Comments on: GPS Makers Just Got Lost Due to Google Maps for Android 2.0

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:25:58 +0000

Has anyone with Verizon confirmed you can still take calls while google maps is running? It uses the internet, which can't be used the same time as the phone.

???

Verizon claims they will "look very closely at that".

By: Jordan

Jordan — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:51:04 +0000

i think that Google’s going to just keep juicing up Android for the next few months but im pretty sure they wont leave iPhones out. I cant wait for Android 2.0 to come out for the Eris so i can get this!

By: Phil Hendrix, Ph.D.

Phil Hendrix, Ph.D. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:56:18 +0000

In addition to the compelling new device + service combination, several other factors will fuel Google’s success in LBS:
1. With Street View, Google has invested heavily in compiling its own map/geodata, giving it a significant competitive advantage. Earlier this month Google dropped Tele Atlas (owned by Tom Tom) as the supplier of its geo/map data, choosing instead to use its own geodata sourced from Street View and a variety of public sources (in the U.S. for now, other countries to follow)
2. Google is in a unique position to leverage its large and growing community of Google Maps users to make corrections and updates much faster and at a lower cost. Not yet crowd sourced (see Waze http://www.waze.com/), but likely to evolve in that direction.
3. The PND OEM’s efforts to introduce new mobile devices that build on their GPS heritage are proving woefully inadequate – see Consumer Report comments on Garmin’s Nuvifone below.

These and other developments are examined more closely in a forthcoming GigaOM Pro report, Location-based Innovation – Seven Trends That Are Tranforming Mobile to be published in early Nov.

Phil Hendrix, Ph.D.

Links:
Google shakes up the geospatial data industry (http://geothought.blogspot.com/)
Mediocrity, thy name is Nuvifone (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2009/10/garmin-nuvifone-g60-review-personal-navigation-gps-pnd-smartphone-cellphone-iphone-app.htm)
Garmin Nuvifone 2.0 – The road it should travel (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/10/future-next-garmin-nuvifone-the-road-it-should-travel.html)

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:30:58 +0000

This is a great feature, I’ll be able to use the Maps a lot.

I am definitely looking to get an Android phone when its time for me to upgrade.

By: John in Norway

John in Norway — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:34:37 +0000

Just before I went on holiday this year I used Google maps to have a look at the place we were going to. The map looked as if it was at least 20 years old, our holiday place didn’t even exist! I wouldn’t like to rely on Google to get me there.

By: HongCho

HongCho — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:24:01 +0000

This one has better presentation and audio (on Google Maps Navigation).

http://www.viddler.com/explore/engadget/videos/765/

By: HongCho

HongCho — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:20:27 +0000

Engadget has another video showing the Google Maps Navigation.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/engadget/videos/768/

+ Voice navigation search with “navigate to …”
+ Text-to-speech: Speaks the street names.
+ Automatically switches to Street View when you are close to destination.
+ Caching maps for the routes in case of connectivity failures (how much cached?)

I need a GSM international version that I can use everywhere…

By: Rodfather

Rodfather — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:13:45 +0000

There will be concern over battery life as with all over-the-air navigation. With GPS, data connection, voice recognition, voice navigation, and always on screen, it’s going to suck up juice fast.
Great stuff though.

By: Luscious

Luscious — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:38:18 +0000

I’ve been using a dedicated GPS for a few years now (Lowrance 500C) and it’s pretty good for my needs. I used to use a pocket PC before that, but found the 3.5 inch screen too small to be practical – the 5 inch screen on my Lowrance is just the right size.

The big issue I find with GPS phones is multitasking, or should I say “lack of”. Since I am using dedicated devices, I can take a call without interrupting my route navigation. But that may not be the case with phone GPS, especially if I also want to simultaneously stream audio via bluetooth to my car’s head unit.

Yes, it’s very cool to put everything in one device and take it with you in your pocket. But the functionality of having dedicated devices is a big plus, especially when they work much better in a car environment. My head unit has a 7″ display to handle all my audio, my GPS a 5″, and I’m on a separate phone. Each does it’s job perfectly and doesn’t interfere with the other.

It’s a big safety concern for me as well. Driving while talking can be tricky enough and very often distracting, but if I have to now juggle GPS and audio all on the same unit looking at a single, small 3 inch screen, it can be damn-near impossible to control and still focus on the road.

By: William

William — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:36:47 +0000

I already dumped visual voicemail on my Storm and switched to Google Voice voicemail. Can you say awesome? I knew you could :)

By: Sean Brady

Sean Brady — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:20:53 +0000

I agree this is huge news. I am ready to replace my Storm with Verizon, and I was going to go with the HTC because it is smaller and has the Sense UI… but this looks so incredible that I just have to make the leap to the Droid. Google is going to save me 15.00 a month to Verizon by allowing me to get rid of VZnav and Visual Voicemail (thanks to the Google Voice VM routing they announced yesterday).

Looking forward to the year of Android.

By: William

William — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:08:27 +0000

Other sites have already reported that it caches the data along your route to deal with dropouts in coverage. Dont know if that means the whole thing or just the next few map tiles, but its a good sign they’ve already thought about it.

Also, if you havent played with the latest Google Maps apps with layers supports, you can already do a bunch of neat stuff. Built-in layers for traffic overlays, wikipedia data, and Latitude. But the killer feature is My Maps. So if you create a map in your broser and save it in Google Maps, that info can auto-magically show up on your phone. I can see a dispatch office plotting stops on Google maps, saving it, and the drivers get the stops immediately on Google Maps on the phone. Its the hidden secret in the layers functionality that almost nobody has looked at yet.

By: Sembazuru

Sembazuru — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:55:49 +0000

It was only a matter of time. I was expecting this when I first heard about Android 1.0. (Granted, I was expecting it in a stand-alone GPS device.) I just wasn’t expecting it this soon because I thought there were real-time navigation licensing issues with NavTek. I guess they were either: A) ironed out; B) worked around; C) expired; D) non-existent (rumor).

I’m already planning on getting the Motorola Droid through Verizon (my new every two has been available since April). The question is _when_ as I’ll be leaving the country on Nov4… (I’m praying that the Oct30 rumor is confirmed instead of either the Nov6 or Nov9…)

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:49:21 +0000

Kevin

I agree with your prediction with 2 additions:

1) some type of map caching becomes a must to truly outclass standalone options

2) car integrated bluetooth in new cars is needed so that you are adding a GPS not losing a phone while driving

By: DCboy

DCboy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:23:51 +0000

We are back to application based devices, I don’t think apple will be getting this update :)
and when Google wave starts, wow, Google will run our life, all we need to do is connect and let them manage our life.
Think about all the services you now use with Google, and now imagine a world without goggle, that is scary

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:11:31 +0000

Like Bobman, I wonder what they do when you’re driving outside of coverage. I wonder if it caches ahead for you when you ID your route.

I think this is nothing but trouble for the Garmin’s of the world.