Google Mobile Blog

For the umpteenth time: There was never a Google Maps app on the iPhone, there was an Apple app powered by Google's data. The correct way of stating this is that Apple's iOS6 maps app is more data efficient than previous versions. As for the main reason the current app is more efficient is that it relies on vector graphics instead of image tiles, a technique Google have been using on Android for nearly 2 years: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-google-maps-50-… Another Android maps feature lets users select areas to cache offline, which I imagine saves even more data (it auto-caches frequented areas): http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/06/go-offline-with-google-maps… That feature is also worth mentioning for when Apple duplicates it and some people try to convince themselves that it was Apple's idea.

Apple did eventually reverse themselves on this, but here's the original blog post from Google about it (they originally supported iOS through Mobile Safari because of Apple's rejection). http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/07/google-latitude-now-for-iphon… > We worked closely with Apple to bring Latitude to the iPhone in a way Apple thought would be best for iPhone users. After we developed a Latitude application for the iPhone, Apple requested we release Latitude as a web application in order to avoid confusion with Maps on the iPhone, which uses Google to serve maps tiles. It took almost two years for Apple to cave.

If that's how it really worked, I'm starting to get the strong sense that no one on a Windows Phone ever actually used maps.google.com. That looks completely unusable. Considering they launched the new version over a year and a half ago[1] and there was no widespread discussion (at least reaching outside of windows phone blogs) about the pain of the "interaction" those videos show, I'm not really feeling like a lot was lost here. I would love to see a survey of Windows Phone users and how many have ever even attempted to use it. I know if I'm using a phone that can run a web browser at all, I would never even think to not use the native mapping app. Google was wrong on the principle, but was anyone actually in the forest to be harmed? In any case, everyone should think hard before the next time you feel compelled to make a joke about testing and Opera's marketshare. [1] http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/05/google-maps-on-your-mobile-br…

Google analytics: http://analyticsapp.com/ Street view: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2008/11/google-maps-for-iphone-adds-s… (since 2008) Hulu: coming as a native app (http://gizmodo.com/5506892/hulu-app-coming-to-ipad) Aviary: neat app; there are image editors on the iPhone, but I'm not familiar enough with Aviary to find something comparable. Maybe there isn't anything. Games: There are tons of games on the iPhone and iPad that don't need Flash. Command and Conquer is one of them, and Final Fantasy I and II are some of my favourites. There are also tons of independent games, like Implode, Tiki Totems, and MotionX Poker, as well as pseudo-indie games like Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle. So, are you really so averse to paying someone for their time? Nothing comes for nothing, and if you're so broke that you can't shell out a few bucks for an app that makes your life easier, you probably can't afford an iPhone either.

It's actually been around even longer, just even more inaccessible. :-) See this video from 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni4FU8D1-DU and http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/10/car-home-for-android-gets-per… It's the View Maps option. It was only enabled in Car (dock) mode and it went away along with several other features at the time of the GMM 5.0 (vector/3D) rewrite, unless you had an internal build.

So, 6 years ago, Google Goggles could solve sudoku puzzles for you from pictures. It's interesting to compare how far the interface/speed has come in 6 years if you watch the videos of how it was done then: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/01/google-goggles-gets-faster-sm… (Goggles did not do the image handling on device)

There is an automated process, even though it's very very far from perfect, called Google Bouncer http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2012/02/android-and-security.html but I doubt this kind of case could be automated.

So is Google Apps since 2009: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/google-sync-now-with-push-…

The title is a little misleading. It may be more efficient compared to the 5 years old Google Maps app on iOS, but Google Maps for Android has been vector based since December 16th, 2010, when they launched Google Maps 5.0. http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-google-maps-50-… Also don't forget Apple's Maps retrieve a lot less data than Google Maps, since they don't actually have that data. Google Maps offers a lot more information.

Hasn't google goggles been doing this for a couple years now? http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/05/translate-real-world-with-goo…

OP is extremely late to the game. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/technology/22shop.html?_r=1 http://googlemobile.blogspot.ca/2010/03/in-stock-nearby-look-for-blue-…

Haven't really aborted the idea: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2012/04/galaxy-nexus-now-on-sale-in-g…

You mean the microphone icon that's been Voice Search for a year before Apple's Siri came out? http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/08/just-speak-it-introducing-voi…

Google Maps has an experimental feature for downloading map information. I don't think it currently includes transit yet but I'm sure it will in the future. http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/07/download-map-area-added-to-la… For cities that provide the information to Google, Maps includes realtime delays and closures. http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/06/know-when-your-bus-is-late-wi…

That's been possible on Android Market since the website was launched in February: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/02/introducing-android-market-we…

Google sent a nexus one into space. Details and videos here: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/android-in-spaaaace.html Since then some people have apparently sent the same phone up on a model rocket.

They sort of do already - http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/07/faster-dialing-with-google-vo…

Looks like Google Talk is available as a web app: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2008/07/google-talk-for-iphone.html There are similar tools like Kik (which I actually like better than Google Talk), that are available for all platforms: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2008/07/google-talk-for-iphone.html

The phone galley lists Androids that offer the "Google Experience" meaning Google search and apps like Maps and Gmail: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/09/introducing-google-phone-gall…

I like this comment from the post: "[...], so Gmail updates aren’t tied to Android version releases anymore." and "The Gmail update requires Froyo (Android version 2.2),[...]" just makes absolutely NO sense. http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/09/updated-gmail-app-in-android-…

I think you're right. This seems to be what Google calls its "mobile lab": http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/12/android-dogfood-diet-for-holi…

You might be thinking about Latitude, another rejected iPhone app by Google. "Apple requested we release Latitude as a web application in order to avoid confusion with Maps on the iPhone." http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/07/google-latitude-now-for-iphon…

It stated the reason on Google's blog: > After we developed a Latitude application for the iPhone, Apple requested we release Latitude as a web application in order to avoid confusion with Maps on the iPhone, which uses Google to serve maps tiles. http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/07/google-latitude-now-for-iphon…

hmmm... what about taking the Android Maps app (http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2008/10/google-on-android-maps.html) and enhancing it to create a 3D model of a particular building?

There's two kinds of apps going on here, and I think it's pretty anecdotal for why this probably wont be as transformative as fb's social graph (it's an apples vs. oranges comparison anyway). Google always builds the engineering app not the social app like they did with wave/buzz. This WILL be useful for people who are building the examples google talks about here http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/05/do-more-with-google-latitude-… like turning off and on your lights when you get close to house etc. but as usual, google only understands the engineer and focuses too much on utility and not enough on people. There are somethings people do in fact WANT to check into (ignore the privacy issue entirely for now, just from a visceral product level), not just have automatically imported because the act of checking in is in and of itself an act of projecting identity. People who want to show what bar they are at because they are showing that they are cool want to press a button and get the reward right there of "I'm cool." Knowing that your phone is projecting that automatically wont give people the same rush as showing up at the bar and checking in.