[mettleh3d]

Pretty cool version this time around, unfortunately it put on a fat 300k. Bad news for older model owners. This thread isn't like the other issue thread so I'll go ahead.

New features I've noticed:

-Buzz (not just your friends) in your area. Everyone in your vicinity as you expand can show their latest buzz. Can seem a little overwhelming and slightly impersonal as you wouldn't know these people. Neat idea but has potential to flood as more people grow aware of Buzz

-(Labs) Latitude proximity puts on a "miles from you" and compass direction on your Latitude friends.

-(Labs) scaling. Like a regular map would have for km/mi in small increments.

-Driving directions got me really excited as it looks hyper similar to my friends Droid Google Gps. Too bad its still the same thing, with just gps location + blue route and updated graphics.
-I would've liked: a header displaying upcoming directions, turn-by-turn notification; not necessarily voice assisted or route updates, but an indication of my next direction. I can't be fumbling for '#' to see the list or scroll the map while driving.

-UI improvements, but no functionality difference.


That's all I noticed so far. What do you guys think? Same ol or too much heft now?

[motoroid7]

I'm thinking about installing it back on my phone. What are people's opinions?

Google vs Bing vs BB Maps

[SLVR6]

All I use is google maps. New version is pretty cool If you want to use buzz, etc.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[motoroid7]

Installed the new version and I'm impressed.

[CharredPC]

I've been told that this new version doesn't let you rename favorites, so haven't bothered to upgrade. The old one works fine, and I'd rather not lose functionality.

In my opinion, Google Maps needs a single option to become perfect; imagine a new feature called "Cache." It would have a few settings, namely:

"Size" (500kb, 1MB, 2MB)

"Expire" (1hr, 8hr, 24hr, 1wk, Never)

"Prompts" (On, Off)

"Empty cache" (button)

"Update All" (button)

...and of course, the ability to turn the "Cache" feature on and off.

It would work simply like this- when you turn the "Cache" feature on, all the map data it loads stays on your device. How much stays and for how long is determined by the above-listed settings (Size, Expire). When you go to load a new image, it checks first on your device to see if you already have a copy, and if it's expired. If it already has it, and it isn't expired, it loads it up immediately with no waiting or data usage. If it is expired (according to the settings), it either asks you if you want to load a new copy ("Prompts" setting on) or it just overwrites it with the newer copy ("Prompts" off). The "Empty Cache" button obviously would purge all saved map data, and the "Update All" would replace all saved map data images with current copies.

How cool would that be? If you were taking a trip, you could check out the route while in a good data connection and have all the maps pre-loaded and usable, even if you have no data connection at some point in the car. If there's an area (like your town or a nearby city) that you're always looking up directions for, the loading would be instantaneous. Finally we could have a sort of convenient bridge between our phones and a full GPS device. No need to load giant outdated collections of various states we'll never go to- the saved data would be perfectly customized and limited to each user's needs.

This simple (and easy to implement) feature wouldn't just rock for users, but would be good for Google as well. Their servers wouldn't constantly have to spew the same data out for the same areas to the same phones every time they opened Google Maps. It's a win-win! Who wouldn't like this as a new feature?

[mettleh3d]

good idea. i like it. all apps should also have an empty cache button.

starred items are stored with your google account, login and set so everytime you flash your OS and login to Gmaps again you have your stars.

[sheldonbk]

Just looking for basic map functionality and integration with other apps. No clue what buzz is and can't see using it. Driving directions can't possibly be as good as a stand-alone GPS. Even when I had a subscription for the #1 GPS BB app, it pales in comparision. Also, using a BB for GPS while driving eats a ton of data, so if you're travelling outside your home area, it's an easy way to get nailed with roaming data charges.

Soooo.. can I downgrade? Are there any links to old versions around?