It seems highly likely, to me at least, that their deal with Apple to supply mapping data for iOS also included a clause to stop them doing their own app.

Dedicated GPS navigation systems use "preloaded maps", and have lots of detail including 3D buildings etc.. all in just a few GB of flash for entire continents.

Same deal for "proper" GPS navigation software for Android --> the marketplace has several, including what appears to be a very good one based on TomTom maps (preloaded, of course).

Cheers

Apple is a software and hardware company, and have been using both to differentiate new products for as long as they've been around. It's something I can accept for the most part, but there are plenty of times where some of the decisions leave me feeling burned.

Thankfully, third party apps are generally better than Apple-supplied apps. Apple's built-in iOS apps actually kind of suck, especially considering they've barely changed in 5 years. The issue is in deep system integration. Apple's apps have it and most third party ones don't/can't.

And I think everyone would be happy if Apple came out with their own mapping application, and Google released their full mapping application. But the problem for me would still be that you wouldn't get to choose which one is your default app.

Bingo Matt! iOS has needed a default app API forever. Microsoft was mandated by governments to make this painless in Windows. IMO, iOS is getting to the point where to a developer, it's practically a monopoly. You can possibly make a living doing mobile apps for some other platform exclusively, but striking out iOS is a huge (potential) loss to the bottom line.

That said, I'm not sure the default app thing will have as much of an appreciable impact for maps. I can't even think of a single time I've ever been directed to the maps app via another app, unlike with mail, safari, photos/camera roll, phone, messages, etc.

Even if they have a monopoly (which I don't see), they don't have to add defaults. Microsoft didn't have to either because they were a monopoly. They were forced to because they abused their monopoly power to gain an unfair advantage in a new market.

I would agree though, it would be nice to be able to change defaults.

Yes, you are right about creating a route and you will be OK if you stay on track. However if you make a wrong turn and keep going (reminds me of a Bruce Springsteen song) you will need a data connection to get back on track. Or if you get to your destination and then want to go somewhere (maybe to a restaurant) you need a data connection again. However for me I have a phone that isn’t a phone. I have a Samsung wifi 5.0. It’s an android machine with no phone or data connection other than wifi (and no monthly bills). When traveling I use my Verizon MiFi (an internet connection that isn’t a phone either) but since this is also my home IPS I often don’t take it with me. So being able to have a totally “off the grid” GPS navigation system is a big deal for me.

With the maps you actually need deeper integration for defaults. You really need to be able to change the tile source that is used for the maps in the Apple apps.

i.e. you need to be able to swap out the map tiles within Find My Friends, iPhoto and Find My iPhone with another source

And of course that is never going to happen

I'm just praying that Apple have something up their sleeves to make their maps actually usable before launch. I'm not hopeful though.

I'd publish examples of how bad their maps are, but I suspect the NDA forbids me from doing so.

AFAIK, Apple don't actually own any map data and have not acquired any map data companies. The companies they've acquired have, to my knowledge, all been focused on map presentation technologies.

IMO, letting Nokia acquire Navteq and TomTom acquire Teleatlas were two huge mistakes for both Google and Apple.

That is my understanding too. Part of the problem with the iOS 6 maps is just down to presentation, which they at least could fix. Though I fear that they won't, I think someone at Apple thinks maps with not a lot of info on them are somehow better than those with more info

On the data side I guess I'm holding out the hope that they can merge in some data from OSM or some other source. Bing is notable in that in the UK it uses NavTeq, but it clearly doesn't use just NavTeq (unless NavTeq have a lot of detail that TomTom choose not to surface in their own apps).

Or in th UK maybe they could do a deal to get the Ordnance Survey vector data.

But I suspect that is wishful thinking for version 1.0 at least.

And unfortunately even if they did manage to do all of that, there would still be no StreetView

Holy crap, a 7" screen makes for a pretty small tablet. Isn't this only a few mm larger than some of the Samsung phones?

Maybe it's being spokesmodeled by Bob Bobson.

For me, I think a 7" tablet might be just The Right Size(tm).

Anything phone sized is too small, requiring my reading glasses to use the darned thing. And anything as monstrous as the iPad is simply to bulky for easy portability. Or so I think.

The $250 (16GB) Nexus tablet does have my interest, but I'll start with the Galaxy Nexus phone (with reading glasses) and work my way up from there perhaps.

Mine's on pre-order. Should be turning up any day now. I'll let you know how I get on with it.

