Hasta La Gadget!

If there is one thing you can’t say about Google’s mapping team, it’s that they are a lazy bunch. Update after update puts paid to any of that kinda talk, and again, here’s another example — navigation for Android is now available in nine more countries. It’s the Middle East and North Africa that get the attention this time, with Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and Saudia Arabia all getting the update. The service comes complete with Arabic voice search as well as “search along route” for routes to near-by POIs that won’t take you the long way round. You’ll need Android 4.0 or above if you want in on the action, but it’s available now for those that do.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile

Google Maps Navigation for Android hits nine MENA nations, adds Arabic voice search originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google is bringing voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation to Android smartphone users in India. While the functionality’s been available since January if you’ve rooted your device, the official version lands today with a localized “Indian English” voice option. At the same time, it’s adding live traffic information for major roads in big cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad — with both arriving today on handsets running Gingerbread and up. At the same time, it’s giving Google Map Maker and Biking Directions to users in New Zealand — and college students at over 150 universities worldwide will now be able to find themselves thanks to Street View maps on campus. Of course, that does mean you can no longer use Google as an excuse as to why you missed Phys. Ed. 202 next semester.

[Thanks, Devanshu]

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Mobile

Google Maps unveils new features in India, New Zealand and 150 universities worldwide originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 07:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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Looking for somewhere remote, quiet and cold for retirement? You can’t get much further out than Cambridge Bay — hidden away in Canada’s arctic Nunavut territory, this sleepy town is only reachable by plane, boat or Google Maps. Navigating its streets on the latter option is about to get a whole lot more detailed, too. The Maps team has started working with residents like Chris Kalluk to build what it hopes will be the most comprehensive map of the region to date. Mountain View’s digital cartographers are training residents to use equipment like the Street View tricycle to take in the isolated territory’s natural beauty while letting locals fill in the finer details (like roads, lakes and rivers) at community Map Up gatherings. “This is a place with a vast amount of local knowledge and a rich history,” says Kalluk. “By putting these tools in the hands of our people, we will tell Nunavut’s story to the world.” Fittingly, the community’s first mapping event saw local landmarks mapped out in both English and Inuktitut, one of the territory’s official languages. Check the project out for yourself at the source link below.

Filed under: Internet, Software

Google mapping out Canada’s Nunavut territory with local community, Street View trike originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In many ways, Google’s Streetview is a document. A snapshot in time. Usually, this amounts to pictures of a sunny clear day in downtown Localsville, but it can also be a reminder of times less bright. Since Hurricane Katrina, the city has been working hard to rebuild neighborhoods and communities, and better prepare itself for the future. Today — via Google’s Lat Lon Blog — Mayor Mitch Landrieu proudly announced that Streetview has been updated to reflect those efforts, and show New Orleans in that familiar, sunny way. Whether it’s Congo Square (“the birthplace of jazz”), the city’s parks, or more recent features and attractions, Landrieu proudly extends an invite to all of us to come take a look, enjoy the virtual tour, and “whet our appetite.” We say put the Gumbo on.

Filed under: Internet

Google Maps updates streetview for New Orleans, reminds us the jazz plays on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 07:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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