Google Maps

Apple Maps vs Google Maps: A Side by Side iPhone Comparison

We’ve talked plenty about the flaws inherent in Apple Maps, and where it differs from Google Maps on paper. But how wide is the disparity between the two in actuality? We stacked two iPhone 4Ses side-by-side (one running iOS 5, one running iOS 6, both on wi-fi with GPS on), and let the two mapping…

Garmin Navigon: An App To Dry Your iOS 6 Navigation Tears

Apple’s Maps app is horrifying—in its apocalyptic world, the Statue of Liberty is no more, the Brooklyn Bridge is blown out, and everything is awful. Desperately searching for an alternative? Conveniently enough, Garmin has getting ready to release a huge update to its iOS navigation app, Navigon. https://gizmodo.com/apples-new-3d-maps-are-an-apocalyptic-horror-show-5944672 What does it do? It gets you…

Apple’s New 3D Maps Are an Apocalyptic Horror Show

The move from Google Maps to Apple’s homespun cartography in iOS 6 has been a sticking point for people, largely because it’s the turd in a very ornate punch bowl. And while Apple’s fancy 3D maps were supposed to tide us over until the rest of Maps got better, they seem to be having their…

Should You Keep Your Old iPhone on iOS 5 for Google Maps?

We’ve seen the differences between Apple Maps and Google Maps before. We know that Apple Maps, as pretty as they may be, is not as data intensive nor does it have the public transit directions of Google Maps. So if you’re not getting the iPhone 5, should you not upgrade to iOS 6 also? Because…

Why Apple Might Have a Hard Time Keeping Up With Google Maps

You know Google’s Street View cars? You probably thought they were just gathering photos and route data, right? Well it turns out there’s more. Under the hood of Google maps is the Ground Truth Project: an automated, artificial intelligence system which scans and interprets those streetview shots for relevant information and then integrates it into…

The Amazing Infinite Atlas Will Kind of Maybe Help You Understand Where Things Happened in Infinite Jest

So you finally finished Infinite Jest. Wait, you haven’t? Well consider this an incentive1; the Infinite Atlas, with the help of Google Maps, will let you discover and explore the seemingly endless locales of the novel. The wealth of information the Infinite Atlas provides is staggering. It indexes locations of note not only in Boston,…

The Secret Inner Workings of Google Maps

Beneath every Google map is a goldmine of data that’s hidden from the user; a series of logical statements about places and highways that help provide correct directions, can tell you when traffic’s bad, and generally makes the service so much more useful than a paper counterpart. The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal was lucky enough to…

Do You Wear Headphones When You Ride Your Bike

Google Maps on Android has a new feature that will give you turn-by-turn directions when you’re riding a bike. But here’s the thing: unless you have a phone with the loudest speaker ever, you have to wear headphones. That sounds very unsafe! Our own Chris Mascari said he wears headphones when he rides a bike,…

Here’s All the Tropical Storm Isaac Emergency Info You Need, Courtesy of Google

At this point, it’s impossible to know exactly what path Tropical Storm Isaac is going to take or how much damage it’ll do. But Google’s crisis team went ahead and made an indispensable map to help those who might be in harm’s way. Here’s where to get all of the information you need in one…

130 US cities just got live traffic information in Google Maps. So much for mystery. [TechCrunch]

Old Maps Layered on Google Maps: Where Were You in High School Geography?

Over the course of history, territories have been redrawn, new places have been discovered, and countries have been named and renamed. But what does Indonesia, for instance, look like now compared to what it was in 1801? The David Rumsey historical map collection gives you that perspective, by layering old maps over the current view…

Google street view is now available for NASA Kennedy Space Center

We promise today isn’t going to be all about space, but this was just too cool to pass up. NASA recently unveiled Google Street view for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in recognition of the launch center’s 50th anniversary. Comprising 6,000 panoramic views of the KSC facilities, this location is Google’s largest special collection…

The Most Amazing Tour of Kennedy Space Center Is On Your Computer

In honor of the Kennedy Space Center’s 50th anniversary, the Google Maps team has just added something very cool: an all-access pass to the KSC. You can now take a Street View walk through rooms you’d never have access to without some serious security clearance. The self-guided tour includes over 6,000 high-quality panoramic images to…

Google Maps Mercifully Now Shows NYC Subway Alerts

Google wants to relieve New Yorkers of one of the Subway’s biggest annoyances: Planned service changes you didn’t know about. Now, whenever you click on a Subway station in Google Maps, the information box that pops up will display detailed service advisories like the ones the MTA posts on its website and in stations. The…

Trulia Maps Show You the Fastest Way to Get Anywhere, Now

Google Maps can tell you how long it’s going to take you to get from a specific point A to point B. But Trulia’s new commuter maps tell you how long it will take to get anywhere at all—not just to and from a specific destination. The area maps let you drop a pin on…

Why There’s No Public Transit in iOS 6—Yet

By now it is public knowledge that there will be no replacement for Google’s public transportation routes built into the Apple Maps in iOS 6. Indeed, if you’re holding an an iPhone running iOS 6 (that somebody maybe has left in a bar) and you try to plan a route from point A to point…

Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: A Side-By-Side Comparison

The biggest change—among many—in iOS 6 will undoubtedly be Apple’s new Maps app. And though its turn-by-turn directions, Flyover and oh so sweet Siri look promising, the real question is how Apple’s maps will compare to Google’s. Here’s a side by side comparison of the two, so you can see for yourself. It may have…

Google Has Its Own Fleet of Airplanes to Map the World in 3D

Talking about what goes into its improved 3D maps, Google casually mentioned today that it uses a fleet of airplanes to repeatedly fly over cities, shooting photos at 45-degrees and from directly overhead. That’s cool tech, and all, but, like, Google has its own damn fleet of airplanes. The data from the planes is combined…

Google Has Adorably Goofy 360-Degree StreetView Backpack Cameras Now (Updated)

So on top of its fleet of world-roaming StreetView cars, Google’s now got 360-degree backpack cameras to take in the world. And now you want one, too. The packs aren’t the most inconspicuous of cameras—sorta like a Ghostbuster fighting a giant green ladybug—so they’ll probably get pranked and mugged-for pretty hard. But who cares! Giant…

New Google Maps: Offline Mobile Access, Improved 3D and More

Google Maps announced it is rolling out offline maps for mobile, showed a new person-mounted Street View camera and is improving the 3D capabilities of its maps via aerial data. It’s a major overhaul, one that comes in the face of Google reportedly losing one of its biggest partners. Users can look up a map…