Hasta La Gadget!

A person familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal that Google is currently testing a standalone iOS Maps app. Allegedly, the app is getting its final touches before heading for iTunes store approval. The source doesn’t know when the app will be heading for the app store, but says that it is currently being test by “individuals outside the company.”

It’s no secret that Apple’s Maps is a less than stellar product, with its various issues including the habit of sending drivers towards the sides of buildings. The number of complaints prompted Apple CEO Tim Cook to issue a formal apology. When asked whether the upcoming app would be approved for the App Store, a spokesperson stated that Apple doesn’t comment on apps that haven’t been submitted.

If approved, the standalone Google Maps app will be a direct competitor to Apple’s own mapping service. With the release of iOS 6, the company swapped out the preinstalled Google Maps with its own maps app, also ditching the preinstalled YouTube app. Many users have complained about this move, stating that Apple’s maps are too inaccurate to be of any service.

The alleged standalone app is said to feature turn-by-turn navigation, according to the source. As for Google, a company spokesperson offered this statement. “We believe Google Maps are the most comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps in the world. Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system.”

[via Apple Insider]

Google distributing standalone iOS Maps app, says source is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Alas, Google has been stuffed behind China’s Great Firewall once again as the country prepares for the election of its new leader, Xi Jinping. Anyone who tries to access Google, Gmail, Maps, or many other of the company’s services will find themselves with a whole lot of nothing. In addition, overall Internet speeds were low throughout the country.

So far, it has been reported that Google.com, Google.com.hk, mail.google.com, drive.google.com, play.google.com, docs.google.com, and maps.google.com are all inaccessible. Other subdomains may be blocked as well. All lookups lead to the IP 59.24.3.173, which doesn’t belong to a website. Obviously, users can’t access any Google service, including Search, without the aid of a VPN or similar bypass.

Google checked out the issue, and reported via a spokesperson to El Reg that “we’ve checked and there’s nothing wrong on our end.” The company’s transparency report shows a sudden drop in traffic that started at midnight. Presumably, this comes as a move to stop protests and other disturbances in light of the 18th Congress Party.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Google has been blocked by the Great Firewall; we reported back in April, for example, that the country had blocked Google Drive. If you want to check it out for yourself, head over to GreatFireWallofChina.org and plug in some Google domains. Thus far, every one that’s been tested returns the message, “No servers were able to reach your site. This means that your site is most likely NOT accessible from within mainland China.”

[via The Register]

Google services blocked by Chinese government is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve known for quite a while now that Google was working on their own Google Maps app for iOS. We’ve seen leaked screenshots, and we’ve even heard rumors that the app is expected to arrive within the end of the year. However, according to multiple sources working closely with Google, the app will have a tough time getting past Apple’s approval wall.

The sources say that Google is “not optimistic” about Apple approving a dedicated Google Maps app for iOS, and the company does not have high hopes that the app will ever get approved. Obviously, the sources say that the app is in development and should be ready soon, but that’s only if in “the unlikely event” that Apple will approve the app.

Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 6, released in September, and it resulted in the ousting of Google Maps in favor of the company’s own in-house mapping solution. Right off the bat, diehard Google Maps fans were disappointed, but the feelings became worse as numerous complaints about Apple Maps made their way around.

Not to a lot of users’ surprise, Apple left out a few specific maps apps when they featured a handful of mapping solutions in the iTunes App Store a few weeks ago. Apple left out any maps app that used the Google Maps API, so we definitely feel that Apple won’t take it lightly when they see a Google Maps iOS app show up in their approval queue at some point in the future, so don’t hold your breath quite yet.

[via The Guardian]

Google Maps for iOS approval not likely, claim sources is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Earlier this year, Google released tour guide and 3D imagery for Google Earth mobile. The features allow users to view cities in 3D, and to go on guided tours of over 11,000 faraway places from the comfort of their handheld. As of today, those features are now available on the Google Earth 7 desktop application.

The tour guide feature works as, well, a tour guide. You can go on a virtual tour through various locations, getting suggestions for local places that you might be interested in. A flyover will take you over historical landmarks, famous places, and other points of interest. Tidbits of information about items and locations are provided via Wikipedia.

The second feature, 3D imagery, has been enjoyed by Android and iOS users for a while now. With this feature, desktop users can now see detailed three-dimensional flyovers of many of the world’s biggest cities, including Rome, Munich, Mannheim, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Long Beach, Denver, and more. Says the announcement, “The experience of flying through these areas and seeing the buildings, terrain and even the trees rendered in 3D is now consistent across both mobile and desktop devices – making all of your virtual travels more realistic than ever.”

Using these features on your laptop or desktop is much nicer than using a mobile. In particular, the 3D city imagery, when viewed on a large monitor or HDTV, are pretty phenomenal, with crisp details and definition. You can get the new features by updating your current installation, or by downloading Google Earth 7 from the Google Earth website.

[via Google]

Google Earth 7 gets tour guide and 3D imagery features is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Google announced on Wednesday that it has added AMBER Alerts to its Search and Maps services for desktop and mobile devices. AMBER Alert notifications will be displayed for your local area or locations based off of web search content. Alerts will be updated as information becomes available, but may include case details such as a description of the abducted child and the make and model of their alleged abductor’s vehicle. While this service is only available in the US, Google is working with Missing Children Europe and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in hopes of bringing similar services to more countries.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

Google adds AMBER Alerts for missing children to Search and Maps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Google  | Email this | Comments