Maps Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Daily iPad App: UpNext 3D delivers free maps

by Mel Martin (Jan 23rd, 2012)

I love maps. I've had printed atlases for years, I have globes all over the house, and I had some of the early mapping applications for the Mac like DeLorme Street Atlas. Sadly, DeLorme abandoned the Mac years ago. Suffice it to say that any new mapping application will get my attention right away. ...

Daily iPad App: GeoMaster Plus HD

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (Nov 14th, 2011)

I tried the original GeoMaster app from French mobile developer VirtuaMobile a long time ago, but the HD version is well-suited to the bigger iPad screen. GeoMaster Plus HD is a geography quizzing game. It is simple enough, flashing text on the screen and asking you to tap the appropriate ...

Apple acquires 3D mapping company C3 Technologies

by Chris Rawson (Oct 29th, 2011)

Apple has extended its mapping services to a number of mapping companies over the past few years. The company has reportedly been working on building its own solution to maps and navigation on the iPhone, beginning with its acquisition of Placebase in 2009 and continuing with a "crowd-sourced ...

Samsung supposedly uses screenshot of Apple Maps app in promo

by Kelly Hodgkins (Oct 18th, 2011)

Samsung goofed when it included a modified screenshot of the iOS maps application (above right) in one of its promotional pieces. The promotion shows a Samsung Android handset with Google Maps that unfortunately is not the Android version. It has a rounded text entry box and teardrop push pins ...

CoPilot offering good deals on its navigation apps this month

by Mel Martin (Oct 13th, 2011)

Well, how about US$2.99 for CoPilot Live Standard? It features a 2D map, with voiced turn-by-turn directions. CoPilot Live Premium adds 3D maps with lane assistance and alternate routes. It's $14.99 during the sale, which ends October 31. In both versions, maps are stored onboard and don't need ...

Find My Friends: Fun, useful and secure

by Steven Sande (Oct 12th, 2011)

With the release of iOS 5 comes another fun and useful app: Find My Friends (free). The app allows you to share your location with friends, who can then use the app on their iOS devices to figure out exactly where you are. While this may seem like a cyber-stalker's dream, you need to invite ...

On the road, and off with the Garmin USA nav app

by Mel Martin (Sep 7th, 2011)

Garmin has finally joined the ranks of GPS nav app providers that include maps on your device rather than requiring you to download them. I have tried a previous incarnation of the Garmin app on a trip to Northern Arizona, but I only saw a blue dot and no roads since I was in a place with no ...

Patent suggests augmented reality coming to Maps and Compass apps

by Chris Rawson (Aug 19th, 2011)

According to Patently Apple, a new patent application from Apple suggests the company is interested in baking augmented reality functions into the iPhone's built-in Maps and Compass apps. In one implementation suggested by the patent, users could take a picture of their surroundings and perform ...

Apple patent roundup: Pico projectors and schematic maps

by Chris Rawson (Aug 11th, 2011)

It's turning out to be a pretty big week for Apple's patent portfolio. Earlier this week the company was granted nearly 20 new patents, and it's just filed for two more eyebrow-raising patents. The first patent, described in detail at Patently Apple, covers so-called "pico" projectors that ...

iOS 5 legal disclaimer lists new third-party mapping companies

by Kelly Hodgkins (Jun 23rd, 2011)

A recent discovery in the legal disclaimer section of iOS 5 suggests Apple may be looking beyond Google Maps in future versions of the mobile OS. The legal section references a variety of mapping companies in its map data section, including CoreLogic, Getchee, Localeze and Urban Mapping. Most ...

Maps+ adds tracking and location-based alarms to Google Maps

by Samuel Gibbs (May 27th, 2011)

Maps+, a new mapping app for the iPhone and iPad, has just been released. Developed by IZE, Maps+ uses Google Maps data, meaning you must have a data connection for it to work, but it adds a couple of interesting location-based features into a customizable interface that you can't get in the ...

TomTom GPS app offers good maps, terrible interface

by Erica Sadun (May 25th, 2011)

A while back, I posted about some of my ongoing issues with iPhone navigation powerhouse Navigon, which has been my primary nav app. After that post went live, Navigon immediately contacted me to see how they could improve their product, asking for specific details of the intersections where ...

Google updates Maps for mobile browsers

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (May 20th, 2011)

Google has updated Google Maps for iOS and Android mobile browsers, adding features that those who use Google Maps for iOS or on a desktop have had for awhile. These features include the ability to view your current location, suggestible search and auto completion; clickable icons; directions ...

Plunderland, Death Rally, Bunny the Zombie Slayer get iOS updates

by Mike Schramm (May 10th, 2011)

Three great iOS games got big updates this week. First up, the excellent and popular pirate simulator Plunderland got a whole new campaign to play through with new graphics, new sounds, new enemies to fight and new weapons to play with. The app is US$2.99, and it's well worth the purchase -- ...

Apple looking to hire "iOS Maps Application Developer"

by Michael Grothaus (May 4th, 2011)

Apple has posted a new job opening for an iOS Maps Application Developer. Last December, Apple posted a job opening stating it was looking for someone who had "experience developing navigation software," but this is the first time Apple has explicitly stated it's looking for a Maps ...