May 15
May 15
Google made quite a few interesting announcements today at its I/O 2013 conference. Among various other things, a new navigation user interface of Google Maps for Android and iOS was detailed. Google says that the UI has been updated in […]
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May 15
A futuristic vision of Google Maps has been shown by the company this week at Google I/O 2013, the event set for developers but aimed at the public. Google spoke up about “The New Google Maps”, as they called it, complete with expansions built around the user – each individual, that is. Exploring will be expanding in this new vision, built for the Google Search user using their Google account.
Search through Google Maps will show Sushi restaurants recommended by your friends. You’ll find photos through locations taken by users in Google+. Cards will be appearing similar to what’s seen in Google Now. In short, this system will bring the multi-system that is Google’s personalized experience for teach individual user in once more in the future of Google Maps.
Each user will be working with a unique map, each map based on the users interests as racked-up through their searches as well as their preferences. A map will be built using the same data as appears in Google Now.
A map will be built for “every place” as well, with unique details appearing when a location is clicked – or tapped. If a park is selected, for example, roads will be highlighted that lead the user to that location. Details added with Zagat and by the location owners, and of course by the public, will be available at a level that’s well above what’s offered today.
Google has made it clear that the future will turn the map itself into the user interface. Directions will be able to be accessed with taps on the map, not just through text searches. Multiple ways to access each location will be appearing at a tap.
This system will be rolled out to Google I/O attendees first and will be offered as a preview for the rest of the world later this week. The action will continue throughout the week through SlashGear’s Google I/O tag portal as well.
Google Maps future explored: the map is now the user interface is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 15
At Google I/O, Google discussed its Maps service, and they’re coming out with an updated version for Android and iOS devices (go figure), as well as a completely new Google Maps user interface. They’re previewing the new version on stage, and have announced a slew of new features coming to both mobile and web versions.
The new Google Maps includes a new search experience with the results labeled right on the map in real time, as well as Google+ integration. However, a big feature of the new Google Maps is personalization. Google wants to cater Maps towards every user, and give them the ability to create custom maps of sorts that highlight places of interest and other establishments that users frequent.
There’s a new five-star rating system in place now, so when you search for a place, it will now show you a review score out of five stars, based on reviews from friends and other users who have been there. There’s also an improved Zagat interface complete with full editorial reviews and Zagat scores.
Navigation is also getting some updates as well, with an improved view of real-time incidents, including re-routing. So when you approach a closed road or slow traffic, the app will serve a pop up and suggest that you change your route in order to get to your destination quicker.
Google also announced Google Maps for iPad, as well as an enhanced interface for Android tablets, which will be releasing at some point this summer, and will include some new features such as Explore, where it provides a self-explanatory experience for looking around a map, and even looking at indoor maps of malls and airports, just like on the smartphone and web versions.
Overall, Google announced that they’ve reached 200 countries covered thanks to their own data, as well as crowd-sourced data, with North Korea being the 200th country added on to Google Maps. Street View also reached 50 countries recently, with 5 million miles of road covered already. Furthermore, Google Maps is on over one million websites, which results in over a billion people visiting Google Maps every week.
Google Maps mobile experience expands with five star rating system is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 15
Google’s Hugo Barra is on stage right now at Google I/0 2013, and he’s talking about Google Play Services, with the Google Maps API being one of the first to come into fruition. The company just launched even more location APIs for Google Maps that come with faster and more precise location awareness and geofencing capabilities.
The first location API they discussed is what they’re called Fused Location Provider, which aims at providing faster and more accurate location data, as well as low-power mode where less than 1% of the battery is used per hour, according to the search giant. After all, if battery power is a huge concern for a lot of users, this should certainly smooth things over a bit.
The second API that Google announced is called Geofencing. This lets you define certain areas around different locations in order to trigger events, something that we’ve seen before in location-based reminder apps, such as Checkmark and Apple’s own Reminders app. Google says that many users have asked for this feature, and finally they’re delivering.
The third API is called Activity Recognition, which helps to track your physical activities such as running, walking, biking, etc. The API uses data from the phone’s accelerometer and can even work without the GPS if you don’t happen to get a signal. It will also learn learn different activities to figure out when you’re walking, running, biking, and driving.
No word yet on when we’ll see these new APIs become available, but they’ll most likely release the APIs this week for developers to get started on as soon as possible. Stay tuned for more coverage of Google I/O, as the keynote has begun!
Google Play Services expand with Maps leading the pack is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 15
May 15
A new glimpse at the updated Google Maps, expected to be revealed at Google I/O this week, has been leaked ahead of schedule, with a hastily-pulled sign-up page for the location service spilling a batch of new screenshots. Signs of a new version of Google Maps, with refreshed graphics and new functionality, emerged earlier this month, but Droid-Life spotted the product page going briefly live just ahead of I/O kicking off, complete with signs of dynamically learning maps that tailor themselves to your needs the more you use them.
“The most comprehensive map, now built for you” Google describes the new system, with a “tailored map for every search and click you make.” There’s also a new search box, which now floats on top of the map rather than living at the top of the screen as per the current version, and which expands to accommodate other search results like ratings, reviews, and whether there is other mapping data available for a location, such as indoor floorplans.
Google has also apparently baked more of its location-based services into the core Maps view. That includes Google Earth – which, in WebGL-compliant browsers, is directly integrated so can be viewed without needing to install a plugin first – and Flight Search.
As for navigation directions, the new Google Maps will now show all different methods of transportation on the same map simultaneously. That means the driving route will be shown alongside any public transportation options, such as trains or subways, and presumably – for shorter journeys – the route to take on-foot if you’re up for the exercise.
So far so UI refresh, but it’s the ability of the maps to tailor themselves to individual users’ that could be the most interesting part of the reworked version. “As you search the map, star places you like and leave reviews,” Google explains, “the map starts to adapt and can suggest things like restaurants you might enjoy or the quickest way home.”
Whether Google intends to transfer those features over to the mobile version of Google Maps is unstated, though given Android has its own predictive assistant technology in the shape of Google Now, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this learning system start pinging out more proactive suggestion cards in the near future.
Google is almost certain to announce and fully detail the new Google Maps at I/O, which kicks off in San Francisco later today.
New Google Maps leaks again: Learning maps and more is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 15
Just hours before its I/O event, Google has apparently had a little accident: the sign-up page for “the new Google Maps” briefly went live, revealing a slew of extra details about what’s coming in the rumored refresh before quickly being pulled. Droid-Life managed to grab some screenshots, including the one above, which gets to the heart of what Google is trying to achieve. The central idea is that Google will create maps tailored to the kind of information you’re looking for, using a “smarter search box” to highlight just the “things that matter most,” whether those be flights, ground transport or the new Earth View that integrates directly with Google Earth without the need for a plug-in. According to the leaked sign-up screens, the bringing together of all Google’s data will result in layers of information that reach “from outer space down to the streets” — but there’s still no evidence about how (or whether) this might work on mobile. Stay tuned to our Google I/O opening keynote liveblog for more.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Source: Droid-Life
May 10
May 09
Not exactly earth-shattering news in the weeks leading up to E3, but Nintendo Japan announced some nice little additions to its Google-powered Wii Street U. The panoramic mapping service is getting support for the proprietary Miiverse social network, letting you share favorite locations and tag images with emotions like “amazing,” “beautiful,” “fun” and “scary.” And for those times when you don’t want to give too much away, you can set things to “spoiler.” More update spoilers can be found in the source link below.
Filed under: Gaming, GPS, Nintendo
Via: Neogaf
Source: Nintendo (translated)
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