Mapping experience with WP VS. Google: Had to own up to wife, dang it.

snowmutt

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Okay, here is the set up:

The last couple weeks of our lives has revolved around 2 major events:

1) Buying a vehicle for my wife. We had saved up money for a nice used vehicle for her, but we were willing to drive wherever we needed to in order to get the most for our money.

2) Family going's on in St. Louis.

This meant a ton of traveling. Luckily for us, we have a ton of mapping services for just such emergencies. My trusty Lumia 900 with Nokia Maps and Bing Maps. She has a Samsung Galaxy Note 1 with, of course, Google maps.

This streach of driving I am about to write about is basically this: From our home in Danville IL to a Hotel in St. Louis, several restaurants and destinations within the city, then a road trip to Alliance OH, followed by a swing back to Danville, then back to St. Louis, then over to Richmond Indiana, back home, back to Richmond, on to St. Louis, then home to stay.

Without boring everyone to tears with details, I will just give a quick rundown of our experiences with each service.

Bing: Honestly, I think I am done with Bing maps. Since it is baked right in, it was so easy to look up an address (ALWAYS faster on my little old WP7.8 then her big, bad Droid!!!) and just hit the selection. Problem is, the directions were plain wrong on 2 occasions. Once, we drove into South St. Louis on the IL side looking for a exit that just didn't exist. The second was a time it had us completely lost looking for a road that was completely cut off from the directions. We could see it, just not get there. Also, when looking for a place to eat with friends in St. Louis, I used the Local Scout, and 2 of the places we called were out of business, one of them for over 2 years.

Nokia Maps: First the good part- I found them to be darn accurate. When "confused" in Alliance Ohio, I used it to get our bearings and it was accurate in showing construction nearby. Even a couple of unnamed backroads were on the map. The main problem I had with Nokia was that it seemed to pick longer routes. When we did the 9 hour trip from St. Louis to Alliance, it added a good 75 miles to our trip over the Google and Bing routes. We looked up the route home from Richmond while eating lunch, and the same result.

Google: Okay, I admit it. It hurts, but I will own up. We were using Google on her phone almost exclusively by the time this was all done. It showed the shortest route, avoided large traffic jams, was accurate, and basically made our trips bearable because we were not stressing out the wrong directions. Once, while she was driving she completely missed our exit and we had veared off to the wrong interstate. (She is so never living that down!!) Since I wasn't driving, I looked up on Nokia maps how to get back to where we wanted to go (this was the St. Louis to Alliance trip), and it had us going north basically to Chicago and driving over. Google had us slip down to a couple of state roads, catch our Interstate, and had us back on the route as pretty as you please.

Look, Google did not become a huge, successful company with all their products blowing chunks. Google Maps is good, especially here in the US. I have no problem giving the devil his due.

I am curious if my L900 is just not getting good updates since it is a WP7 device as opposed to being a WP8. Once I decide on an upgrade, MAYBE my maps will be comparable to Google.

But my endless roadtrips here has shown me that for right now, Google still owns the mapping industry. I am just curious if my fellow WPCers have had experiences like ours? Do I have better days ahead with WP8 mapping?Because right in now I am kinda wishing Google and Microsoft could work out their differences so we can have a Google Maps app on WP8. Makes me feel like a traitor.

It really stunk having to admit to the wife after all my bragging that we had to depend on her Android. Just hurt my mocho pride.
 

mrappbrain

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I have had a very similar experience. I am using Nokia maps, and it certainly did seems to pick a much longer route as opposed to google maps. I am using Windows Phone 8, so it is not a problem of the maps being outdated.

Sadly, i have stopped using nokia naps for navigation. and reply on google maps, either accessed from the mobile site or from gmaps.
 

snowmutt

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I have had a very similar experience. I am using Nokia maps, and it certainly did seems to pick a much longer route as opposed to google maps. I am using Windows Phone 8, so it is not a problem of the maps being outdated.

