Reworked Google Maps for iOS, Android gains better search, tablet compatibility

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 60
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,616member
    Google started cleaning up their apps some time back. In fact there were some articles about it late last year.
  • Reply 42 of 60
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    maestro64 wrote: »
    One of the great things about doing a search on a mobile map program like google maps is the ability to search for a generic thing like say restaurants and have all the push pins coming up showing all the closest restaurants and gas stations near you without necessarily being specific. This is probably the number one thing I do with Maps. I do not use it for navigation since it gotten me lost or the direction were complete wrong. I use a TomTom for navigation. The other issue as it has been pointed out before Google Maps many times fails to pin point the location of many place showing them in completely wrong locations.

    However, I will tell you of my most recent experience with google maps on an Android device. Basically I was googlize, meaning google only shared with me the information they wanted me to see not all the relevant information. I had tire blow out (On BMW, no spare) on the highway late at night.and manage to get to the next local city with hotels and such. In the mean time I am on my android phone looking for a "tire shop" the exact search, up comes some push pins with tire shops and we found a hotel near one of these shops. I go into the hotel talk to nigh clerk and explained what happen and ask about the shop down the road, he informed me there was actually 3 of them. 

    I was curious why the phone did not show the 3 and only the one. I pull out my Ipad and do a quick search on google in safari and same results, pull up Apple maps and search for "tire shop" and guess what all 3 showed up. Glad I found the second one since it was a discount tire place and they carried my exact tire in stock unlike the one that Google showed me it did not have the tire and would have to order it and was going to take day to get.

    I did found out why Google maps did not show the 2nd tire shop, If I did a search on "Discount Tire Shop" the second placed showed up and the first did not.

    This is a classic example of Google directing you to the information they want you to see. This has to do with their Ad words, and since I was not specific enough they only showed me part of the information. You would hope that searching a generic term like "Tire Shop" all tire shops would show up not just the one which only sold tires. The discount place as well as the other one offer other services like exhaust repairs and other similar things.

    I will tell you all this not an isolated case, I have seen this a number of time when trying to find a type of business verses a specific name of business. Google is steering people to the companies who pay more for ad works and such or they have some sort agreement with. In the mean time you get screwed.

    Apple Maps also returns generic results -- indicating multiple search results for things like: restaurants; Armenian restaurants; fast food; bars; gas stations; hotels; bed & breakfast...

    I suspect that Google has a lot more locations in its POI database.

    Google maps drops circles (pins) of 2 sizes and brightness -- I suspect the larger, brighter circles advertise with Google.

    Your examples of directed results are quite disturbing... this is, yet another reason that I will use an alternative to a Google app/service whenever I can!
  • Reply 43 of 60
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by Mac-Daddy View Post

    Ugh, so defensive....


     


    Because Google's theft of IP is so offensive.


     



    Originally Posted by k2director View Post

    Apple 's Maps will fall dangerously behind if they treat it as a standard iOS feature to be updated once in a while. Certain strategic features, like Maps and Siri, should be improved much more aggressively.


     


    So you're ignoring all the updates they've made since launch? What makes you think you can do that?

  • Reply 44 of 60
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Maestro64 View Post


     I had tire blow out (On BMW, no spare) on the highway late at night.and manage to get to the next local city with hotels and such. 



    Was that on the run flats or did you replace the stock tires with regular tires? I am considering replacing mine with better tires that are not run flats because the run flats give too hard of a ride, at least that is what I have been told. I would also order the Continental pump and flat fix kit. I'm wondering though, if I do have to use the flat fix chemicals does it affect your inflation sensors? I'm not sure how those work.


     


    Sorry for being off topic.

  • Reply 45 of 60
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    mstone wrote: »
    Was that on the run flats or did you replace the stock tires with regular tires? I am considering replacing mine with better tires that are not run flats because the run flats give too hard of a ride, at least that is what I have been told. I would also order the Continental pump and flat fix kit. I'm wondering though, if I do have to use the flat fix chemicals does it affect your inflation sensors? I'm not sure how those work.

    Sorry for being off topic.

    I would avoid using those flat fix chemicals at all costs. Have several plug kits with you and a portable compressor. I've seen holes that you could fit a hand through plugged up. Have you ever seen how to put a tire back on a rim with hair spray or WD 40?
    400
  • Reply 46 of 60
    applesauce007applesauce007 Posts: 1,703member
    I'll stick to my Apple Maps Thank You.

    It is already better than Google Map in some ways. (Fly Over, Apple Maps API etc...)
    It will improve even more over time...
    Most importantly, it is "built-in" to my iPhone and iPad.
  • Reply 47 of 60
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post



    Was that on the run flats or did you replace the stock tires with regular tires? I am considering replacing mine with better tires that are not run flats because the run flats give too hard of a ride, at least that is what I have been told. I would also order the Continental pump and flat fix kit. I'm wondering though, if I do have to use the flat fix chemicals does it affect your inflation sensors? I'm not sure how those work.



    Sorry for being off topic.




    I would avoid using those flat fix chemicals at all costs. Have several plug kits with you and a portable compressor. I've seen holes that you could fit a hand through plugged up. Have you ever seen how to put a tire back on a rim with hair spray or WD 40?



    Sorry I was asking about my BMW not a Hummer. I also have AAA and never stray off the paved roads, in the US. In Central America, well that is a different story. We generally have two spares in that case.


     


    Interesting story, at least for me, I remember when I was a kid my father and I were traveling a very rough road and we came upon a stranded motorist with a flat tire. My father gave him one of our spares even though he was going in the opposite direction so he knew he would never see that tire again. We were only about 50 km from our home and he figured that we could probably make it with one spare.

