Amazon, Microsoft Look for Data Role in Self-Driving Cars With Here: Report

Amazon.com and Microsoft are in talks to supply cloud computing to digital mapping business Here, owned by a group of German carmakers developing self-driving cars, sources familiar with the matter said.

Amazon is also considering becoming a shareholder in Here, two sources said.

Last year, carmakers BMW, Audi and Mercedes struck a EUR 2.5 billion ($2.85 billion or roughly Rs. 18,928 crores) deal to buy Nokia’s Here maps business.

Intelligent mapping systems supply information to control self-driving cars, which are equipped with street-scanning sensors to measure traffic and road conditions. This location data can in turn be shared with other map users.

“Amazon would take a stake as part of a broader deal to lock them in as a provider of cloud computing services,” one source familiar with the talks said.

“Microsoft is also interested in closer ties to Here,” another source familiar with the talks said.

Microsoft declined to comment. Amazon did not respond to requests to comment.

Audi, the premium brand owned by Volkswagen, Daimler – the parent company of Mercedes-Benz – and BMW declined to comment on talks with potential new partners.

The consortium needs cloud computing providers to manage the mountains of data collected from sensors on thousands of Mercedes, BMW and Audi cars. These digital maps allow cars to avoid traffic jams or hazards such as ice.

“The new owners Audi, Daimler and BMW have said from the start that they are open for new partners to join,” BMW said in a statement. “We have noticed that there is lots of interest not only from potential partners from within the automotive industry, but also from other sectors.”

The consortium has started negotiations with potential new partners, including both rival carmakers and potential technology suppliers.

Having more carmakers on board will spread the cost of investments required to develop the digital mapping business, and could improve the volume of data about traffic information being fed into the map database from vehicles on the road.

Renault and automotive supplier Continental have both expressed interest.

Continental said on Thursday a decision on whether to buy a stake in Here would be made within the next few months.

Ford is also among the companies interested in taking a stake in the Here consortium, a third auto industry source said on Thursday.

Asked whether Ford was in talks with the group about taking a stake in Here, a spokesman for the company said: “We have been and will continue working with many companies and discussing a variety of subjects.” He declined further comment.

Self-driving and connected car services could become a $50 billion (roughly Rs. 3,32,362 crores) market, analysts at Exane BNP Paribas have estimated.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Microsoft Announces ‘Exciting’ Windows 10 Update After Losing Here Maps

If you’re a Windows 10 or Windows Phone 8 user, it is understandable why you’re panicking. The news of the impending demise of your favourite Here Maps app might not be easy to handle, but fret not, Microsoft has got you covered. The Redmond-based company says that an “exciting update” is planned for the Windows 10 Maps app.

The Windows community suffered a big blow this week when Here announced that it is ditching Microsoft’s Windows 10 and Windows Phone platforms. But it appears, Microsoft plans to ramp up its mapping service to give its users something they can hold on to.

User Dave_MSFT, who is a verified Microsoft employee, took to Reddit to assure users that the Redmond giant has an “exciting update” for the Windows 10 Maps app planned for them.

Dave, who supposedly works in the Maps team at Microsoft, said that the forthcoming update to the Insider builds will bring improvements to the drive mode among other features. From his comments, “We will also be addressing other top feedback I have been collecting from you guys as well as the Windows Feedback app in this update and in updates to come.”

“We are exploring options around the arrow on the location marker (compass). Being able to search along the route is a great suggestion that I will bring back to the team. I will take your other feedback to the team as well! For speeding notifications, check your settings, we only alert you if you have the audible alert enabled and are over a threshold that you set.”

Here announced on Tuesday that it will be pulling the app from the Windows 10 Store on March 29, 2016. The app will be completely disabled after June 30, 2016. Additionally, the company said that it will also limit the development of the apps for Windows Phone 8 to critical bug fixes.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Here Maps Ditches Microsoft’s Windows 10, Windows Phone Platforms

Here just dealt a major blow to Windows Phone community. The company announced that its mapping and navigation app, Here Maps, will be pulled from the Windows 10 Store later this month. Here said it is also dropping support for its Windows Phone app.

Taking everyone by surprise, Here announced on Tuesday that it is shuttering its mapping service from Microsoft’s platforms. In a blog post, the company said that it will pull the app from the Windows 10 Store on March 29, 2016. The app will be completely disabled after June 30, 2016.

