GPS

Apple Maps and Siri woes again make headlines

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Just when you thought the dust has settled over Apple's digital personal assistant, Siri, and the company's Google Maps replacement software in iOS, latest reports once again pan the two services over gross inaccuracies.

Worse, these stories paint Apple Maps and Siri in a not-so-favorable light - and very publicly, too.

The first report comes from Alaska and warns about people looking for directions to the Fairbanks International Airport, only to be instructed to drive onto an airport taxiway, which is located directly across the runway where airplanes take off and land....

A closer look at Frequent Locations in iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 8, 2013

Apple's iOS 7 upgrade, when it lands this Fall, will allow users to opt-in to mapping where they've been since installing the software, how many times and for how long. The Frequent Locations feature, which first appeared in iOS 7 Beta, is found in Settings. When enabled, it permits iOS devices to use GPS coordinates of the places you frequently visit, Apple explains.

The opt-in, consumer-facing feature is provided for the purposes of improving Maps (and other location-based products and services), providing useful location-related information and letting you check out a handy map history of the places you've visited. Here's what you need to know about Frequent Locations in iOS 7...

Skyhook says Google bad-mouthed its Wi-Fi location tech to Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 3, 2013

It's nearly unthinkable: a technology firm bad-talking a rival to a prospective customer. That's the heart of the latest claim by a location services company suing Internet giant Google for alleged patent infringement.

Skyhook Wireless is asking a court to compel Google to turn over documents showing co-founder Sergey Brin spoke badly of SkyHook's GPS location technology. As part of a recent court filing, Skyhook charges Brin told Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that the iPhone maker could do better if it went with Google...

Watch out Facebook, Google’s also considering Waze buyout

Cody Lee ∙ May 24, 2013

Whatever the folks over at Waze are doing, they must be doing it right. Earlier this month, we heard that Facebook was looking to acquire the Palo Alto-based startup and its popular crowd-sourced navigation app for a cool $1 billion.

But as it turns out, they're not the only ones interested. According to a new report, a number of tech companies have approached the Waze team over a possible buyout deal, including Google, meaning a bidding war could be afoot...

Popular offline map app ForeverMap2 lands on iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

With Google Maps launching as a standalone app last fall, and Apple's own Maps app getting progressively better, you probably aren't in the market for an alternative GPS application. But we're going to tell you about one anyway.

ForeverMap2, a maps app that uses OpenStreetMaps tech, has finally landed on iOS. Its claim to fame is its advanced compression technology, which allows it to serve up offline maps without taking up much space on your device...

Major Foursquare update focuses on search and Explore recommendations

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Celebrating its fourth anniversary, the location-based social networking service Foursquare today pushed a major new version of its mobile app, bringing out new features that tap over 3.5 billion check-ins users have made on the service thus far. "With the new Foursquare 6.0, we’re crunching all our data to show the best of what’s nearby, anywhere in the world, the second you open up the app," the team wrote in a blog post Wednesday. Here's what's new...

Apple acquires indoor GPS company WiFiSLAM for $20 million

Cody Lee ∙ March 23, 2013

Big news out of Cupertino this evening. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has acquired indoor mobile location positioning firm WiFiSLAM, in a deal worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million.

Apple has confirmed the acquisition of the company, which possesses proprietary technology that allows mobile apps to detect a smartphone user's location inside of buildings using preexisting ambient Wi-Fi signals...

Apple patent wants iPhones to exchange your GPS location with iWatch?

Ed Sutherland ∙ February 27, 2013

Apple Tuesday was issued an interesting patent that could relate to recent headlines about a device known as the iWatch. The patent approved by the United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) describes an "accessory device" that could receive GPS data from your iPhone. For some time, speculation has surrounded Apple was working on a wristwatch device that can communicate with your smartphone or iPad.

According to the patent, location data could be transmitted either wirelessly or through a hard connection, displaying either a map with navigation or simply points of interest. The technology permits either data to be sent from the iPhone to an accessory device, from the accessory device to the iPhone or to whichever device is deemed most accurate...

AssistantLove receives an iOS 6 update

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

One of my favorite jailbreak tweaks, AssistantLove, just received an update for iOS 6 compatibility. AssistantLove was featured in our top jailbreak tweaks of 2012 list, and would have been added to my "perfect iPhone" feature, if it had iOS 6 compatibility at the time.

If you're a Spotify user like I am, then you will really appreciate what AssistantLove brings to the table. Along with allowing you to integrate GPS apps with Siri, and launch apps using shortcut names, AssistantLove meshes Siri with Spotify. This means that you pretty much search for any song or artist you can think of using your voice.

Apple making big hiring push for iOS Maps team

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

It seems like criticism for Apple's Maps app has died down in recent months. What was once the favorite topic of critics and naysayers has been replaced with talk of iPhone 5 part order cuts and the company's floundering stock.

But that doesn't mean that the Maps app is up to snuff yet, and Apple knows it. That's why it's been working hard to improve the software and, according to new job listings, is making a major hiring push for its Maps team...

Turn-by-turn voice navigation for iOS Maps now live in Australia

Cody Lee ∙ November 15, 2012

Apple has taken a lot of heat over its new Maps application in iOS 6. Users have complained that it's inaccurate, buggy, and doesn't have anywhere near the international support that Google Maps has.

Well it looks like Apple has made some progress on the latter front. Last night, reports started coming in that the Cupertino company has activated turn-by-turn voice navigation for its Maps app in Australia...

Apple the target of new lawsuit over iOS location services

Cody Lee ∙ November 13, 2012

Hot on the heels of last week's screen rotation lawsuit comes another infringement claim aimed at Apple. NovelPoint Tracking, which fits the usual patent troll description, filed a lawsuit against the Cupertino company yesterday in the troll-friendly Texas Eastern District Court regarding its location-based patent...