple Support that the service isn't working on phones, Apple Watch or CarPlay and searches for certain places or points of interest result in a "No Results Found" response. Apple has noted on its system status site that all users are experiencing issues with both Maps search and navigation. "We are investigating the issue," it said. The company's support Twitter account is also telling users that the system status site will be updated as more information becomes available.
MIT algorithm ensures drones get the freshest data possible
Consider a group of drones that have to constantly exchange information on their position in order to avoid colliding with one another. Or a smart car that needs up-to-the-millisecond sensor data to avoid crashing into objects, other cars or people. While current networks are designed to send a lot of information quickly, they do not manage how fresh that information is. Researchers at MIT are digging into this issue and have created an algorithm that can help optimize how fresh the data is on a simple wireless network.
Google Maps can replace the dull arrow with 3D car icons
Google doesn't just want to reserve Maps navigation icons for special occasions. If you're using iOS, you can now replace Google Maps' drab blue arrow with a 3D car. You can even choose a vehicle that more closely reflects what you're driving, whether it's a sedan, truck or SUV. Is it silly and purely cosmetic? You bet -- but it adds a bit of character to an app that (let's be honest) often feels a bit soulless. Here's hoping the selection widens over time to keep commutes lively.
Waze's traffic data is available in Ford Sync 3 cars
You now have a simple way to put Waze on car's screen -- if you have the right phone and the right car. As promised back at CES, iPhone owners can now project the crowdsourced navigation app on the touchscreens of Ford's Sync 3-equipped cars. It won't be as sophisticated as the Android Auto implementation, but you can still use both touch and voice control for most tasks (you can't type in an address while the car is moving, for obvious reasons). You don't need to do much more to get started beyond plugging your iPhone into the car's USB port.
Google shows off its camera-enabled navigation system
Google knows the problems you have to deal with when navigating an unfamiliar locale, even if you do have your smartphone on you. That's why the company's Aparna Chennapragada is showing off an updated version of its VPS, or Visual Positioning System: A way for folks to avoid getting lost when out and about. Rather than craning over your phone and hoping you're walking in the same direction as the blue GPS dot, the camera can look at your surroundings and work it out for you.
Android P introduces iPhone X-like navigation swipes and gestures
First it was the notch, but now Google is taking a more functional cue from Apple's iPhone X: a swipe-based navigation system. (Which, naturally, has its roots elsewhere, long before last year.) As rumored, the Android home 'dot' has morphed into something a little longer and a little more useful. Google says the change is a response to phones growing taller and the issues that creates for one-handed smartphone steering.
Google Maps uses landmarks to provide natural-sounding directions
Most navigation apps give you instructions based on streets or distance. But that's not really how humans provide directions -- they'll usually point to landmarks that are much easier to spot than a tiny street sign. And Google, apparently, knows this. Users are reporting that Google Maps has started offering directions based on local landmarks. Instead of "turn right at Main Street," it'll tell you to "turn right after Burger King."
Google Maps finds routes in 39 more languages
Believe it or not, Google Maps has only supported a limited set of languages so far. A bit ironic for a service that helps you navigate the planet, don't you think? That might not be a problem for many people after today. Google has added support for 39 new languages, and there's a good chance there's one you might appreciate. In addition to the Armenian you see above, the expansion includes numerous eastern European, Scandianvian and former Soviet republic countries as well as Afrikaans, Hebrew, Persian, Swahili, Turkish, Vietnamese and Zulu.
Tesla’s overhauled navigation system will roll out this weekend
Today, Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla's new navigation system should be rolling out this weekend. He cautioned that it won't be fully finished, calling it a "mature beta" but promised that it would "improve rapidly." Rather than making small improvements to the existing system, the company has chosen to fully overhaul the maps system, called "Tesla Maps".
