Legions of suckers iPhone users jumped at the opportunity to upgrade to iOS 6 yesterday only to discover that Apple Maps is a horrible piece of crap that doesn’t work. Some of us on staff are refusing to upgrade until there’s a Google Maps app for us to use. Maybe you can live with the funny 3D terrain glitches, but having no public transit routing really sucks. We can’t possibly be alone in feeling this way. Is the Apple Maps abomination enough to keep you from upgrading? More »
Thanks to iOS 6, the iPad finally has a clock application. Too bad Apple apparently stole the design from the iconic station clock of the Swiss Federal Railway. By “apparently” we mean completely and without remorse—like a bunch of highway bandits. Look at the two side-by-side above. What a shameless rip off. More »
We’ve talked plenty about the flaws inherent in Apple Maps, and where it differs from Google Maps on paper. But how wide is the disparity between the two in actuality? We stacked two iPhone 4Ses side-by-side (one running iOS 5, one running iOS 6, both on wi-fi with GPS on), and let the two mapping apps do battle. More »
It’s barely been a day since iOS 6’s native Maps app was released to the world, and already there’s a steady stream of mapsasters that have everyone not-so-secretly wishing a standalone Google Maps app gets released ASAP. More »
Devious developers have already cooked up a way to bake Google Maps mass transit directions into Apple’s iOS 6 Maps app, though the workaround isn’t quite ready for primetime yet. Google Transit for iOS 6 is the handiwork of Simon Maddox, adding a Google Directions option to the list of third-party plugins Apple offers for alternative routing, and pulling up results in Safari.
Apple does not offer mass transit guidance in this first generation version of Maps, and instead leaves the field open for third-party developers to do so instead. Those options – such as Garmin’s newly updated Navigon and StreetPilot Onboard – show up in a Routing Apps menu after you search for directions.
However, for Maddox’s Google Directions plugin to be broadly available, it would need to be approved by Apple itself for distribution in the App Store. Right now, it’s only useful for registered iOS developers, who can deploy it to their devices using Xcode.
Maddox isn’t confident that Apple would ever approve his code, and so the likelihood of an official release seems low. Google is yet to confirm any plans for a Google Maps for iOS app distributed via the App Store, and it’s possible the company will decide to keep it as an Android perk altogether.
Update: Looks like Simon wasn’t the only person working on something along these lines. Fellow iOS developer Jesse Vincent also cooked up a Google mass transit directions plugin for Apple Maps, and has submitted it to Apple for approval.
Apple Maps hack adds Google public transport directions option is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Like so many things in life, Apple’s horrific new Maps app would be funny if it weren’t so sad. But after Apple decided to ditch Google Maps for its own troubled offering in iOS 6, users have been left with bad directions, incorrect business listings, and a missing Statue of Liberty. More »
Garmin has updated its iOS navigation software to help fill the gaps in the contentious Apple Maps app, with Navigon and StreetPilot Onboard now packing mass transit information along with iOS 6 compatibility. The updates include an Urban Guidance mode which offers train, bus, tram, and water taxi route planning, features which Apple’s homegrown Maps app does not support.
Meanwhile, there’s also a Last Mile function which will remember the location of a parked car and help a driver return to it later on, useful if you’re easily confused by extensive parking lots. StreetPilot Onboard also adds Google Maps Street View data, which was previously accessible on the iPhone and iPad via Google Maps but, as of iOS 6, is no longer available.
However, some of the selling points Garmin’s software had previously – namely turn-by-turn navigation – now runs the risk of being eclipsed by Maps’ native guidance abilities, also freshly added in iOS 6. It’s also worth noting that the Urban Guidance system is a paid add-on through in-app purchase – priced at $2.99 – though it does include transit line information and integrate with Apple’s transit system within Maps.
