Google Maps for Android

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timmyh

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#63310 24-Jun-2010 09:26

And here's why I love Android - just like that a new version of Google Maps (for OS 1.6 or higher devices - sorry Telecom LG users) has introduced several cool features including:

1. Transit timetables - on the map if you touch on any train station/bus icon in AK or WN then you can bring up the timetable of services and what time they are leaving from that stop in the direction you want.

2. For restaurants and cafes you can get a summary of reviews in a bar graph sourced from a range of 3rd party review sites.

With the features above along with richer business info from Google Places pages and things like Wikipedia layer I find I am using maps more often.

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#344769 24-Jun-2010 09:30

Does android (over here in NZ) have free turn based nav yet? Coming from a symbian that does (and is offline as well), that's one factor I'm interested in.

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#344772 24-Jun-2010 09:36

davidcole: Does android (over here in NZ) have free turn based nav yet? Coming from a symbian that does (and is offline as well), that's one factor I'm interested in.

No. There was a hack you could do to get it working, but that only lasted a week - but it was a very good week.

Google has disabled turn based nav for anyone outside of US.

timmyh

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#344776 24-Jun-2010 09:38

davidcole: Does android (over here in NZ) have free turn based nav yet? Coming from a symbian that does (and is offline as well), that's one factor I'm interested in.

No it does not. That is available in the U.S., UK and a number of other European counties. In order to provide turn by turn navigation the service provider (Google) has to pay a lot more to the mapping data provider (several in each country, a few big global players) in order to get the meta data to allow the voice prompts to work. Google has their own data for the US and has decided it is worth paying for in some other countries but it would be very expensive for them to do for the rest of the world.

Nokia went and paid US$8bn for Navteq who were one of the largest providers and planned to get revenue from this. Instead they have ended up giving it away.

I agree it is a very nice service for Nokia devices but probably not brining them the revenue they hoped and by itself it is not saving Nokia's high end device sales.

kiwitrc

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#344783 24-Jun-2010 09:52

davidcole: Does android (over here in NZ) have free turn based nav yet? Coming from a symbian that does (and is offline as well), that's one factor I'm interested in.

I assume you mean Google Maps rather than Android? Android does have turn by turn ie CoPilot Live, but Google Maps doesnt in NZ yet

davidcole

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#344791 24-Jun-2010 10:10

I really not fussed what it is. Whether it's google maps, after market, integrated or not. Offline navigation I see as quite useful since i have that now.

And having to "hack" something on doesn't particularly interest me either. I guess this is part of my disenchantment with looking at android...nothing seems to just be easy. Let me just state I haven't yet played with one (very hard to find) - and I'm trying to weigh the options for when i move off my symbian.

kiwitrc

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#344807 24-Jun-2010 10:43

davidcole: I really not fussed what it is. Whether it's google maps, after market, integrated or not. Offline navigation I see as quite useful since i have that now.

And having to "hack" something on doesn't particularly interest me either. I guess this is part of my disenchantment with looking at android...nothing seems to just be easy. Let me just state I haven't yet played with one (very hard to find) - and I'm trying to weigh the options for when i move off my symbian.

OK then the short answer is yes. Android has turn by turn navigation for NZ, and its out the box, no need to hack anything.

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#344811 24-Jun-2010 10:49

kiwitrc:
davidcole: I really not fussed what it is. Whether it's google maps, after market, integrated or not. Offline navigation I see as quite useful since i have that now.

And having to "hack" something on doesn't particularly interest me either. I guess this is part of my disenchantment with looking at android...nothing seems to just be easy. Let me just state I haven't yet played with one (very hard to find) - and I'm trying to weigh the options for when i move off my symbian.

OK then the short answer is yes. Android has turn by turn navigation for NZ, and its out the box, no need to hack anything.

You get turn-by-turn with Google Maps, but without voice...

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#344814 24-Jun-2010 10:52

timmyh: And here's why I love Android - just like that a new version of Google Maps (for OS 1.6 or higher devices - sorry Telecom LG users) has introduced several cool features including:

That's not an "Android feature", that's a Google Maps feature that they released first on Android. Google Maps is not exclusive to Android, so I'd disssociate the love for the platform from the love for the program ;-)

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kiwitrc

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#344816 24-Jun-2010 10:55

freitasm:
kiwitrc:
davidcole: I really not fussed what it is. Whether it's google maps, after market, integrated or not. Offline navigation I see as quite useful since i have that now.

