Offline Google Maps

[saintforlife]

Anybody know when the One X is getting new offline Google Maps?

Also just the US and Canada maps are supposed to tip the scales at 2 GB. Will this take up the entire 2GB allocation of internal memory for apps? Is there anyway to store it in a different place?

 

[icebike]

It already has it under LABS section in settings.
Select the Pre-Cache map area option and read the instructions.

There is no point in doing this unless your data plan is really restrictive, or you are going someplace where there is no cell coverage (like huge chunks of Nevada, Montana, Alaska as well as some other uninhabited or wilderness areas or reception holes.

You certainly wouldn't want to cache the entire US.

 

[Splange]

Well if you could just cache a city, then you could use it whenever you're on the subway.

 

[miller7796]

Umm, and how are you going to get a GPS signal while underground?

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[jlo8720]

i think the new offline maps is different from the lab feature of pre caching a 10 (?) square mile area.

 

[Distorted Loop]

Umm, and how are you going to get a GPS signal while underground?

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Umm, there are at least one or two uses for maps even without a GPS signal...

 

[PraetorianGuard]

Umm, and how are you going to get a GPS signal while underground?

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By utilising the phones sensors to determine the direction of travel perhaps. Thus you dont need GPS cover.

 

[elcheapodeluxe]

It already has it under LABS section in settings.
Select the Pre-Cache map area option and read the instructions.

There is no point in doing this unless your data plan is really restrictive, or you are going someplace where there is no cell coverage (like huge chunks of Nevada, Montana, Alaska as well as some other uninhabited or wilderness areas or reception holes.

You certainly wouldn't want to cache the entire US.

I agree that the current implementation is not very useful, but Maps won't even start in the existing form unless there is a data connection (thus you can't even really used pre-cached areas).

I can say from experience that having larger chunks available offline would be useful. I've had a situation where I was leaving a customer in the middle of nowhere and passing through Amish country on the way back to the Chicago O'Hare airport three hours away. I made a wrong turn in an area with no data coverage and my phone wiped out my directions entirely. I was driving blind for about 30 minutes hoping I was going in the right direction before I came back into coverage as I neared an interstate (I fortunately hadn't strayed too far off course). Ever since, I returned to bringing my standalone GPS when I go to customers in unfamiliar places far from big cities. If I could load the US onto my SD card, I wouldn't have to. It would also let my WiFi Galaxy Tab 10.1 be a huge honkin' gps even when I'm not tethered

 

[Chevyracing252]

I am ready for the offline caching feature as well...

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[jlo8720]

a cool feature would be to let us draw the area to precache. Everything inside the line would be cached.

id circle central Texas and add other areas as needed

 

[hazmatnz]

a cool feature would be to let us draw the area to precache. Everything inside the line would be cached.

id circle central Texas and add other areas as needed

You mean exactly like the feature currently available under "labs" in Google maps *right now*?

 

[PraetorianGuard]

You mean exactly like the feature currently available under "labs" in Google maps *right now*?

Nope. The present feature in labs caches the 10 miles around you. What he wants is to draw a line himself, and anything inside it will get cached and thus most likely more then 10 miles .

But I can see this possible working out, because going to the US, AU or etc places I dont really want to get raped on data charges, so I either A have to bring a seperate GPS or B find one that allows me to store the maps on storage and not download them via the air and paying an arm and leg for it.

 

[foxbat121]

1. Current offline cache is quite useful. It saved my trip to Japan last year. No, you don't have to have data connection to use Maps. The only thing it can't do is Navigation which requires data connection to get the route.

2. App data are stored in the 10GB storage, not the internal 2GB app storage.

The new offline maps are supposed to be even better and offer Navigation off line as well IIRC. But it all depends when Google releases it, nothing to do with HOX or not.

 

[djdanska]

Umm, and how are you going to get a GPS signal while underground?

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Like the others posted. There is more than one way to use maps underground. When i travel the subway in chicago, it uses the cell sites for location and don't have too much trouble using maps. It's not gps but does give you appx location and is good enough for foursquare/fb/etc checkins.

 

[markhallyo]

By utilising the phones sensors to determine the direction of travel perhaps. Thus you dont need GPS cover.

For the majority of people that use the subway they are daily commuters not just one-time travelers, so they may not even need the sense of direction features. But just in case, offline maps may come in handy, especially in the backwoods of Arkansas (travel there often) and when going hiking without needing keep data on aka wasting precious battery in case there is an emergency and you need to phone help. This offline push isn't going to be for everyone, but its definitely necessary to propel phone GPS into a new atmosphere.

 

[dandv]

Or you can simply use OsmAnd, which is open source, based on OpenStreetMaps, has offline vector maps, and about 10x more customization options than Google Maps.

 

[anon(819941)]

I think it will go live after Google I/O, or maybe even during the presentation. It is a big deal for Google as it is a feature that has been asked for a long time.

 

[icebike]

Or you can simply use OsmAnd, which is open source, based on OpenStreetMaps, has offline vector maps, and about 10x more customization options than Google Maps.

Oh come on, those maps are pathetic, outdated, and the coverage is abysmal.

The fact that you can customize the presentation is like being able to select catchup or mustard on your plate of turds.

Sent from my HOX

 

[z28marols1]

Offline maps is also a great way to breathe some new life into a slightly older deactivated device by giving it some purpose. For example, I use my tracks when I'm mountain biking and zip tie my otter box to my handlebar while I ride. Im loving the fact that I can use my og evo instead of my new lte as it can be a little abusive out on the trails...

 

[Chevyracing252]

Has anyone heard when this update may potentially drop into market? My phone almost always locks up when using navigation since it is constantly pulling data over 3g and having all of the map data cached on my sd would be great! I have a 16gb card in my phone with about 12gb available so storage space used isn't an issue for me.

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