6 ms·

Here for Android beta

56 points by __Joker 12y ago

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
whacker 12y ago
free offline maps on android! This takes away one of the big unique things Windows Phone had going for it.
- Doctor_Fegg 12y ago
  There are plenty of free offline maps on Android. This is just Here arriving late to a party started by OpenStreetMap.
  - sz4kerto 12y ago
    I have tried many of them (the most popular ones at least), and I found HERE to be way better -- not because of the map data itself, but the look and feel of the app and also the quality of navigation is better than the rest (imho). I tend to use it instead of Google Maps as well. Re. Windows Phone: I think that if a cross-platform service gains foothold (on Android) then it's good for WP. If GMaps is the de facto mapping solution (as it is more or less), then GMaps not being present on WP is a deterring factor.
    - lucb1e 12y ago
      True, OsmAnd is not very user friendly, but I've used it for over a year now and I can't go back to anything else. Its user interface problem is just that it's so packed with features... but once I get used to them I don't want back.
    - bad_user 12y ago
      For a polished app that uses OpenStreetMaps, check out this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.forevermapng https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.f...
- buro9 12y ago
  The OsmAnd Android app has had that for ages using OpenStreetMaps.
jarnix 12y ago
What if Google does it? (reference to http://wigdi.aws.af.cm/ http://wigdi.aws.af.cm/ )
- lnanek2 12y ago
  In this case Google Maps has been steadily getting worse, so no worries. It feels like every month they remove features and make things take more clicks or require mystery meat navigation. It took me 15 minutes the other day to figure out how to get the list of directions back in navigation mode. You have to tap some unlabeled header. I'm sure that feature is headed for the cutting room floor eventually too even though personally I have no use for step by step navigation and just need to see the list of turns and I'm fine.
  - swartkrans 12y ago
    > In this case Google Maps has been steadily getting worse, so no worries. Whether the UI changes are worse is a subjective claim, but the data Google has has not gotten worse. I've found all the alternative mapping solutions (Here, Bing, OpenStreet, and Apple maps) to be inferior when it comes to data quality which is the more important factor, unless you think getting directed through non-existing streets is a small concern. I'm not a Google fan, I've given up a lot of Google, but I can't quit maps or google search, although I use ddg quite a bit. Google has the most reliable map data, there is no competition and no good alternative.
    - vetinari 12y ago
      The UI definitely got worse. About two weeks ago I was unable to switch to Street View in the android app. It simply wasn't accessible through dropping the pin, as it was in the past. When Google's flagship app on their own platform forces me to find computer and use the web version, something is seriously wrong.
      - swartkrans 12y ago
        > About two weeks ago I was unable to switch to Street View in the android app. It simply wasn't accessible through dropping the pin, as it was in the past. The first thing you should have seen after updating and adding an address is a message telling you to pull up to get more detail. It took me 2 seconds to figure out how to get street view in the new UI. So as I said subjective.
joezydeco 12y ago
HERE is the new(ish) name of NAVTEQ, before Nokia purchased them. They've been in the map business for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navteq http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navteq
y0ghur7_xxx 12y ago
OpenStreetMap has such a level of detail (at least in Europe) that I can completely relay on it for my trips. I went on a drive from Italy to Holland a month ago using MapFactor Navigatior with OpenStreetMap maps, and I was really surprised how good it worked. It even had POIs for the toilets on the highway! Amsterdam was mapped really well as well, with house numbers and everything. And it was completely offline (even the routing algorithm) and free.
- vetinari 12y ago
  Depends on the place. In some places, the OSM is better than most commercial providers (e.g. Balkan in Europe), in others it is good enough. In Thailand, I got around by using OSM maps; I didn't have neither commercial maps nor connectivity, co I couldn't compare it to other maps.
- Brakenshire 12y ago
  It's just a pity the apps aren't quite there on Android. I find MapFactor Navigator to be clunky and outright confusing, Telenav Scout is only available in the US, Skobbler seems to have been withdrawn (at least, it's not accessible in the UK Play Store), and OSMAnd is great for what it is, but has no traffic information, and is a bit guileless in selecting a route - certainly enough so it's not sensible to trust it for long journeys.
  - lucb1e 12y ago
    From my experience OsmAnd routes equally well or better than other applications. I've only once caught it giving me suboptimal directions, our old TomTom has a much longer history of weird moves. Google Maps seems to do as well as OsmAnd, though I hardly ever use it.
  - bad_user 12y ago
    Skobbler has been acquired by Telenav and they have been releasing updates to their apps. I'm surprised you're saying they have been withdrawn, as I got this app on all of my Androids: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.forevermapng https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.f... I personally love it - it's cheap, it's polished and it works.
mmahemoff 12y ago