Sadly, i have stopped using nokia naps for navigation. and reply on google maps, either accessed from the mobile site or from gmaps.

Well, crap. That is a bummer. I was hoping for a bunch of "You are using an outdated peice of tech, Mutt, get with it!! All is good here on WP8 maps!!" type of responses.

Yeah, accessing Google maps on their mobile site is an option. Not as streamlined or data friendly as an app. Not as nice as it would be if Nokia Maps were just as good. But an option.
 

N_LaRUE

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Since I don't have an Android phone I can't say much about the GPS functions of Google Maps using a phone. I've used HERE and before the Symbian Drive.

When checking routes online with Google and comparing them with HERE with the most recent updates they are the same. I think HERE was a bit behind initially but it's getting better with each update. Saying that, I'm referring to the UK and EU here. I think the traffic is horrible on HERE. There doesn't seem to be a re-routing function when the traffic is bad. What's the point of knowing about traffic and do nothing about it???

I personally think HERE is getting better but is still behind in a few things. It will take time unfortunately.

I do 100% agree with you regarding Google and MS. Unfortunately I don't see this changing until WP gets some level of traction that Google finds it irresistible not to make the apps. Again, time, that's of course if WP8.1 isn't a complete blowout. We'll have to wait and see.

With regards to routing. Always choose 'Fastest Route' in settings. Using 'Balanced' is crap.
 

BIGPADDY

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Same for me here maps suggested a wrong direction to get to a place and all of the time kept on wanting to take me on the longest route for every journey, I use google maps all the time now.

This was with my 920 with here map also in the UK.
 

snowmutt

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Sure would expect Nokia to be great in Europe. I kinda understood that they may need some improvments here in the States. But across the pond?? Should be great.Mapping is going to be their bread and butter money maker soon. No room for second place now, Nokia.
 

Coreldan

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I havn't had any problems with Nokia's navigation services here in Finland. Been using them just about exclusively since the N8, but back then it was under a different name.
 

N_LaRUE

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Sure would expect Nokia to be great in Europe. I kinda understood that they may need some improvments here in the States. But across the pond?? Should be great.Mapping is going to be their bread and butter money maker soon. No room for second place now, Nokia.

I've had many issues with Nokia Maps and GPS. I find it a very stubborn GPS system. I don't know if it's the algorithms they use or what but once it makes up it's mind on a route it wants to stick to it even if you've decided that where it's taking you is the 'longer' way. There doesn't seem to be much consideration of traffic lights or speed differences. I've had it want me to make U-turns to get back on the route it's specified even though I know the way I'm going is better. To give you an idea.

So, yeah, it needs improvement as far as I'm concerned. Keep in mind though that they sell satellite data to other companies so GPS software isn't their main seller.
 

snowmutt

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So....... Keep in mind though that they sell satellite data to other companies so GPS software isn't their main seller.

They sell satellite data? Not sure what that means. Do you mean they sell the mapping information, and then companies adapt it to their needs? Or am I way off base on that guess?
 

N_LaRUE

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They sell satellite data? Not sure what that means. Do you mean they sell the mapping information, and then companies adapt it to their needs? Or am I way off base on that guess?

Yes they sell mapping data. It's what they've been doing for years. Their own GPS/Map software is fairly new. I believe they sell to some of the big names in GPS still. Not sure about all their customers though. Might be some government/military and car manufactures as well.
 

11B1P

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You are using an outdated peice of tech, Mutt, get with it!! All is good here on WP8 maps!!

LOL! Sorry, couldn't let all these responses get you down.

I can't give an honest assessment. I use HERE maps (maybe DRIVE??) when we go to Myrtle Beach on vacation, for getting around town and it does fine. Long over the road trips we use the in-dash GPS in the Armada.

I would echo N_LaRUE's comment on checking the Setting on your "route". There may be a better selection than the default setting your phone is set to.
 

N_LaRUE

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You are using an outdated peice of tech, Mutt, get with it!! All is good here on WP8 maps!!