Here says it’s also limiting the development of the apps for Windows Phone 8 to critical bug fixes. In other words, Here won’t be releasing any new feature or improvements to the app.

The company said that offering Here apps on Windows 10 would have required them to develop the app from the scratch, something that is not feasible for them. And this led them to the business decision to remove the app from the Windows 10 store.

To recall, Here was once exclusively available on Nokia (and Microsoft) platforms. But things changed when the mapping and navigation division was not acquired by Microsoft in its multi-billion dollar agreement with Nokia in 2014.

Since the acquisition, Here launched its apps on Android and iOS mobile operating systems. The service is also available for select smartwatches by Samsung. Here was acquired by a consortium of German carmakers Audi, BMW, and Daimler.

In short, Here Maps is now available on more prominent platforms, and the company doesn’t have any obligation to honour Microsoft customers. And that’s a huge loss for the Windows Phone community.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Google Maps for Android Can Now Figure Out Where You’re Going

Google Maps is all set to receive its first major update in 2016 which brings several new features including Driving mode and more.

The new Google Maps for Android version 9.19 is currently not available on Google Play and can be expected to be rolled out soon. For those who can’t wait for the new features can download the apk which is signed by Google via APK Mirror.

One of the biggest highlights of the upcoming Maps update is the ‘intelligent’ Driving mode which essentially utilises the user’s location history and Web searches to provide traffic updates and ETA (estimated time of arrival). The new Driving mode feature is an optional feature in the new Maps update for Android. It can be enabled from a shortcut on the home screen and can also be turned on from the navigation drawer.

Android Police points out that Driving mode in the latest update is already plagued with a bug that actually makes it hard to switch on the feature. “Driving mode has to be enabled through some arcane set of steps on each device before it can actually be used,” writes Cody Toombs of Android Police. Google may fix the bug before making the new app available to all users, and so a gradual rollout could be expected.

The new Maps for Android update (version 9.19) also brings the on-screen toggle for turning on or off the turn-by-turn voice assistance. Previously, the toggle for audio was shifted to overflow menu making it harder for users to turn on or off the option while driving.

The Google Maps interface has also received minor tweaks with the Manage location settings option been switched for Timeline settings. The new setting allows users to control what the users see and restrict data usage. Some of the other additions include to option to see images from Google Photos or switch on the search option to correct an inaccurately feed location.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Google Maps Now Available Offline in India With Turn-by-Turn Navigation

Google India on Wednesday announced that its Maps app will be available offline with features such as voice-based turn-by-turn navigation while in offline mode.

At Google I/O 2015, the company had revealed plans to bring offline search to its Maps app and had stressed it was aimed mainly for “emerging markets” where Internet connection was spotty, and data charges were expensive, as navigation via GPS was independent of mobile networks.

The launch of offline Maps in India comes just days after Google officially introduced the feature on Android. While offline Maps were available previously on the app, features including offline navigation and search features are some of the additions. Another notable feature is the information about specific locations such as hours of operation, contact information, as well as ratings which will also be accessible offline.

For using an offline map, users will need to download the map of an area on the device, and it will continue to work when there’s no connectivity. Once an area has been saved for offline access, users can also enable turn-by-turn driving directions as well as search for specific destinations even when there is no Internet connection.

The company explains that when a connection is found, Maps will switch to online automatically and will allow users to access the full version of the app such as live traffic conditions for the current route. It’s worth noting that Google Maps will only download offline areas on the device when on a Wi-Fi connection.

Announcing the offline features for Maps, Sanket Gupta, Program Manager, Google Maps, in a blog post said that the latest version of Maps on Android, which is now available to download, comes with new offline features. He added that the offline features will soon arrive for iOS users in India. Adding further, Gupta said that the company will be adding more offline features in the future.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Google Apps and Services Start Getting Redesigned Logo, Icons

Google late on Tuesday unveiled its new logo and brand identity that carries the essence of its evolved form from a search offering to an ubiquitous presence on a variety of devices. The new logo’s sans-serif typeface matches that of Google’s new holding company, Alphabet, while the company is bringing the same four-colour designs to other logos and branding across its products and services. Starting with Search on desktop, the company has now started rolling out app updates with the new logo and icons, apart from refreshed logos and branding in Web services.