Strange this is an APK download, requiring users to reduce their security settings and download+install manually. A better way since mid-2013 is to make use of Android's alpha/beta/staged rollout setup. Ratings of beta users don't count towards the official rating if that's what they're worried about. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/3131213?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...
- fulafel 12y ago
  People don't know how opt in to beta.(I still don't after reading that page). Also requiring Google Play excludes open source android users, users on devices without Google $$$ licenses, and users who decline to link their device to a Google account.
  - mmahemoff 12y ago
    That page is for developers, not users. Opting into beta for an app is pretty straightforward - users just need to join a beta community/group and click on a link to opt in. (I run a beta community and users haven't had any practical problems to my knowledge.) Your points about open source Android etc are valid, though note that the beta channel will auto-update on each update (if user has auto-update app settings), whereas sideloaders will have to manually update it all the time. If you're releasing fast and frequent, it's unlikely testers will want to go through the manual install process on each release. Anyway it's not mutually exclusive; you can distribute an APK as well as use the official alpha/beta rollouts. Having heard demand for Kindle usage, we sometimes post APKs in our beta community as an attachment to posts announcing a new build. So sideloaders can directly install the APK while Play users get an alert about what's incoming to their device.
- snuxoll 12y ago
  > reduce their security settings I don't get how enabling side-loading is "reducing" security. Regardless of whether an APK comes from the play store or not the system still presents you with the permissions dialog and the apps still run sandboxed.
simonmales 12y ago
I've used HERE on FirefoxOS and was impressed for a HTML5 application working relatively well on an under powered smartish phone. Majority of the work the HERE guys do is behind the scenes magic for car manufactures, they are just attempting to crack the consumer market. I met a couple of the HERE guys in Berlin, they seem quite humble and want to play a bigger part in the mapping community whilst keeping existing clients happy. Also to note, OsmAnd is awesome and have just traveled eastern and western Europe extensively with it.
enlightenedfool 12y ago
Why does this need read permission for my contacts?
- onestone 12y ago
  Because of the Glympse integration, I suppose.
  - enlightenedfool 12y ago
    Ah, I see. I hope it won't crash with my Privacy Guard blocking contacts. Offline maps is a win!
    - lucb1e 12y ago
      > Offline maps is a win! If you care about privacy and offline maps, OsmAnd is the way to go. Open source software and offline maps.
swrobel 12y ago
Why not use built-in Android TTS functionality?
- edent 12y ago
  Personally, I find the Nokia TTS much better (UK English, if that makes a difference).
jokoon 12y ago
finally!... I bought a 60 euro, 4 inch android smartphone without a data plan on it, and I already tried to download a OSM export to just browse it on my computer, without any luck. I thought I could export tiles and browse them as a html file on my phone, but I did not manage to do it. On google map on the nexus 7 I managed to select a portion of an area and download it, but I could do it again on my huawei Y330. I could not make it work offline.
- lucb1e 12y ago
  > tried to download a OSM export > export tiles and browse them as a html file Huh no you're thinking way too difficult, just download the OsmAnd app. I'm afraid it needs a few gigabytes of storage though, at least in Europe the map is very detailed.
  - jokoon 12y ago
    even for a single city ?
    - lucb1e 12y ago
      They offer regions as default downloads, but it's all open source and open data, so if you want you can export a single city and use it in the app. It is quite a bit more work than just downloading regions (or small-ish countries like the Netherlands) though. See OsmAndMapCreator if you want to do this for the OsmAnd app.
- maxerickson 12y ago
  There's a whole ecosystem of tools for dropping tiles on a device. This is a tool for creating them, but it has a handy list of devices where you can use them: http://mobac.sourceforge.net/ http://mobac.sourceforge.net/ There are also quite some Android apps that give you offline vector maps.
mslot 12y ago
Interesting move. HERE Drive+ on Windows Phone is better than any Android alternative as a navigation system. It just works and has a seamless offline experience. It is (used to be?) one of the main reasons to own a Windows phone.
Splendor 12y ago
Why does this require me to sign up with my name and date of birth to use the offline functionality?
- abrowne 12y ago
  I wondered that too, and then I deleted the app (Moto E with small internal storage). I'll still try the final version, but this is a turn off.
drey08 12y ago
Well, I can't seem to download this from my Android because it keeps wanting to use the web app instead. So much for that..
- Rezo 12y ago
  If using Chrome on Android, open the "..." menu, pick "Request desktop site". Worked for me.
Rezo 12y ago
Nice! 4,970 MB to download the entire map of the USA for offline use, or you can just download individual states. Unlike Google maps, there's full offline routing and search as well. The transit overlay for pedestrians looks great with realtime tables for the stops.
jmspring 12y ago
Here originally was the branding for the Nokia suite of Navigation Apps on Windows Phone. I've been using them on and off for probably three years now and have used the mapping app in the US and Europe and find it quite useful. Downloaded maps and offline navigation is a great feature when traveling internationally. I just wish it would find its way over to iOS.
timov 12y ago
It also works on Sailfish OS (Jolla)