And having to "hack" something on doesn't particularly interest me either. I guess this is part of my disenchantment with looking at android...nothing seems to just be easy. Let me just state I haven't yet played with one (very hard to find) - and I'm trying to weigh the options for when i move off my symbian.

OK then the short answer is yes. Android has turn by turn navigation for NZ, and its out the box, no need to hack anything.

You get turn-by-turn with Google Maps, but without voice...

I dont have it but I am sure it has voice. http://androinica.com/2009/07/15/app-review-copilot-live-takes-android-voice-navigation-in-the-right-direction/

Also the app says with voice in the Android market.

Oops I see you edited your original post and are talking about Google maps.

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#344817 24-Jun-2010 10:58

kiwitrc:
I dont have it but I am sure it has voice. http://androinica.com/2009/07/15/app-review-copilot-live-takes-android-voice-navigation-in-the-right-direction/

Also the app says with voice in the Android market.

You wrote "OK then the short answer is yes. Android has turn by turn navigation for NZ, and its out the box, no need to hack anything. "

CoPilot is not installed by default on Android, so you can't say Android has turn by turn navigation for NZ, and its [sic] out of the box".

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kiwitrc

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#344819 24-Jun-2010 10:59

freitasm:
kiwitrc:
I dont have it but I am sure it has voice. http://androinica.com/2009/07/15/app-review-copilot-live-takes-android-voice-navigation-in-the-right-direction/

Also the app says with voice in the Android market.

You wrote "OK then the short answer is yes. Android has turn by turn navigation for NZ, and its out the box, no need to hack anything. "

CoPilot is not installed by default on Android, so you can't say Android has turn by turn navigation for NZ, and its [sic] out of the box".

Lol, ok out of the CoPilot Box.

Actually what I was trying to say there was that you dont need to hack anything to get TBT nav.But you need to buy it.

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timmyh

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#344820 24-Jun-2010 10:59

freitasm:
timmyh: And here's why I love Android - just like that a new version of Google Maps (for OS 1.6 or higher devices - sorry Telecom LG users) has introduced several cool features including:

That's not an "Android feature", that's a Google Maps feature that they released first on Android. Google Maps is not exclusive to Android, so I'd disssociate the love for the platform from the love for the program ;-)

Fair enough. I guess my point is that Google Maps comes out with these features on Android first and it takes time for other platforms to catch-up - which might be a Google decision or that platform vendor. And with something like Latitude (I just saw a friend is in London) it might be blocked on other platforms altogether.

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#344826 24-Jun-2010 11:03

Not sure this is the case. I've seen Google doing a round-the-robin release of features. Fo example Latitude came up first on Windows Mobile, as well as public traffic information.

I guess now they have a good reason to develop for their own platform first, certainly.

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Linuxluver

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#345055 24-Jun-2010 22:55

davidcole: Does android (over here in NZ) have free turn based nav yet? Coming from a symbian that does (and is offline as well), that's one factor I'm interested in.

Not yet.

Google have recently added Canada, the UK and several other EU countries to the list who can do GPS Nav.

Telecom XT is launching GPS nav on the Motorola Milestone via "Moto-Nav" as of July 1st...and the articles also referred to Google Maps.

Fingers crossed NZ gets added to the list next week....or soon after.

It worked great for a few weeks back in November with the with hacked Maps.....before Google crippled it. There is hacked version that does work - sort of - but the voice instructions are sporadic and often late.

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#345057 24-Jun-2010 23:00

timmyh:
I agree it is a very nice service for Nokia devices but probably not brining them the revenue they hoped and by itself it is not saving Nokia's high end device sales.

It may help them sell some high-end Maemo phones. If they can get a basic complement of useful apps in the Ovi Market and offer free GPS Nav....that's a powerful offering.

I'd definitely look at it.

I like Android for a number of very good reasons, but I'm not chained to it. Something better comes along - with the same positive attributes and more besides.....then I'll be up for that.

Nokia could be a contenda. :-)

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