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… Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
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”… Read More
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”… Read More
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… Read More
For all the talk about Apple’s cutting-edge Maps in iOS 6 with fantastic Flyover three-dimensional view, many people – yours truly included – are dissapointed over the absence of street-level photography in iOS 6 Maps (prior iOS Maps versions had Street View, courtesy of Google). Enter Navigon’s premium turn-by-turn GPS app that just got updated with Google Street View, plus a couple other nice features… Read More
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? Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
TomTom is obviously one of the biggest players in the navigation business, and with standalone devices selling alongside the company’s mobile apps, it’s also one of the most dominant.
Not happy to rest on its laurels, TomTom has been showing off a new version of its popular iOS app at this year’s CES, and it’s a little different. Namely, this incarnation uses social networks like never before, with Twitter and Facebook being used to actually help with navigation.
Version 1.10 of the current TomTom apps will take in the new social features, with abilities such as navigating to recent checkins on a network being added throughout the app. Notifications of expected arrival times and more can also be shared the other way, keeping your friends and family up to date on proceedings… Read More
Today TomTom released an update to its iPhone app that adds an iPad version. This means that, with a 3G iPad, you can use your iPad as a turn-by-turn navigation device.
The app takes great advantage of the iPad’s screen real estate. The universal update was updated for all of the international TomTom apps, too. Read More
There’s been a lot of evidence over the last few years that Apple is working on drastically enhancing the Maps application in iOS. From job listings, to the acquisition of mapping companies like Placebase and Poly 9, it’s not hard to follow the breadcrumbs.
Fast forward to today, and reports are surfacing that suggest that Apple is taking their research to the next level. MacRumors has uncovered a new patent application from the Cupertino company that describes mapping software with augmented reality functionality… Read More
The jailbreak community is responsible for a number of iDevice enhancements and innovations. Jailbreak developers are constantly giving our iDevices features that Apple for one reason or another has left out.
A perfect example is BTStack GPS. The utility allows you to connect an external GPS unit to your iPad to use with mapping software. Don’t own an external GPS unit? The community’s got you covered there too. A new app called TryGpsOut will allow you to use your iPhone instead… Read More
I have to admit, after all the evidence we’ve seen over the last several months, I was a little surprised that we didn’t see any kind of major improvements to the Map app in iOS 5. Apple has purchased multiple GPS software companies in the last few years, including PlaceBase and Poly9.
But even though there were no significant Map announcements at WWDC, there’s still hope. Apple’s developer’s conference only gave us a “sneak peak” at 10 items from a list of over 200 improvements, so it’s very possible that we may still see Maps get a revamp this fall… Read More
If you go to the Google Maps website and look for directions to a specific location, chances are there are different ways to get there. This is what Google calls “suggested routes.” The website lets you easily see those alternate routes and you can select the one that fits you best.
“Suggested Routes” is a new feature in the Maps app of iOS 5. Just like Google Maps on the web, the app will offer you suggested routes if available… Read More
We’ve reported on several occasions that Apple has been looking to revamp its Maps application in iOS. After the purchase of PlaceBase and multiple suspicious job listings, we certainly have had reason to believe that Apple has some major changes in mind for the Maps app.
The big question has been (with Apple and Google quickly becoming competitors across multiple markets): will Google continue to have a hand in the Maps application? Read More
Are you the best navigation software developer you know? Do you love “innovative features” and “sophisticated user interfaces?” Then you may be what Apple is looking for.
The folks at Cupertino have a new job posting for a talented iOS Maps Application Developer. Does this mean that we’ll see a revamped Maps app in the future? Read More