56 points by __Joker 12y ago

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

whacker 12y ago

free offline maps on android! This takes away one of the big unique things Windows Phone had going for it.

Doctor_Fegg 12y ago
There are plenty of free offline maps on Android. This is just Here arriving late to a party started by OpenStreetMap.
- sz4kerto 12y ago
  I have tried many of them (the most popular ones at least), and I found HERE to be way better -- not because of the map data itself, but the look and feel of the app and also the quality of navigation is better than the rest (imho). I tend to use it instead of Google Maps as well. Re. Windows Phone: I think that if a cross-platform service gains foothold (on Android) then it's good for WP. If GMaps is the de facto mapping solution (as it is more or less), then GMaps not being present on WP is a deterring factor.
  - lucb1e 12y ago
    True, OsmAnd is not very user friendly, but I've used it for over a year now and I can't go back to anything else. Its user interface problem is just that it's so packed with features... but once I get used to them I don't want back.
  - bad_user 12y ago
    For a polished app that uses OpenStreetMaps, check out this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.forevermapng https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.f...
buro9 12y ago
The OsmAnd Android app has had that for ages using OpenStreetMaps.

jarnix 12y ago

What if Google does it? (reference to http://wigdi.aws.af.cm/ http://wigdi.aws.af.cm/ )

lnanek2 12y ago
In this case Google Maps has been steadily getting worse, so no worries. It feels like every month they remove features and make things take more clicks or require mystery meat navigation. It took me 15 minutes the other day to figure out how to get the list of directions back in navigation mode. You have to tap some unlabeled header. I'm sure that feature is headed for the cutting room floor eventually too even though personally I have no use for step by step navigation and just need to see the list of turns and I'm fine.
- swartkrans 12y ago
  > In this case Google Maps has been steadily getting worse, so no worries. Whether the UI changes are worse is a subjective claim, but the data Google has has not gotten worse. I've found all the alternative mapping solutions (Here, Bing, OpenStreet, and Apple maps) to be inferior when it comes to data quality which is the more important factor, unless you think getting directed through non-existing streets is a small concern. I'm not a Google fan, I've given up a lot of Google, but I can't quit maps or google search, although I use ddg quite a bit. Google has the most reliable map data, there is no competition and no good alternative.
  - vetinari 12y ago
    The UI definitely got worse. About two weeks ago I was unable to switch to Street View in the android app. It simply wasn't accessible through dropping the pin, as it was in the past. When Google's flagship app on their own platform forces me to find computer and use the web version, something is seriously wrong.
    - swartkrans 12y ago
      > About two weeks ago I was unable to switch to Street View in the android app. It simply wasn't accessible through dropping the pin, as it was in the past. The first thing you should have seen after updating and adding an address is a message telling you to pull up to get more detail. It took me 2 seconds to figure out how to get street view in the new UI. So as I said subjective.

joezydeco 12y ago

HERE is the new(ish) name of NAVTEQ, before Nokia purchased them. They've been in the map business for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navteq http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navteq

y0ghur7_xxx 12y ago

