Waze, the crowd-sourced traffic mapping app, is one of Gadget Lab’s favorite apps for successfully navigating around the morass of Bay Area traffic. Today the app one-ups itself with the ability for trusted community members to update maps in real …
Remember the days of yore when carphones used to be attached to the car — permanently? Accel Telecom wants to take you back there with the Voyager, an Android smartphone with car-centric functions that can stay put in your vehicle. To start with, the handset will feature a dedicated Waze launcher key for GPS navigation duties, and will also sport “high level noise reduction and echo cancellation,” along with hands-free voice activation. Other features include a 3G-WiFi hotspot, a “driver-centric” design with large physical keys, multiple car-focused apps and “crystal clear, echo free sound quality.” Interestingly, it’ll also connect to your vehicle’s on-board diagnostics system via RS232 or Bluetooth and ping you if any parts are about to break off. Accel told us that it’ll launch Voyager in Europe and the US “with operators that offer a second sim device,” to let you share your current phone number. There’s no sign of pricing yet, but there is PR and a video after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
No, the Apple-Waze deal isn’t going to happen. If you’ve been following the news lately, there was a recent rumor that Apple might acquire mapping application services provider Waze. Well, it seems that the rumor is half-true. The folks over at The Next Web are saying that both companies have indeed negotiated about a possible deal. Waze reportedly declined the offer because its investors were aiming for a much higher price, roughly nearing $1 billion. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Belkin Thunderstorm iPad Speaker Case, New iPhone 5 Ad Highlights Broken Do Not Disturb iOS 6 Feature,
![Apple In Negotiations With Waze To Rescue Its Maps App [Rumor]](https://i0.wp.com/cdnrss.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/apple_waze_iPhone_maps.jpeg?resize=625%2C334 "Apple In Negotiations With Waze To Rescue Its Maps App [Rumor]")
The Apple Maps drama has to be one of the most public screw-ups in the company’s recent history as they arrogantly thought they could deliver a maps application as good, probably better, than Google Maps. Not only did they completely fail at that task, but the move also removed Google Maps from everyone’s iOS devices starting at iOS 6. Luckily, iOS users got Google Maps back last month, but Apple would still like for its Maps application to mean something more than a complete and utter mess. And to accomplish that, it may be hiring some outside help to deliver exactly what they want.
According to a report from TechCrunch, Apple may currently be in talks to acquire Waze, which is a mapping application that uses the power of its users to help drivers find the correct route to their destination. Waze was also one of the maps Apple recommended as an alternative when it publicly apologized for the issues all of us were having with Apple Maps.
At this point, negotiations are advanced to the point where price figures are being thrown around. Currently, Waze is looking to make $750m from the deal, while Apple is willing to offer $400m + $100m in incentives. If the rumor turns out to be true, Apple might finally have acquired a company that could possibly rescue its Maps app from more embarrassment.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Eyeing New Display Technology From Innolux [Rumor], Sideload iOS Apps Sans Jailbreak,
It might seem as if Apple chose its iOS 6 release last week to practice the biblical directive to love one’s enemy. For, by ejecting Google Maps from updated iPads and iPhones, Apple hath caused glorious comparisons to shine upon its foe. If most people were unaware of comparative feature sets and quality aspects that distinguish Google Maps from Apple Maps, every tech-loving person on God’s earth is an expert now.
The media love a bloodbath, and Joe Nocera led the rhetorical pack by calling Apple Maps an “unmitigated disaster” in a NY Times piece. He wondered whether such calamity would have ensued if Steve Jobs (who called the 1998 “hockey puck” mouse the world’s best pointing device) were guiding the company’s product evolution. Mr. Nocera argues the Maps replacement as an indicator that Apple has peaked.
I argue that replacing Google Maps with Apple Maps was shrewd, inevitable and an indicator that Apple understands the true battle it wages.
Continue reading Editorial: Apple’s smart Maps maneuver
Filed under: Transportation, Wireless, Software
Editorial: Apple’s smart Maps maneuver originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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