Detailing the new design language in a blog post, the search giant said, “Last year we introduced Material Design to help designers and developers embrace an expanding, multi-device, multi-screen world. With those considerations in mind, we are excited to share a new brand identity that aims to make Google more accessible and useful to our users-wherever they may encounter it.” It added most of the changes revolve around the new sans-serif Google Logotype, as well as the four-colour Dots and Google G.

With apps, Google Search, Google Now, Google Maps, and Google+ are among the first apps that have started receiving redesigned elements bringing in the new logotype, four-colour tone, and the new Google G icon.

In a separate blog post on Tuesday, the company announced that the new visual language for Google logo, icon, and animated dots will now be visible on the search on mobile web and Google app. The search results page has also been updated, with content such as images, videos, and news stories among others now accessible by swiping and tapping. On Android devices, the Google Search (aka Google app) app now features the four-colour mic icon on the right in the search bar, and the new ‘G’ icon on the left, which takes users to a new home page. The blog post notes that when there’s doodle, it will appear on top of the home page. The new Google app update bumps the version to 5.2.33 and primarily brings a new logo, icon, design language.

The Google Now cards have also received slight tweak as it will now be organised by category and as the day progresses, the cards will shift and change sizes to make the most important ones stand out.

The new Maps version, which we covered in detail on Tuesday, now includes the new Maps logo as well. Apart from the new navigation UI for users, the version 9.14 of the Maps for Android brings compare option for ETAs across driving, transit, walking and cycling. The new app update also brings bug fixes. Users not seeing the updated app can sideload the Google-signed apk file (via Android Police).

Google Translate has also received an update that bumps the version to 4.3 from 4.1 and brings the new logo to the app.

As for the company’s Web services, the rebranding is visible across Google+, Gmail, Search, Calendar, Translate, Maps, News, and Drive, with the new sans-serif Google logo seen.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Google Earth Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary With New Features

Google Earth turned 10 years old on Monday, and is celebrating the occasion with new features to help you travel the world from the comfort of your personal computer. Voyager and the expanded Earth View image collection, the two major features included in the updated Google Earth, are now live and accessible to users.
Announcing the new features in a blog post, Sean Askay, Engineering Manager at Google Earth, said, “to celebrate how far Google Earth has come and our leap into the next 10 years, we’ve created a few new ways to help you better see places from around (and above) the world.”

Voyager, currently only available on the desktop version of Google Earth, gives you quick access to some of the most interesting locations around the world. The first edition of Voyager has five sections; Street View integration, Earth View, 3D cities, satellite imagery updates and the Highlight Tour.

While Street View includes major world landmarks in Street View within the Google Earth app, Earth View shows landscapes from around the world as seen from space, 3D cities shows a list of cities that have been completely rendered in 3D, satellite imagery updates shows areas which have recently been updated with new imagery, and the Highlight Tour gives you a quick tour of various Voyager locations.

Earth View is not a new feature as such, but has now been updated to include 1,500 new landscape images. The new imagery is available through the Web gallery and through a new Chrome extension.

Google Earth Pro, which was formerly a paid-subscription service, was made free in February this year. Google’s popular virtual mapping program was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was developed by a company called Keyhole Inc. The company was acquired by Google in 2004, and a year later the Mountain View, California-based search giant re-released the product as Google Earth. Today, the service is available for free on Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Google Maps Now Lets You Send Directions to iPhone From Desktop

Google back in April rolled out a feature to Android users that allowed them to send directions of any location to their smartphone, right from the desktop. The company has now introduced the feature to its iOS app.
The updated Google Maps for iOS version 4.7.0 is now available to download from the App Store and majorly brings the send directions from desktop feature.

The new Google Maps feature however requires users to enable notifications on the mobile device. The option “sent from desktop apps” can be found within the notifications section of the Google Maps app for iOS.

Before sending location to the mobile device, users will have to make sure that they are signed-in to their Google account on Chrome. For pushing directions to your iPhone, you will have to type send directions in Chrome’s search bar or Google’s search homepage. Next you will find a Maps page showing a tab with your current phone’s location and the destination. Type the destination and click the Send Directions button to send it to your connected device. It’s worth noting that in case you have more than one connected device, make sure that the directions are sent to the correct connected device.