Rumor has it Apple will to the 8" thing sometime later this year. I say it's 60-40 at this point given the evidence - they've scrapped far-along plans too many times to count over the years. That will probably be a more reasonable size than 7" for tapping and dragging around the screen.

I'm still a phone + notebook person though. Or simply take the phone and deal with the tradeoffs.

Me too, at present. Especially when the 10" tablet things feel (despite being lighter) nearly as bulky as the netbook and yet lack a physical keyboard.

That's where I think there's room for a more reasonable tablet size -- I mean, if they're going to omit the keyboard, then at least make the danged thing small enough to more easily tote around!

Cheers

Bruno, what are you using for mobile data access -- which provider/plan etc.. and how much data does your device typically log over a monthly billing period?

Thanks.

I don't have mobile data plan. I don't leave wifi zones long enough to warrant paying a fixed amount per month ($80+) and no one has anything remotely interesting in PAYG data in this area. I used to have a $15/mo iPad plan, but that long ago stopped working on the iPhone and the Bell techs couldn't explain to me why that was.

On my street I get coverage from almost top to bottom with access to multiple neighbor's access points. Set up the same way with other friends, then I use free ones where I can and also some premium ones I have access to because of certain memberships, etc.

This is the problem with measuring screen size only by the diagonal measurement. Worked fine when everything was the same aspect ratio, but even the various 7 inch Android tablets aren't holding to the same ratio.

This is a good illustration, including the rumored smaller iPad. Even if the iPad was 7 inch instead of 7.85, it'd still have more screen area due to the 4:3 form factor.

http://yfrog.com/z/h36j2np

Ultimately it comes down to the size of tap targets. Browsing on the Fire is a PITA with web buttons/links, due to the device telling web servers it runs at a desktop resolution. Phones get around this a little by telling sites they run a pretty small resolution. I wonder what the Nexus 7 does.

That's a decent strategy, especially given that Mobilicity (and probably also Wind?) doesn't have coverage in your area.

They all cover me here, but I'm going to use the device on Telus for the first two months until my contract is finally over with. Two choices for data: $10/month for "flex data" (MBs), or $35/month for a heavier duty version (GBs).

I think the "$10/month" flex plan is good for about 500MB at a $30 cost, so it may be the right one. We'll see.

Either way, Telus shares HSPA+ with Bell (and vice-versa), so DSL-speed data is available under that plan just about anywhere I'm likely to go inside of Canada.

Yeah, there's a pricing anomaly in those plans, which makes the "$10/month" flex data plan the better of the two:

$10 for up to 100MB
+$10 for the next 150MB
+$10 for the next 250MB
+$0.02 per MB after that ($20/GB).

Expensive compared with wireline data, but probably okay depending on how much the phone uses with a typical set of apps.

Cheers

The other plan looks better for use as a near replacement for wireline:

$35 for up to 1GB
+$10 for the next 1GB
+$15 for the next 2GB
+$15 for the next 3GB
+$0.02 per MB after that ($20/GB).

MMm.. or maybe a non-flex plan:

$35 for up to 2GB
+very expensive after that.

or

$60 for up to 6GB (definitely not for me)
+very expensive after that.

If you go with one of the <1GB plans, make sure you set up your phone to avoid doing background downloads over the phone network. There are all kinds of apps that would happily consume your bandwidth, if you let them. Luckily, the biggest things, like app updates, have a "WiFi only" switch.

I forgot to mention that for voice I'm with Speakout Wireless (7-11) which operates on the Rogers network. Prices used to be quite a bit better than they are now, but it still makes the most sense for me. I can get by on $100 for about year. Air time credit lasts a year and any top-up amount will roll remaining credit for another year.

I do wish the iPhone has two sim slots, so that I could more easily shop for data elsewhere without having to give up this PAYG. I didn't have much luck with the dual sim adapter I tried last year.

Impressive. Seems like Google has patched up a lot of the rough spots of Android. Might take a second evaluation pass at it myself soon.

I carry a Ken Onion Leek at all times. This is the reason.

My Nexus 7 is coming tomorrow via UPS. Ken Onion is standing by....

It's a funny video. But it's also extremely telling of Google's retail business acumen.

You know what's also funny? All the pundits saying they didn't think it was possible to make a good tablet for $200. Why's that funny? Because Apple has been doing it for a few years now. They just don't SELL it for $200 to you or me.

You see, to stay in business selling a tablet at $200, it better cost you no more than $100 to make it.