Does anyone know if there are any plans by HTC to bring out free maps for use on the WM platform for use in their phones?
When I was in the UK and had a virtually free GPRS connection as part of my plan, I used Google maps quite a lot, switching between whatever connection was available without any real problems, however I'm on the other side of the world now.
I find that my phone an HTC Touch HD has developed a big black hole and seems to have reverted back to the dark ages, in that even though it has a massive storage card installed, I can't easily save maps to it and use the built in GPS on the move, even though I can view Google maps via the WiFi here. Crazy!
Maybe my next phone will be a Nokia as it seems they are taking smartphones to a new level with their free Ovi map offering!
Can I politely ask you to rephrase the question?
Do you want a download-maps-as-you-go service like Bing / Google or a maps-saved-on-the-storage-card application like iGo? If it's either of those, what's wrong with either of those?
Go? Please enlighten me! Nothing seem to come up on a search of Google from here. Is it free? Is it easy to get working with the built in GPS - I've downloaded some maps of Vietnam that displayed fine (eventually) but the gps refused to play ball..
Google maps is wonderful IF you have a connection. Here in Vietnam, in the city with all the free WiFi around it's fine but as soon as I'm moving around, I'd rather not be paying for that data connection. And Google maps soon lets you know it hasn't got one!
So yes, stored on the card is the easiest and to me the best option. I'm not bothered about GPS navigation software, I just need a stored local map ( a storable google type map would be great) and the gps will tell me where I am on it! I can usually work it out under my own steam where I want to go to from there.
Thanks
Shopsavvy is a phenomenal app and they've acquired a barcode tech company to increase the apps depth. Then I tried barcode scanner and it blew my mind that its even considered on the same level as shopsavvy. Now tools shopper is here, I prefer Google's apps but haven't tried this one much. Can anyone that's come from shopsavvy to google shopper say whether google stacks up? Thanks
And yes I used the search function but I'm on my nexus so when I press search, the box and keyboard comes up and oas soon as I press a letter the box and keyboard disappear. I'm not sure why I bothered to describe that because it happened with my mytouch 3g and I believe my g1 as well so I'm assuming it happens to everyone with these phones....
It feels like a mashup of Barcode Scanner and Google Goggles.
Try it out.
And this one's a step ahead of Goggles.
Keeps analyzing whatever's in the viewport, for a lock on logos,
barcodes, CD/DVD or book covers. No need to snap a photo.
Not to mention that Shopper's much, much, much faster than Shopsavvy. Downside is that it seems to only take DVDs, games and books, and the results it pulls are severely limited.
OK thanks. I did try shopper out a few times but couldn't get it to find anything so I thought I'd ask around. Seems like if I want just one barcode scanner shopsavvy is still definitely the best...I personally really would prefer using Google's apps so hopefully google places, Google scoreboard, and now google shopper step up their games.
Not liking that Shopper doesn't show me local retailers like Shopsavvy, Although Shopsavvy is rather inaccurate many times for prices at my store.. where do they get pricing info from? Seems like theyuse online pricing, which for walmart is different than instore price
"We've made some improvements to Bing. To continue using the Bing app, you must update now."
That's the message that people have been getting since mid July when they try to use live search or the classic version of the Bing app.
Has anyone found a way to disable the update check feature? Once that message popsup, Bing becomes unusable.
The new version of Bing, while giving Navigation, takes away several nice features, like being able to save to contacts, search by movie theatre, view gas prices and more.
Classic or old version = before 5.x releases
I missed the ability to search for the gas prices. Sure, bing is a nice feature when searching for things, but it sucks as a stand alone app when your looking for LOCATION SPECIFIC things.
The only resolution I can think of is to find what site it gets the gas prices/ movie listings from and make a sub-bing app that only has those things.
Well for a really annoying work around you can enable airplane mode before you open Bing, then disable it after it is open. Works till next opening.
Problem still here. Microsoft still has no response:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com...e/thread/8bb5eed8-2ab6-4233-a5c6-4c9c4326a11e
Hi,
I need some way of getting public transit routes from Google Maps. There used to be a bunch of apps that supported this (gMaps, PublicTransit, PublicTransport), but lately it seems that they've all been pulled off the Marketplace for some reason. And trying to access Google Maps directly using IE, fails as well.
Would appreciate any help; my phone is pretty much useless for me without this.
Thanks.
Read: http://strakh.com/
If you put the phone's browser in "Desktop" mode, it may be possible to use the Google site. It'll be... awkward, though. Similarly, Bing Maps (the website, but not the built-in app for some reason) also offers directions by transit, and with a bit of effort can be accessed using the phone's browser.
If you just want to look up routes and route planners, that information is probably available from the transit agency directly. If you want a bus-stop finder and arrival time info, use the OneBusAway app (or site, but the app is very well-made).
When I saw that Google had a new version of maps available last night I was really excited. However, that excitement died down really fast when I saw how much they'd stripped from it. Just read the 1- and 2-star rating comments that this app is now getting on Google Play if you don't take my word for it.
Here's just some of the big disappointments:
- No more Google Latitude, though in fairness this isn't really a problem with Maps per se, because Google is SHUTTING DOWN Latitude on August 9th. They want us to use Google+ and its Locations feature as a replacement, but Locations is mere toy compared to what Latitude was able to do. It's a sad joke. To make matters worse, the location sharing feature of Google+ only works if the app is a SYSTEM APP. If your phone didn't come with it and you initially installed Google+ from the Play Store, Locations WILL NOT WORK. You must have a rooted phone on which you can assign Google+ to a system app using a tool such as Titanium Backup.
