Hasta La Gadget!

Google has just updated their Google Maps app today by throwing in a sleeker turn-by-turn navigation function complete with traffic conditions, biking directions, Map Maker and new Street View imagery being introduced in additional locations around the world. Google Maps Navigation (Beta) will be expanded with voice guided, turn-by-turn directions across thousands of towns in India, making it useful for folks who want to visit densely populated cities like Delhi or Bangalore. Not only that, live traffic conditions for major roads with estimated travel times are also thrown into the mix so that you are better able to plan your route.

Biking directions and Map Maker will be made available to Kiwis (New Zealanders), where local cyclists benefit from accessing biking directions directly on Google Maps, while Map Maker allows one to add bike lanes and trails upon discovery of a new one.

Not only that, new Street View imagery for over 150 university campuses around the world will be added, ranging from UCLA in the US, Pembroke College in the UK, McGill University in Canada and Sophia University in Japan.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google Maps for Android adds biking navigation, Google brings live traffic feature on Google Maps to 130 new cities in the U.S.,

Google’s cycling directions have been slowly expanding their reach to the mobile world and other countries, but the only option for navigation so far has been to memorize the route. As of today, you won’t have to stop every five minutes to get your bearings. Google Maps for Android has received a low-key update that adds spoken, turn-by-turn Google Maps Navigation for riders in every country where biking directions exist — if you can clamp your phone to your handlebars, you can find your way. Many more riders are just seeing mobile support of any kind in the process. Both navigation and regular directions should now be live in the Android app for 10 more countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Cyclists just need to swing by Google Play to keep their two-wheeled adventures on track.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Transportation, Mobile

Google Maps for Android adds turn-by-turn biking navigation, helps pedal-pushers in 10 more countries originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At last, Google Maps caters to those who get around on two wheels – in particular, on a bicycle. After all, searching for the best biking route in town can prove to be quite a challenge, which is where the latest version of Google Maps for Android comes in handy. It will deliver mobile biking directions as well as navigation to 10 countries where desktop biking directions was launched last month, namely Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Some of the other features thrown into the mix include turn-by-turn capability as well as voice-guided biking navigation to Google Maps Navigation (beta) in every country that has biking directions. All you need to do is mount your device on your bicycle’s handlebars and then you are able to get a clear, unobstructed view of the turn-by-turn directions and navigation. Alternatively, you can always rely on the speaker-mode to hear voice-guided directions. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google brings live traffic feature on Google Maps to 130 new cities in the U.S., Google Maps now shows you NYC subway alerts,

At this point, it’s impossible to know exactly what path Tropical Storm Isaac is going to take or how much damage it’ll do. But Google’s crisis team went ahead and made an indispensable map to help those who might be in harm’s way. Here’s where to get all of the information you need in one centralized location. The index contains data from NOAA and Weather.com; provides links to government websites and live webcams, as well as to information that might be needed at a moment’s notice like alerts, shelter information, and evacuation routes. If you’re in the southern United States now’s the time to bookmark this guide. [Google Maps via LA Times] More »

For a country that dominates the Latin American landscape, Brazil hasn’t had much of a presence in Google Street View outside of major cities like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. A fresh update to Street View coverage has just gone live that fleshes out the the more far-flung corners of the map. It’s now possible to see what it’s like on the ground in much of the southern tip of the country as well as the northern coastline. Further north, Mexicans get their own treat: Google is now providing the panoramic views for ancient ruins such as Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan, just in case you’d rather not try to blend in with all the other tourists. The widened reach is undoubtedly no match for booking a flight and visiting in person, but it will save you the trouble of brushing up on your Portugese or ancient Mayan.

Filed under: Internet

Google Street View expands to cover swaths of Brazil and Mexican ruins, won’t substitute for a vacation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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