OpenStreetMap has such a level of detail (at least in Europe) that I can completely relay on it for my trips. I went on a drive from Italy to Holland a month ago using MapFactor Navigatior with OpenStreetMap maps, and I was really surprised how good it worked. It even had POIs for the toilets on the highway! Amsterdam was mapped really well as well, with house numbers and everything. And it was completely offline (even the routing algorithm) and free.

vetinari 12y ago
Depends on the place. In some places, the OSM is better than most commercial providers (e.g. Balkan in Europe), in others it is good enough. In Thailand, I got around by using OSM maps; I didn't have neither commercial maps nor connectivity, co I couldn't compare it to other maps.
Brakenshire 12y ago
It's just a pity the apps aren't quite there on Android. I find MapFactor Navigator to be clunky and outright confusing, Telenav Scout is only available in the US, Skobbler seems to have been withdrawn (at least, it's not accessible in the UK Play Store), and OSMAnd is great for what it is, but has no traffic information, and is a bit guileless in selecting a route - certainly enough so it's not sensible to trust it for long journeys.
- lucb1e 12y ago
  From my experience OsmAnd routes equally well or better than other applications. I've only once caught it giving me suboptimal directions, our old TomTom has a much longer history of weird moves. Google Maps seems to do as well as OsmAnd, though I hardly ever use it.
- bad_user 12y ago
  Skobbler has been acquired by Telenav and they have been releasing updates to their apps. I'm surprised you're saying they have been withdrawn, as I got this app on all of my Androids: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.forevermapng https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.f... I personally love it - it's cheap, it's polished and it works.

mmahemoff 12y ago

Strange this is an APK download, requiring users to reduce their security settings and download+install manually. A better way since mid-2013 is to make use of Android's alpha/beta/staged rollout setup. Ratings of beta users don't count towards the official rating if that's what they're worried about. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/3131213?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...

fulafel 12y ago
People don't know how opt in to beta.(I still don't after reading that page). Also requiring Google Play excludes open source android users, users on devices without Google $$$ licenses, and users who decline to link their device to a Google account.
- mmahemoff 12y ago
  That page is for developers, not users. Opting into beta for an app is pretty straightforward - users just need to join a beta community/group and click on a link to opt in. (I run a beta community and users haven't had any practical problems to my knowledge.) Your points about open source Android etc are valid, though note that the beta channel will auto-update on each update (if user has auto-update app settings), whereas sideloaders will have to manually update it all the time. If you're releasing fast and frequent, it's unlikely testers will want to go through the manual install process on each release. Anyway it's not mutually exclusive; you can distribute an APK as well as use the official alpha/beta rollouts. Having heard demand for Kindle usage, we sometimes post APKs in our beta community as an attachment to posts announcing a new build. So sideloaders can directly install the APK while Play users get an alert about what's incoming to their device.
snuxoll 12y ago
> reduce their security settings I don't get how enabling side-loading is "reducing" security. Regardless of whether an APK comes from the play store or not the system still presents you with the permissions dialog and the apps still run sandboxed.

