By Google have announced at their Maps event that offline maps will now be graduating Labs, and with the drop of its beta status, new functionality will be introduced. Whereas before you could cache data for areas depending on a route, Google Maps will now let you download an entire area to your phone for long-term use.
While being able to download a full map of any given country would be more ideal, this is better than nothing and it could be a potential first step into something just like that.
It was crucial for Google to introduce something as compelling as this with Apple hot on their heels with what is believed to be a maps-filled WWDC. In any case, some of Google’s cards are now on the table and Apple will need to respond with a strong hand in five days’ time.
Dis-A-Pointed it was no live blog HERE! android central! the verge! i had to go to frickin engadget!! FAIL!!!!
Finally . Nokia maps have been doing this for over 7 years. But finally available to me on android.
I don’t think they are graduating the feature from labs as this looks completely different than the caching feature.
This would be great. I use Navdroyd, which is an offline sat-nav app which lets me download maps from Open Street Maps, and then I can use it as a GPS without getting a single charge for data. I hope Google does something like this with their offline maps.
I honestly can’t see Apple coming out with anything that compares. I am not trying to be biased here but google has been collecting map data for years! Unless Apple somehow licensed the streetview imagery, place data, and satellite imaging, I can’t see how they could make something that would be comparable without google.
These are awesome features. Hopefully Apple announces something awesome next week. The more awesome stuff we get the better!
Truthfully, I was a little disappointed. The features are great, but none of them are “ready,” instead we have “soon.” I imagine Apple is going to reveal “ready” products at their WWDC next week, and Google trying to upstage them unveiled “soon” products. This would have been a nice slap to Apple had the features actually been released with the presentation today.
Apple will not be releasing their maps until ios 6 comes out along side the Iphone5 which is predicted to be early Fall. So their’s will be a soon announcement as well
Surely being about to cache a route would be of more use to many than caching an area? Any news on this?