With Apple replacing Google Maps with its own in-house solution last fall, it essentially left the folks who use public transit services in the dark. Among its many flaws, Apple's Maps app doesn't feature any kind of transit data or directions.
So those who required this information were forced to seek out third party solutions. And today one of the more popular ones, The Transit App, received a major update. It now features real-time vehicle locations and, oh yeah, it's now free!
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...
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...
Car maker Honda announced Wednesday that some of its 2013 vehicles will feature integration with Apple's Eyes Free, a voice-activated system that lets compatible Siri-enabled iOS devices running iOS 6 to interact with the driver. Honda joins a host of other car makers who announced support for Siri's Eyes Free mode or are already supporting the feature in high-end vehicles.
Apple at WWDC 2012 announced Eyes Free and said a number of car makers will be supporting it, including GM, Audi, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, GM and Chrysler. Eyes Free allows drivers to interact with their iDevices using voice and bypassing touch input, thus increasing safety...
Apple's boss Tim Cook in a recent shakeup at the company's top added Maps and Siri to the already vast range of responsibilities of SVP Eddy Cue. Apple's 'Mr. Fixer', as he's been called because of his expertise in Internet software and services, also a member of the Ferrari board, could be looking to make a takeover bid for TomTom, a Dutch vendor of automotive navigation hardware and software and Europe's leading maker of navigation systems.
TomTom is a major data provider for Apple Maps and bringing the company's expertise and data sets under Apple's roof could help accelerate the pluming work needed to fix Apple's service. Rabobank analyst Hans Slob wrote in a research report today that there's a 30 percent chance that Apple will seek to acquire TomTom "because the Dutch software maker has the capacity to make speedy changes to correct any mapping errors or create new functions"...
Consumer Reports, an influential U.S. magazine published monthly since 1936 by Consumers Union, gave Apple's iPhone 5 a thumbs-up recently but initially slammed iOS 6 Maps navigation ("we were disappointed"). Melted bridges aside, the publication known for its reviews and comparisons of popular products took both Apple Maps and Google Maps for a spin, concluding that Apple's offering is "certainly more favorable than comments and articles that we've been reading online"...
The Verge reported yesterday that Apple could have kept Google Maps until iOS 7 as Google's contract to keep the maps app on the iPhone had more time remaining. A new report sheds more light on the matter, with sources claiming that talks between the two Silicon Valley technology giants crashed over voice-assisted navigation.
Long story short, Google fought hard to bomb the deal as it wouldn't hand over the data needed to bring voice-guided navigation to a competing platform. Instead, the search Goliath continued to offer advanced location and navigation features on Android, widening the gap as it differentiated its platform from Apple...
Apple really stick it to Google with jaw-dropping 3D Maps and full turn-by-turn navigation in iOS 6. However, those headline features won't be supported on hardware released prior to 2011. In other words, you'll need at least A5-enabled iOS devices to enjoy Flyovers and turn-by-turn navigation.
This means either the latest iPhone 4S model or the second- or third-generation iPad. So, did Apple just pull a Siri, all over again?
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgLDkHJduRg[/tube]
The new Maps app is the premier new feature in iOS 6. Although I was a bit skeptical at first after seeing some early screenshots, I'm a definite believer after giving it some hands-on time. It is rightfully so that the new Maps app is Apple's most compelling upgrade to iOS.
Maps is leaps and bounds above anything offered in the previous Google powered Maps app. With 3D views, turn by turn navigation, and full integration with Siri, Maps is a truly amazing package. What do you think about it?
Thanks to my years in wireless sales, I can honestly say I've tried out more than my fair share of smartphones. The carrier I worked for made us try a new handset every 90 days to ensure that we were all well-versed in our craft.
But out of all of the devices I played with and carried, none were able to woo me away from the iPhone. In fact, the only non-iOS feature that I have ever really lusted after was Android's ability to give audible turn-by-turn directions...
Earlier today we brought you a report on AssistantLove — the new jailbreak tweak that allows you to play Spotify songs via Siri.
The tweak also has the ability to search and get directions and routes for 3rd party GPS apps, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get that working in my initial demo.
Now, with the help of the excellent free GPS app Waze, I can demo the integrated GPS navigation using Siri. I'm happy to report that it performs just as expected...
Israeli startup Waze has released an update for its iOS GPS navigation app, adding hands-free crowd sourcing to its arsenal.
There are already plenty of GPS navigation apps on the App Store with TomTom being one of our favorites, but Waze is a little bit different in that it uses crowd sourcing as a means of measuring traffic congestion and accidents. The reliance on humans reporting such issues is both its strong and its weak point.
While the use of real people to build a map of what is really going on should make for a more accurate navigational experience, it also means that the service just plain fails to work if people don't take the time to check in. This latest update should help alleviate that particular issue...