simonmales 12y ago

I've used HERE on FirefoxOS and was impressed for a HTML5 application working relatively well on an under powered smartish phone. Majority of the work the HERE guys do is behind the scenes magic for car manufactures, they are just attempting to crack the consumer market. I met a couple of the HERE guys in Berlin, they seem quite humble and want to play a bigger part in the mapping community whilst keeping existing clients happy. Also to note, OsmAnd is awesome and have just traveled eastern and western Europe extensively with it.

enlightenedfool 12y ago

Why does this need read permission for my contacts?

onestone 12y ago
Because of the Glympse integration, I suppose.
- enlightenedfool 12y ago
  Ah, I see. I hope it won't crash with my Privacy Guard blocking contacts. Offline maps is a win!
  - lucb1e 12y ago
    > Offline maps is a win! If you care about privacy and offline maps, OsmAnd is the way to go. Open source software and offline maps.

swrobel 12y ago

Why not use built-in Android TTS functionality?

edent 12y ago
Personally, I find the Nokia TTS much better (UK English, if that makes a difference).

jokoon 12y ago

finally!... I bought a 60 euro, 4 inch android smartphone without a data plan on it, and I already tried to download a OSM export to just browse it on my computer, without any luck. I thought I could export tiles and browse them as a html file on my phone, but I did not manage to do it. On google map on the nexus 7 I managed to select a portion of an area and download it, but I could do it again on my huawei Y330. I could not make it work offline.

lucb1e 12y ago
> tried to download a OSM export > export tiles and browse them as a html file Huh no you're thinking way too difficult, just download the OsmAnd app. I'm afraid it needs a few gigabytes of storage though, at least in Europe the map is very detailed.
- jokoon 12y ago
  even for a single city ?
  - lucb1e 12y ago
    They offer regions as default downloads, but it's all open source and open data, so if you want you can export a single city and use it in the app. It is quite a bit more work than just downloading regions (or small-ish countries like the Netherlands) though. See OsmAndMapCreator if you want to do this for the OsmAnd app.
maxerickson 12y ago
There's a whole ecosystem of tools for dropping tiles on a device. This is a tool for creating them, but it has a handy list of devices where you can use them: http://mobac.sourceforge.net/ http://mobac.sourceforge.net/ There are also quite some Android apps that give you offline vector maps.

mslot 12y ago

Interesting move. HERE Drive+ on Windows Phone is better than any Android alternative as a navigation system. It just works and has a seamless offline experience. It is (used to be?) one of the main reasons to own a Windows phone.

Splendor 12y ago

Why does this require me to sign up with my name and date of birth to use the offline functionality?

abrowne 12y ago
I wondered that too, and then I deleted the app (Moto E with small internal storage). I'll still try the final version, but this is a turn off.

drey08 12y ago

Well, I can't seem to download this from my Android because it keeps wanting to use the web app instead. So much for that..

Rezo 12y ago
If using Chrome on Android, open the "..." menu, pick "Request desktop site". Worked for me.

Rezo 12y ago

Nice! 4,970 MB to download the entire map of the USA for offline use, or you can just download individual states. Unlike Google maps, there's full offline routing and search as well. The transit overlay for pedestrians looks great with realtime tables for the stops.

jmspring 12y ago

Here originally was the branding for the Nokia suite of Navigation Apps on Windows Phone. I've been using them on and off for probably three years now and have used the mapping app in the US and Europe and find it quite useful. Downloaded maps and offline navigation is a great feature when traveling internationally. I just wish it would find its way over to iOS.

timov 12y ago

It also works on Sailfish OS (Jolla)