facebook rss twitter

New Google Maps for Android offers "new mapping experience"

by Mark Tyson on 10 July 2013, 14:00

Tags: Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), PC

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabykb

Add to My Vault: x

The new Google Maps app for Android ICS or newer devices has started to roll out today. The new app has a refreshed interface to offer a new mapping experience "that makes exploring the world and getting to the places that matter to you a lot faster and easier", updated navigation data and "live traffic updates, incident reports and dynamic rerouting." All in all this sounds like a very useful set of enhancements. Google also said that similarly updated apps will shortly be on their way to the iPhone and iPad (iOS 6+).

This is the first time Google will be making a dedicated app for the larger screens of both Android tablets and the iPad. Highlights of the fresh new Android apps, rolling out from today, are the following;

  • Explore: this is a feature that treads on the toes of other location centric social networking apps like Foresquare, according to a new CNet article. The explore interface presents you with a choice of destination categories from which to drill down to find what you want without typing a things, it's very fat-finger friendly.
  • Enhanced navigation: live traffic and problem reporting by other Google Maps users should help you avoid jams and other sticky situations on the road. "While on the road, Google Maps will also alert you if a better route becomes available and reroute you to your destination faster".
  • Designed for tablets: A better interface, more suited to these larger screened devices is now on offer.
  • Reviews, Zagat and Offers: At various map locations you, "your friends and others rate places like restaurants, bars and cafes". This is a feature that treads on the toes of Yelp according to CNet. Special offers within your vicinity will be highlighted by Google on your maps. Google says this is "a great way to discover valuable offers" from the likes of Toys 'R' Us.
  • Latitude and Check-ins get the chop: This functionality has been moved to the Google+ app for Android (and likewise iOS Google+ app in due course).
  • Offline maps functionality has been dropped: This might be annoying for people who have squirreled away all the useful maps they periodically use. Google says "Instead we’ve created a new way for you to access maps offline by simply entering “OK Maps” into the search box when viewing the area you want for later." In addition 'My Maps' has been removed but Google say it will return in the future.

Daniel Graf, Director, Google Maps wraps up his blog post, detailing the new maps enhancements, by saying "Today’s update is an exciting step forward for Google’s maps—one that we hope will make it faster and easier for you to explore and discover places you want to go." Of course the new app also provides Google more monetising opportunities with the highlighted businesses on the maps, vouchers and location based offers etc.

From the official changelog:

"This update will be gradually rolling out to Android 4.0.3+ users over the next few weeks. Users with Android versions below 4.0.3 should visit http://goo.gl/5AMJS to find out more about the Google Maps app available to you."

HEXUS Forums :: 11 Comments

Login with Forum Account

Don't have an account? Register today!
Posted by crossy - Wed 10 Jul 2013 14:41
Offline maps functionality has been dropped: This might be annoying for people who have squirreled away all the useful maps they periodically use. Google says “Instead we’ve created a new way for you to access maps offline by simply entering “OK Maps” into the search box when viewing the area you want for later.”
Android Authority's article on the Okay Maps “feature” (which AA describes as an “Easter Egg”) shows a bit more of how this is supposed to work. Strikes me as a kludge that other mapping software makers should (rightly!) have some fun mocking. :P

And there's also the obvious point that offline use is not just for your “favourite” maps, it's the only way to use GMaps in areas where there is no data connection. I used it myself when on holiday in Florida to get me to the hotel (where I could pick up a US SIM for my phone).
The new app has a refreshed interface to offer a new mapping experience … updated navigation data and “live traffic updates, incident reports and dynamic rerouting.”
Presumably they mean dynamic rerouting as a result of the live traffic data, since the versions of GMaps I've used in the past all rerouted “on the fly” (translation: when the idiot trying to use it didn't go the way they were supposed to). Although I thought quite a few nav apps with traffic feeds also did rerouting.
Posted by Barakka - Wed 10 Jul 2013 15:13
Love that you can now choose alternate routes on the directions and tick avoid motorways if wanted, always frustrated me that if you ask it give directions you didn't get to choose from different routes like on the desktop version and the iOS version.

But don't like that I can no longer have the + and - buttons for zoom on the screen, so zooming is now two handed to pinch zoom out, but they may put that back in the future I guess.
Posted by wasabi - Wed 10 Jul 2013 22:46
The loss of offline mode make the Apple Maps-gate issue of last year pale in comparison. Best feature? - remove it. What a bunch of boneheaded user-hating gits Google have become. Pretty much everything that made them popular, they're taking away. Google Reader. igoogle, decent search without stupid paid sponsors at the top of the list, free Google Apps, Latitude, mail without forcing you into social network. I don't use any google services any more since I simply don't trust them not to discontinue it at short notice.
Posted by crossy - Thu 11 Jul 2013 09:40
Barakka
Love that you can now choose alternate routes on the directions and tick avoid motorways if wanted, always frustrated me that if you ask it give directions you didn't get to choose from different routes like on the desktop version and the iOS version.

CoPilot has been able to do the alternate routing trick for a while, and it also allows you to either say that you want to avoid a particular road and/or express preferences, (e.g. “I prefer B roads over motorways”). And CoPilot also allows you to drag the preferred route line to edit, in case there's some roadworks you know about for example, which I'm sure that the desktop GMaps also allowed.

By the way, the route show is CoPilot's attempt to give a route between Edinburgh and Birmingham airports. Although give I've got “Quickest Route” selected by default, I've got to wonder why Alternative 1 wasn't chosen.
Posted by kingpotnoodle - Thu 11 Jul 2013 11:03
Barakka
Love that you can now choose alternate routes on the directions and tick avoid motorways if wanted, always frustrated me that if you ask it give directions you didn't get to choose from different routes like on the desktop version and the iOS version.

You could do alternate routes for a while now but it was an option you had to go find in the menu after getting the selected “best” route which AFAIK was the shortest in distance (my observation anyway).

In most cases I've always found the best route was the one selected anyway, unless I knew that traffic was likely to develop before I got later into a long route so the new traffic re-routing is a good addition which a lot of paid sat-nav apps and devices have had for a long time.

Shame about the offline maps though, I hope that makes a return, it was nice to cache the maps for a countryside drive before setting off.

SEE NEWER »