  • Reply 48 of 60
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member
    Apple is updating maps and Siri all the time -- most of the updates are based on data and algorithms on Apple's servers.

    Which is exactly the reason the services are provided as a client-server architecture in a world (mostly) alive with persistent, ubiquitous connectivity.
  • Reply 49 of 60
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member
    gazoobee wrote: »
    Well, that totally confirms it then.  Google has basically changed Maps to look prettier and more integrated like Apple Maps and lifted a lot of the minor design details as well.  

     Nothing new I suppose.  A lot of companies that formerly had no f*cks to give about design issues have adopted the Apple style.  Microsoft and Google are just the most egregious examples of this.  

    Wow. Holy crap that is extremely derivative.
  • Reply 50 of 60
    poksipoksi Posts: 482member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ClemyNX View Post



    New maps, great search advances, great streaming service. The level of integration is amazing. Great conference.


     


    Pretty much similar boring message as it was from MS conferences for years. Clearly direction is the same :)

  • Reply 51 of 60
    woochiferwoochifer Posts: 385member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by c4rlob View Post



    Newsflash: Google Maps are NOT always "accurate" sir. Geeze. It's one thing to tout your improvements, it's another thing to start spouting exaggerated kool-aid everywhere.




    Definitely.  But, one thing I will say about Google Maps is that they are noticeably faster with correcting inaccurate information than Apple has been.  Since upgrading to iOS 6, I've submitted several error reports to Apple.  To date, NONE of them have been corrected, while at least two of the outdated business listings in my neighborhood on Google Maps have been corrected.  The app itself is fine, but the underlying information still has a long way to go.   

  • Reply 52 of 60
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,388member
    Anyone notice how many visual aspects of Apple maps Google decided to ripoff, regardless of their public mockery of Apple maps? Off the top of my head

    - Changing road colors to white. Google maps has had yellow roads since it launched, yet now suddenly they're updated to white just like Apple's maps. Alrighty.
    - iconography, ie. the little bubbles representing food places. Almost identical.
    - the smooth panning/zooming of the view while entering navigation mode. Identical.
    - The way street names dynamically fade with change in zoom- identical.

    Incredible how Google, with 10 years experience in the mapping business, still feels the need to be "inspired" by Apple's newly launched 1.0 version of maps. Clearly it shows Apple is doing something right.
  • Reply 54 of 60
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by poksi View Post


     


    Pretty much similar boring message as it was from MS conferences for years. Clearly direction is the same :)



     






    I don't think so. They music streaming service looks great and offers something my beloved spotify doesn't : simply arrange songs by artists like in any music library.


    Voice search on chrome looks great, as the fact that now the search behaves just like search on Android, and you can now use pronouns as you can in Siri, which is certainly good. Google Now is very promising, and them saying that they want to achieve a system that works just like a computer in Star Trek shows they have a nice and bold objective.


    Maps looks better than ever, available on any support with streetview AND 3D buildings, social results, automatic routes...


    And lots of APIs for developers. No one can deny that this was a good conference.

  • Reply 55 of 60
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post



    Anyone notice how many visual aspects of Apple maps Google decided to ripoff, regardless of their public mockery of Apple maps? Off the top of my head



    - Changing road colors to white. Google maps has had yellow roads since it launched, yet now suddenly they're updated to white just like Apple's maps. Alrighty.

    - iconography, ie. the little bubbles representing food places. Almost identical.

    - the smooth panning/zooming of the view while entering navigation mode. Identical.

    - The way street names dynamically fade with change in zoom- identical.



    Incredible how Google, with 10 years experience in the mapping business, still feels the need to be "inspired" by Apple's newly launched 1.0 version of maps. Clearly it shows Apple is doing something right.




    So what? That shows they think Apple's ideas were good. So what? No one cares.

  • Reply 56 of 60
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    mstone wrote: »
    Sorry I was asking about my BMW not a Hummer. I also have AAA and never stray off the paved roads, in the US. In Central America, well that is a different story. We generally have two spares in that case.

    Interesting story, at least for me, I remember when I was a kid my father and I were traveling a very rough road and we came upon a stranded motorist with a flat tire. My father gave him one of our spares even though he was going in the opposite direction so he knew he would never see that tire again. We were only about 50 km from our home and he figured that we could probably make it with one spare.

    My point was if a large hole can be plugged up on a 4X4 who's tires get abused you can most definitely plug a hole on a BMW tire. I personally did on a tire a that I had a hole that I could fit a finger in and it lasted me a few days like that.
  • Reply 57 of 60
    allenbfallenbf Posts: 993member
    gazoobee wrote: »
    Well, that totally confirms it then.  Google has basically changed Maps to look prettier and more integrated like Apple Maps and lifted a lot of the minor design details as well.  

     Nothing new I suppose.  A lot of companies that formerly had no f*cks to give about design issues have adopted the Apple style.  Microsoft and Google are just the most egregious examples of this.  

    No doubt, Apple has led in design. However, on software design & look, they aren't leading right now. Thus, the leaks that Jony is giving iOS 7 a more "flat" design...Google and Msoft already have this.

    Can't wait for June & WWDC.
  • Reply 58 of 60
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by ClemyNX View Post

    So what? That shows they think Apple's ideas were good. So what? No one cares.


     


    Oh, good. You're no one. Finally a confirmation. 

  • Reply 59 of 60
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member
    This just proves what many have known all along. Apple Maps is (in many ways) better than Google Maps so much so, in fact, that Google has modified Google Maps to have a very similar appearance to Apple Maps.
  • Reply 60 of 60
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    Oh, good. You're no one. Finally a confirmation. 





    http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/143315/guidelines


     


    1. No personal attacks on members of AI.


     


    Another proof that you fail miserably at your job as moderator.

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