The latest Google Maps app version also brings the option to add or edit business hours for places; view reviews and photos from “Your places” profile, apart from bug fixes.

In other news, a Google Maps for Android update has begun rolling out, bumping the version to 9.10. It brings new Photo Gallery viewer, shows car rental bookings, and more.

Android Police reports about the new Maps app for Android, and also links to a Google-signed apk for users unwilling to wait for the rollout in their region. The updated app is not yet available on Google Play India. According to the report, Maps for Android will now show “multiple photos at once” while clicking on an image will open the complete gallery. Notably, the Photo Gallery option appears on the Map at places only where photos are available. The report points out that the new version uses a flowing gallery view to show images.

Additionally, the “Your places” screen has received a revamp, while the car rental bookings will appear much like other types of bookings shown by Google. The car rental bookings will show up at the location where pick-up and drop-off are scheduled. The report also adds that the Maps for Android Settings page has also received some tweaks.

Notably, Google Play in India still lists an older version of the Maps for Android with the app last updated on Monday.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Google Maps 9.9 Brings Native Maps to Android Wear; Upcoming Update Detailed

This week, with the Google Maps 9.9 update, the search engine giant has silently rolled out native Maps app for Android Wear devices, alongside translucent status bar and other features. In the meanwhile, Google also announced upcoming features of Google Maps, such as improved traffic alerts and alternate route suggestions.
The native Maps app for Android Wear devices was widely expected since last month when Google teased the feature alongside the major Android Wear update that brought Wi-Fi support to compatible watches.

Until now, Android Wear devices were able to navigate step-by-step via Maps app; though the latest version 9.9 brings support for browsing Maps. The feature is currently only available to smartwatches running Android Wear 5.1.1. Android Central reports that the Maps app now supports browsing on the Android Wear smartwatches, and adds the Maps app on the Android Wear-based smartwatch can be launched via voice command (open Maps) or app launcher. It even claims that the Maps app on the Android Wear platform comes with various features such as scroll around and pinch-to-zoom. The app on the Android Wear also shows zoom in and out buttons on top of the screen. The report however concludes after spending some time with new Maps app for the Android Wear platform that it still requires some work. It notes, “Aside from the handful of reboots of our phone and watch that were necessary just to get it to run, the app still seems rather unstable.”

Google Maps v9.9 for Android alongside brings the new translucent status bar that replaces the solid status bar, while also adding a notification card at the bottom of the screen detailing about the summary of the route.

Additionally, Google has announced a new update for the Maps that will bring new traffic alerts that will help users avoid jams. The new update will offer details about upcoming traffic conditions on entering a destination on Maps app. While on the road, users will get a heads up about any congestion in the route, and how long it can take. The Maps app will also suggest alternate routes, including giving explanations for why one is recommended. The update is not yet out, and is expected to only begin rolling out over the weekend.

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia Said to Be Exploring Sale of Here Maps Unit

Nokia is considering selling its maps business known as Here, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday, pushing up shares in the Finnish company as well as its network gear rival Alcatel-Lucent .

After the exit from handsets, analysts have seen little synergies between the map unit and Nokia’s mainstay network gear business. Nokia has hired a financial adviser to explore a sale of the unit, the source added.

Bloomberg first reported news of the sale on Friday.

A Nokia spokeswoman declined to comment.

Shares in Nokia closed 5.57 percent higher while those in France’s Alcatel-Lucent closed 4.82 percent higher. The two companies have reportedly held on and off merger talks in recent years.

Shares in Dutch navigation company TomTom surged more than 11 percent after the news broke.

“We have estimated that Here’s value is around EUR 3.3-4.8 billion, and in a possible deal the price should be more than that,” Inderes Equity Research said on its Twitter account.

Nokia sold its once-dominant phone handset business to Microsoft last year, leaving it with its core network equipment business, Here as well as its patent division.

Here last year had net sales of around EUR 969 million with an operating profit of 31 million euros. The unit has signed several orders from the car industry recently.

Nokia bought Here’s predecessor Navteq for EUR 5.7 billion in 2007. The Nokia website says Here’s maps were included in 10 million new cars sold in 2013, and that the unit’s maps also power “mobile devices, connected devices and enterprise solutions.”

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)