Technology, Google Maps | featured news

Google Maps have found their way back to the iPhone. The world's most popular online mapping system returned late Wednesday with the release of the Google Maps' iPhone app.

The search giant now has brought its all-seeing eyes — mounted for the first time on a backpack — down into the Grand Canyon, showcasing the attraction's most popular hiking trails on the South Rim and other walkways.

The furor over Apple's faulty mapping software reached the Silicon Valley company's highest echelons Friday, prompting an apology from Chief Executive Tim Cook and opening the way for rival Google to capitalize on the misstep.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company is "extremely sorry" for the frustration its Maps application has caused and it's doing everything it can to make it better. In the meantime, he recommended that people use competing map applications to get around... "While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app," Cook wrote.

...Apple released an update to its iPhone and iPad operating system on Wednesday that replaces Google Maps with Apple's own application. Early upgraders are reporting that the new maps are less detailed, look weird and misplace landmarks... One Twitter user quipped that the lines of people queuing up to buy the iPhone 5 on Friday will be shorter, because the buyers will be misled by the new Maps.

Google has just announced an event called "The next dimension of Google Maps," where they are expected to introduce 3D maps to it s standard offering. The demo will be less than a week before WWDC2012 event at which Apple is expected to introduce its own map app, with 3D capabilities, as part of iOS 6. At the same time Google is making moves to monetize its services on all fronts, so making the value proposition for its unique offerings is crucial.

When Google included smaller Web sites in the fees it charges to incorporate its maps online, many of them rebelled.

Taking a road trip soon? You may already be using Google Maps to get directions, but starting today, the service may help you decide what to pack, too.
My Post colleague Jason Samenow reported that Google has added a weather layer to Maps, giving users the option to check the current weather, cloud patterns and forecasts for the next four days.

France's online privacy watchdog has fined Google €100,000 for unfair data collection from wireless networks through the company's Street View mapping service and localization program Latitude.

Google has added biking directions, bike lanes and bike trail data for 150 US cities to Google Maps, the online search giant announced Wednesday. The new feature helps bikers determine the best, most efficient bike routes ...