Jan 30
When Rodrigo Diaz set out to pick up his friends and go ice skating, he was in high spirits. But when his GPS navigation system took him and some friends to the wrong house, he was assumed to be an intruder—and shot dead. More »
Jan 29
Google has given its maps of North Korea a massive overhaul, using the open source Map Maker project to pull together all of the data. Suddenly, the country looks like it’s not a barren wilderness. More »
Jan 28
Google’s newly detailed North Korea maps offer a peek into an isolated land
Posted in: Today's Chili 
North Korea has yet to welcome the internet with open arms despite Eric Schmidt’s visit, but the internet is certainly welcoming North Korea: as of a sweeping update, Google Maps touts detailed cartography of the secluded state rather than the voids we’ve known before. The results still leave significant blank spots, although that’s forgivable when Google Map Maker is virtually the only option to improve accuracy. We doubt a suspicious government is about to let Street View cars run freely on Pyongyang’s streets when visitors can’t even get mobile internet access, after all. Google already plans to patch those holes in a timelier fashion by incorporating future Map Maker changes as soon as they’re proven accurate. While many of those covered by the update might never see it for themselves, Google’s work at least paints a more complete picture of the world for the rest of us.
Filed under: GPS, Internet, Google
Via: The Next Web
Source: Google Lat Long Blog
Jan 23
Apple had a great first quarter of 2013, but the company hasn’t forgotten about the few rough spots from the year prior. One of these rough spots was the launch of Maps, which came with the roll out of iOS 6. Despite a few stumbles, Apple is looking forward, with Tim Cook saying today in the company’s earnings call that Apple is constantly improving Maps, and that it won’t stop until the service lives up to “our incredibly high standards.”
As far as usage goes, Cook didn’t get into specifics, instead only saying that Maps usage is much higher than it was before the launch of iOS 6. It would seem that more and more users are willing to give Maps a chance as we move forward, with Cook promising that more improvements to the service will come as we work our way through 2013. Google has since launched an iOS version of its own Maps service, giving Apple more of a reason to strive to continually improve its own offering. Competition, as they say, is only a good thing for consumers.
Cook also pointed to the fact that Apple has been constantly making improvements to Maps since iOS 6 launched. We heard during the call that Apple has some impressive stuff in the pipeline, so perhaps that includes more features for Maps? We’ll just have to wait and find out, but at least we know that Apple will keep working on it as 2013 marches on.
Apple had a record-breaking quarter in terms of iPhone and iPad sales, thanks in large part to the new iPhone 5 and iPad mini. With those releases and the positive consumer reaction, there’s even more reason for Apple to always be improving its app offerings. Stay tuned, because 2013 might just prove to be a pretty big year for Apple as far as software is concerned.
Apple talks iOS Maps improvements, user base is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 21
While UAVs have joined spy satellites as an indispensable part of America’s military operations—especially in delivering timely, accurate intel to troops on the ground—they are not the end-all-be-all perfect solution, even in coordination. That’s why DARPA plans to supplement these unmanned intelligence gathering platforms with jet-deployed constellations of micro-satellites. Soon, every grunt will have access to a real-time battlefield mini-map just in like video games. More »
Jan 16
The internet was freaking out yesterday because holy shit! It looked like Google ran over a donkey with a Street View car in Kweneng, Botswana. But no need to call up PETA, Google says it absolutely did not commit assicide. More »
Jan 16
Before you go hurling insults like “donkey killer” at a multinational software giant, it’s probably best to get the other side of the story. In spite of visual evidence to the contrary, Google insists that it did not, in fact, run over a burro while gathering shots for Street View. In fact, the company has laid the whole thing out Zapruder-style over on its Maps blog, highlighting how the donkey, which appears to be dead, gets up and walks away, after lying down in the road, “perhaps enjoying a dust bath.” So, rest assured, Botswana’s equidae are safe from Google’s reach — for now.
Filed under: Google
Via: The Next Web
Source: Google Maps Blog
Jan 15
Forget Your Throwback Jersey—Show City Pride With Latitude Longitude Posters
Posted in: Today's Chili
If you’re a sucker for maps, or you just like repping your city in a cool way, you’re going to go bananas for Mr. City Printing’s Latitude Longitude Maps. Ever seen anything like them? More »
Jan 14
Whether you’re just trying to find a way to that restaurant you keep hearing about, or you want to hunt down bank robbers at large for some (ill-advised!) vigilante justice, Google Maps has got you covered. At least, now that the FBI whipped up its own robber-tracking map, complete with all your local miscreants. More »
Jan 09
No iffy third-party apps, no feature phone mobile version, Google’s web-based Map service is back on Windows Phone devices. We just went down to the Nokia bus here at CES to give it a try, and it’s working as you might expect. While the smartphone screen isn’t the best place for a desktop map site, pinch to zoom and scrolling worked and we were able to hunt down places of interest. The more mobile-centric Google Places also reappeared ready for use, if you prefer your maps ready for vertical displays.
[Thanks to everyone that sent this in]
Gallery: Google Maps on Windows Phone
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia, Google
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