- No more Labs functions. One of the features I used to adore on my S4 was the "Larger Text" lab. This worked great on phones with 1080p screens, as the native text was just too small. The new maps app has small text, especially on a 1080p screen.
- No access to "My Maps". I read somewhere that this will be restored IN THE FUTURE, but until then you won't have access to your custom routes and maps if you upgrade to 7.0.
- No more zoom buttons on the map, though it is apparently possible to double-tap, and the swipe up or down to change the zoom. However, this still isn't as convenient under some circumstances.
- No more scale on the map. Okay, not everyone used this, but I liked knowing how far 1 km (or 1 mile) was on the map at the current zoom level.
- The Pegman in Streetview is gone and overall this feature seems less usable than it was before.
- Offline maps are still available, but they've been hidden. It's rather like an Easter Egg now, in that you must type (or say) "OK Maps" to get it to cache what you are zoomed in on at the time. However, it doesn't store as large an area as before and there is NO WAY to list or administer your cached local maps.
- Many people have reported that Navigation is now quite buggy, though I haven't had a chance to try it myself.
- You can no longer create navigation shortcuts and no Navigation icon appears on your phone. To use Navigation you must start Maps first and go through that.
- No more Terrain layer.
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So, if you are curious about trying Maps 7.0, then I strongly recommend that you backup your copy of the older maps first (if you have Titanium Backup or another apps for backing up your apps). Failing that, Google has made the old version available for downloading, if you can find it.
If you have Titanium Backup, use it to remove Maps from Play Store list so that it won't keep popping up as an update. You might accidentally install it.
Double tap, hold and swipe over the screen to zoom with one finger. Worked in maps 6.x and still works with maps 7.
To get access to your places, you just have to simply press the icon on the right side of the search bar, and there they are.
neluba said:
Double tap, hold and swipe over the screen to zoom with one finger. Worked in maps 6.x and still works with maps 7.
To get access to your places, you just have to simply press the icon on the right side of the search bar, and there they are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was not aware of the double-tap shortcut for zoom, but I tried it and it certainly does work. I edited the original post to reflect this.
However, I think you might have misunderstood what I meant concerning the second issue. I'm not so much interest in "My Places", but the sub-category of that called "My Maps". These are custom routes and maps you can create with the desktop version of Maps and they were loadable on Maps for Android prior to version 7.0. I double-checked to make sure they weren't there on 7.0, and they definitely aren't. I edited the original post to say just "My Maps" to clarify this point.
You can still launch navigation by voice, but it opens maps then navigation. What I'm not liking about this is that I often launch navigation by voice and like being able to change my route and check off avoid tolls and/or highways. This now has to be done from maps before launching navigation. A bit inconvenient.
Steve Punter said:
- You can no longer create navigation shortcuts and no Navigation icon appears on your phone.
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Click to collapse
I still have a separate Navigation icon? Takes me right to the 'choose destination' screen in Navigation...?
Sent from my LG-LS970 using xda premium
Another thing to note which is now missing (I believe) is the separate "Car Mode" Maps display.
This was a quasi 3d display, similar to the old all-in-one GPS units, that followed the car movement from behind. This used to pop up automatically when my 'car mode' was activated. This mode would not screen time-out. Now it just pops up with the standard maps display, which will time-out and not follow along/scroll with your car position.
The offline maps feature has been added back in a small update. Still not done right, but it's at least accessible and not an easter egg.
I think latitude's features are supposed to be rolled into G+ before latitude itself is shut down.
Hadn't heard about the rest, but several sound like serious leaps backwards.
Well that's 3 google apps I'm leaving old versions now, all within the last few months I had to stop applying updates, I gave it a try and I agree, it sucks
Maps, GMail, and Talk.
I'm so disappointed in Google lately, nothing good has come out of their updates. I bought in to their infrastructure and now they're just ****ing around with me as they please. I wish they had a competitor worth a damn (Bing's worse imo).
Fire their new UI guys and let engineers develop apps again, sick of this design first philosophy that doesn't work.
what's remained ???
i will update and see what happens
waylo said:
Another thing to note which is now missing (I believe) is the separate "Car Mode" Maps display.
This was a quasi 3d display, similar to the old all-in-one GPS units, that followed the car movement from behind. This used to pop up automatically when my 'car mode' was activated. This mode would not screen time-out. Now it just pops up with the standard maps display, which will time-out and not follow along/scroll with your car position.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is mainly what I use Google Maps for in my car, had to downgrade to 6.x to get this back
I used Latitude a lot... now I have to use a separate (broken) app to see my latitude contacts? Shouldn't that be in the MAPS program?
Double tab to zoom,, it works to my phone in this last maps..:good::good:
Everyone talking about the update but how come I still can't get it!!! I'm on ICS 4.0.4 ...usa
Sent from my C5170 using xda premium
I also have the difficulty to see the tiny street name on the map. Why won't Google make the font size user adjustable.
I probably have to keep using the old version of Google maps unless a larger text is allowed.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Steve Punter said:
I was not aware of the double-tap shortcut for zoom, but I tried it and it certainly does work. I edited the original post to reflect this.
However, I think you might have misunderstood what I meant concerning the second issue. I'm not so much interest in "My Places", but the sub-category of that called "My Maps". These are custom routes and maps you can create with the desktop version of Maps and they were loadable on Maps for Android prior to version 7.0. I double-checked to make sure they weren't there on 7.0, and they definitely aren't. I edited the original post to say just "My Maps" to clarify this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just installed version 7 and no ``My Places``, how do we downgrade to the old version?
Downgrade?
raczyk said:
Just installed version 7 and no ``My Places``, how do we downgrade to the old version?
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Click to collapse
I concur but don't know how to do that. I want the old version back. Anyone?
Thanks