Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc.

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David Greene
IDS Center
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Re: Google Maps

Postby David Greene » April 25th, 2016, 11:15 am

Hilariously, street view still shows the old siding on our house. That was two years ago.

bapster2006
Foshay Tower
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Joined: November 17th, 2012, 6:53 pm

Re: Google Maps

Postby bapster2006 » April 25th, 2016, 8:21 pm

My street view is 2 1/2 years old. Me building my paver sidewalk is frozen in time.

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Tiller
Foshay Tower
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Joined: January 17th, 2015, 11:58 am

Re: Google Maps

Postby Tiller » April 25th, 2016, 8:30 pm

Google Earth Pro is apparently free now (and has been for a year). Waaay better than their browser-based mapping tools.

seanrichardryan
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Re: Google Maps

Postby seanrichardryan » April 25th, 2016, 8:44 pm

We took the cover off the water feature March 31st, it's still in the aerials.
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

grant1simons2
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Joined: February 8th, 2014, 11:33 pm
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Re: Google Maps

Postby grant1simons2 » May 3rd, 2016, 9:27 pm


Anondson
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Google Maps

Postby Anondson » June 6th, 2016, 7:17 am

Waze (owned by Google) is causing cut through wars in neighborhoods that were once quiet public streets.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tr ... ge%2Fstory

Really fascinating.

Anondson
IDS Center
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Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Google Maps

Postby Anondson » June 7th, 2016, 3:29 pm

You know, when self-driving cars match up with omniscient redirecting, we might really have a damn good reason to get residential neighborhood street speed limits in Minnesota reduced to 20 mph.

twincitizen
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Re: Google Maps

Postby twincitizen » June 7th, 2016, 5:01 pm

Very good in-depth look at the differences between Google maps and Apple maps: http://www.justinobeirne.com/essay/cart ... comparison

Out of curiosity, which do you iPhone users prefer? (I am assuming one can still download Google Maps from the iOS App Store)

Anondson
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Re: Google Maps

Postby Anondson » June 7th, 2016, 5:15 pm

I prefer the built in Apple Maps. It's been all I need, I never have need of turn by turn voice directions, or live social reporting of crashes and closures. And for many of the reasons in that article, I prefer the choices being made in what info is presented.

Anondson
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Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Google Maps

Postby Anondson » June 7th, 2016, 5:17 pm

Back in December, use counts found Apple Maps was 3x more popular than Google Maps on iOS.

http://bgr.com/2015/12/09/apple-maps-vs ... opularity/

A lot can be said for being a default choice that is "good enough".

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mister.shoes
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Google Maps

Postby mister.shoes » June 8th, 2016, 8:18 am

I use Apple Maps 90% of the time. I'm usually looking for routes and am less concerned with traffic. Google seems to be slightly more current than Apple for the latter. I have two major sticking points with Google Maps (on my phone):
  1. I really dislike Material Design (which is a small handicap with my job in UX design), particularly when it's shoehorned into iOS. It looks so out of place. Google's hubris and insistence upon using their Android look-and-feel on other platforms drives me mad.
  2. I can't stand Google's business model and can't get over the nagging feeling that every time I launch one of their apps, they're adding another data point in some user profile that gets sold to shitty advertisers. It's doubly frustrating because Google makes really great products—products so great, I'd be willing to pay to use them if I knew there was a modicum of privacy in doing so. Alas, no. That's not how Google works.
On my Mac(s), for whatever reason I'm more likely to Command + T and type "maps" and hit Enter to go to Google Maps than I am to Command + Space and type "maps" and hit Enter to open the built-in Apple Maps app. Weird.
The problem with being an introvert online is that no one knows you're just hanging out and listening.

billhelm
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Google Maps

Postby billhelm » June 8th, 2016, 10:18 am

use mostly Waze for commute drive for traffic conditions, etc. and google maps to look things up. Apple maps has improved, but I still find the location database to be lacking/lagging google maps.

masstrlk67
City Center
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Joined: December 23rd, 2014, 2:52 pm
Location: Northeast Minneapolis

Re: Google Maps

Postby masstrlk67 » July 8th, 2016, 9:38 am

Interesting article about Apple's progress with transit maps and directions. I wonder when we'll see them include the Twin Cities. Tying back into the earlier discussion, transit directions is one of the reasons why I have been sticking with Google Maps.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/07/ ... -so-slowly

LakeCharles
Foshay Tower
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Re: Google Maps

Postby LakeCharles » July 8th, 2016, 10:14 am

Speaking of transit directions, does anyone know a place to look for directions combining bike and bus? I can look them up separately, and try to figure out some combination of routes that would be quick, but it'd be awesome just to be able enter two addresses and have it say: bike 1 mile, then take Bus A 2 miles, bike 1.5 miles, take the light rail 2 miles, then bike .5 miles to your destination. But Metro Transit and Google would never give me those directions as they assume I am walking so I could never make the transfer times.

masstrlk67
City Center
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Location: Northeast Minneapolis

Re: Google Maps

Postby masstrlk67 » July 8th, 2016, 10:50 am

There's one called Nimbler, but it's only available in a handful of cities. I've never used it so I can't vouch for whether it's any good.

http://www.nimbler.com/

intercomnut
Rice Park
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Re: Google Maps

Postby intercomnut » July 8th, 2016, 11:13 am

Speaking of transit directions, does anyone know a place to look for directions combining bike and bus? I can look them up separately, and try to figure out some combination of routes that would be quick, but it'd be awesome just to be able enter two addresses and have it say: bike 1 mile, then take Bus A 2 miles, bike 1.5 miles, take the light rail 2 miles, then bike .5 miles to your destination. But Metro Transit and Google would never give me those directions as they assume I am walking so I could never make the transfer times.
It's not around yet, but that feature is planned for Phase 3 of Metro Transit's app, which is supposed to be ready this winter.

grant1simons2
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Re: Google Maps

Postby grant1simons2 » November 11th, 2016, 2:37 pm


grant1simons2
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Re: Google Maps

Postby grant1simons2 » December 15th, 2016, 10:22 am

Oh my gosh there's November street view now! There are so many new things that I didn't even know opened! A hat store in HenCen, a new retail tenant (Inspire: Urban Gifts) in LPM, etc.

bapster2006
Foshay Tower
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Re: Google Maps

Postby bapster2006 » December 15th, 2016, 10:37 am

Funny that on my mobile phone view they are already showing the Ritz block under construction on most streets but then on Nicollet Mall the view must be at least four years old because they don't even have Nic on 5th. It's a step back in time.

grant1simons2
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Location: Marcy-Holmes

Re: Google Maps

Postby grant1simons2 » December 15th, 2016, 10:47 am

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