Garmin is unlikely to be the only company keen to occupy the space vacated by Google Maps, though whether the company’s $44.99 price tag for Garmin StreetPilot Onboard USA or $39.99 for Navigon will be forced down in the process remains to be seen. Meanwhile, web-based alternatives are already available, such as Nokia Maps, which also include turn-by-turn guidance, public transportation, traffic monitoring, and more.
[via The Verge]
Garmin fills iOS 6 Maps gaps with mass transit guidance is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The SMS protocol on iOS has had an issue wherein you’re able to manipulate the little-used “Reply To” field in a text message to make it look like it was coming from anyone you wanted it to. But with the proper release of iOS 6 the days of pulling that stunt on an iPhone are over. More »
Navigon’s gearing up for tomorrow’s big day by updating its, erm, Navigon and StreetPilot Onboard apps. The refreshed software adds support for the iPhone 5‘s new 4-inch display as well as baking in public transport listings to Cupertino’s presently underwhelming mapping offering. It’s also gaining the promised “last mile” function to record the location of your car when finishing your journey on foot, sparing you the embarrassment of getting lost in the multi-storey lot when you return. The company’s offering a $10 discount on its apps if you pick ’em up before October 3rd, while the in-app purchase of Urban Guidance has been reduced from $5 to $3 for the same period.
Update: We’ve had a note from Garmin to say that while Navigon update is now available, StreetPilot Onboard has been slightly delayed.
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Mobile
Navigon and StreetPilot Onboard update adds public transport, Apple Maps and iPhone 5 support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple’s free iOS 6 update pushed out to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners yesterday, has already begun provoking strong reactions from users, with the homegrown Maps app singled out for most criticism. Replacing Google Maps on the iPhone 5, Apple’s version has won praise for its eye-catching “flyover” 3D mapping and slick integration with iOS as a whole, but also come under fire for patchy and inaccurate data.
The mounting tensions between Apple and Google are believed to be the root cause of Google Maps’ being replaced, with Apple looking to control its own navigation experience instead of preloading its rival’s software. TomTom and OpenStreetMap have provided the underlying data on top of which Apple built its own interface. However, the usefulness of that data is in question today.
Much of the frustration appears to have come from international users, rather than those in the US, with Apple’s mapping data and satellite imagery for locations outside of the US coming in for criticism. The software suffers from out-of-date points of interest, the BBC reports, with some towns in the wrong position geographically or missing altogether, and search results prompting unlikely suggestions for straightforward queries.
TomTom has denied culpability, pointing out that it’s up to vendors like Apple who license its data to add “additional features to the map application such as visual imagery” and describing its mapping content as only the “foundation” of any service. Google has invested significantly into collecting its own location data, for instance dispatching Street View vehicles around cities to gather street-level photography.
Although there’s no way to avoid installing Apple Maps as part of iOS 6, and no option to reinstall Google Mpas from iOS 5, there are several third-party alternatives on offer. Some are available via the App Store, with ZDNet flagging up a soon-expiring deal of a year’s free Telenav premium service (the offer runs out by the end of the week), while others can be accessed via the browser.
Google Maps itself can of course be found at google.com/maps, but another solid option is Nokia Maps, which was launched as an HTML5 option for iOS and Android users earlier this year. Accessed at m.maps.nokia.com, it includes turn-by-turn navigation for cars, mass transit, and pedestrians, including optional audio guidance, satellite view, live traffic data, and more.
If you’re determined to stick with iOS 6 Maps, however – which also includes turn-by-turn navigation, for the first time in the native iOS mapping app – it’s worth remembering that you can report incorrect locations via the map itself and help Apple refine its data that way. Apple told SlashGear after the iPhone 5 launch last week that it expects third-party vendors to deliver mass transit guidance for users, at least initially.
Unhappy with Apple’s own Maps app? Happy with iOS 6 in general? Or holding off from upgrading until any early bugs have been ironed out? Let us know in the poll below, and then head over to our iPhone 5 review for more details.
iOS 6 Maps polarizes Apple fans is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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