LOL! Sorry, couldn't let all these responses get you down.

I can't give an honest assessment. I use HERE maps (maybe DRIVE??) when we go to Myrtle Beach on vacation, for getting around town and it does fine. Long over the road trips we use the in-dash GPS in the Armada.

I would echo N_LaRUE's comment on checking the Setting on your "route". There may be a better selection than the default setting your phone is set to.

As I've mentioned on another thread about HERE maps/Drive. It's good, but it's not great. I use it all the time regardless. That's why I feel I can comment about it.
 

snowmutt

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I actually do have a lot of hpe for the future of mapping on WP. (Seems we make that "Hope for the future" statement a lot for out OS, huh?) With Nokia concentrating all it's resources to becoming a software & mapping solutions company here after the sale of it's hardware division, I truly feel good about where we will be in a short period of time with Nokia DRIVE and it's other services.

Just in the meantime, be nice to have the option to jump on an app and double check things.
 

N_LaRUE

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I actually do have a lot of hpe for the future of mapping on WP. (Seems we make that "Hope for the future" statement a lot for out OS, huh?) With Nokia concentrating all it's resources to becoming a software & mapping solutions company here after the sale of it's hardware division, I truly feel good about where we will be in a short period of time with Nokia DRIVE and it's other services.

Just in the meantime, be nice to have the option to jump on an app and double check things.

I'm not sure what the negotiations are with Nokia in regards to HERE maps but now that they no longer make the phone I wonder if we'll have to start paying for the service. Let's keep in mind that MS has Bing maps. It will be interesting to see.
 

snowmutt

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I'm not sure what the negotiations are with Nokia in regards to HERE maps but now that they no longer make the phone I wonder if we'll have to start paying for the service. Let's keep in mind that MS has Bing maps. It will be interesting to see.

Oh PLEASE.... Oh please, let MS and Nokia have a 10-year deal for Nokia's mapping service. As mentioned above, as much as I like me Microsoft products, I am no longer a Bing Maps fan. If they can't be up to date on a major city like St Louis, I trust them not at all to get things right in rural America or in other countries.

Give Nokia maps, that is going to be their business. Microsoft can get all the resources they have had on maps and just concetrate on Bing search improvements, especially in other non-North American markets where it is weak but where WP sales are soaring.
 

PureView

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I use Google Maps on my WP as well. They're better; plain and simple. Sure people will have preferences towards other services, but Google Maps are pretty universally accepted as the standard for mobile mapping.
 

WasteSomeTime

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Here maps kept giving me alternate ( longer routes ) than I normally take. I have google maps now and most of the time it provides me with almost the same, if not the same routes I know are efficient. It doesn't matter whether you have 7.x or 8.x .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ohgood

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if you think bing is behind Google maps now, you only know half the story. Google is the default mapping application most android folks get out of the box, yes.

and it rocks, yes. but....

but then if look around on the market, and other places... try Geo caching, offline navigation, tracking , hiking, and all sorts of other KINDS of mapping applications.


there is a slew of very specific applications tailored for just about any kind of outdoor activity youll ever think of. and good ones.

and Google maps, is still -just- Google maps. very limited, very point a to point b. very bland.
 

a5cent

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I use Google Maps on my WP as well. They're better; plain and simple. Sure people will have preferences towards other services, but Google Maps are pretty universally accepted as the standard for mobile mapping.

It's not just preference like you make it out to be. It really depends where you live in the world. In some places HERE maps are more accurate, in other places Google's maps are better. Where I live the road network is more accurately represented by HERE maps, but Google maps has far more places and POIs listed. At least for me, there is still no one-stop mapping shop.
 

Jarip

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Just adding here about Here Drive, you can chose easily the different routes (faster, shorter or balanced) before you click "Start" navigation (in a preview of route window) - well, sometimes it is the same route even you change it, but it might be worth to check the route settings ... :)

... and do not forget update your map data (settings - applications - maps - update maps) - it does not do it automatically ...
 

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