TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentral TechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Huge Group to acquire what was Virgin Mobile in South Africa

      6 July 2022

      TechCentral needs your help – 2022 reader survey now live

      6 July 2022

      Call for ‘energy emergency’ to end load shedding

      6 July 2022

      What South Africa can learn from India’s IT boom

      6 July 2022

      Where to next for Dimension Data

      5 July 2022
    • World

      China accuses US of ‘technological terrorism’

      6 July 2022

      Scientists at Cern observe three ‘exotic’ new particles

      6 July 2022

      Bitcoin’s first African adopter plans own digital currency

      6 July 2022

      Bitcoin hints at a bottom – but it may be different this time

      5 July 2022

      China, US war of words erupts over lunar missions

      5 July 2022
    • In-depth

      The bonfire of the NFTs

      5 July 2022

      The NFT party is over

      30 June 2022

      The great crypto crash: the fallout, and what happens next

      22 June 2022

      Goodbye, Internet Explorer – you really won’t be missed

      19 June 2022

      Oracle’s database dominance threatened by rise of cloud-first rivals

      13 June 2022
    • Podcasts

      Demystifying the complexity of AI – fact vs fiction

      6 July 2022

      How your organisation can triage its information security risk

      22 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E06 – ‘Apple Silicon’

      15 June 2022

      The youth might just save us

      15 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E05 – ‘Nvidia: The Green Goblin’

      8 June 2022
    • Opinion

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022

      Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

      13 June 2022

      A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

      19 May 2022

      From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

      19 April 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»News»Navigation coming to Google Maps in SA

    Navigation coming to Google Maps in SA

    News By Editor2 August 2011
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    Google will from today begin offering navigation support for the SA version of Google Maps. Google Maps Navigation (beta) will be available on phones running Android 1.6 or higher.

    There’s no word yet on when it will come to other smartphone platforms.

    Though Google Maps has been available in SA for a number of years, until now the company’s free, turn-by-turn voice navigation service was not offered in the region. One of the advantages of Google Maps Navigation over traditional GPS units is it integrates fully with mobile phones, so users can click an address in their contacts list, calendar or on a website and get immediate directions.

    It is also possible to pick a destination from the map itself, rather than having to enter an address or point of interest, and Google Maps Navigation integrates Google’s recently rolled-out voice search, allowing users to enter addresses by voice.

    Other benefits of Google Maps Navigation are the speed at which it can calculate alternative routes or reroute users should they make an incorrect turn or have to avoid unexpected road closures.

    Google Maps Navigation updates seamlessly and doesn’t require entire map updates like conventional stand-alone GPS units. Rather, maps are updated automatically and always use the most recent data from Google Maps.

    “Google Maps Navigation was built from the ground up as an Internet-based GPS system, making certain features possible, such as being able to use Google Street View on your mobile,” says Brett St Clair, head of mobile for Google SA.

    “Users can visualise directions turn by turn, overlaid on Street View imagery, and Navigation automatically switches to Street View as a destination is approached. South Africans can also now speak their destinations into their phones using voice search.” The voice search functionality for SA includes support for searches in isiZulu and Afrikaans.

    Travellers can also see their routes overlaid on 3D satellite views with Google’s aerial imagery. There is no need for users to know an address – they can simply type in a business name or even a kind of business just as they would on Google. They can also search for any kind of business as they travel on a specific route or turn on layers such as petrol stations, restaurants or parking.

    Julie Taylor, head of communications and public affairs for Google SA, says navigation will come to non-Android devices, but she can’t commit to a timframe.

    Taylor says that the service also offers a degree of offline functionality. “If you lose you connection, it’s not a problem. Navigation will cache info for areas you’re in often and for your current route, so even if it takes some time to reconnect you won’t lose functionality.”

    In terms of the public transport routes, traffic information and other overlays available for Google Maps Navigation in other regions, Taylor says that Google hopes to provide this sort of functionality for SA users “in due course”.  — Staff reporter, TechCentral

    • Top image: Daniel Flathagen
    • Subscribe to our free daily newsletter
    • Follow us on Twitter or on Facebook
    Google Google Maps Google Maps Navigation
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleTalkCentral: Episode 47 – ‘Helicopter view’
    Next Article Symbian far from dead – Nokia

    Related Posts

    Huge Group to acquire what was Virgin Mobile in South Africa

    6 July 2022

    TechCentral needs your help – 2022 reader survey now live

    6 July 2022

    Call for ‘energy emergency’ to end load shedding

    6 July 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    Hot Ink certifies and diversifies to maintain competitive printing edge

    5 July 2022

    Increased flexibility with Dell Precision Mobile Workstations

    5 July 2022

    The 5 secrets of customer experience in the cloud era

    5 July 2022
    Opinion

    South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

    4 July 2022

    Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

    21 June 2022

    Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

    13 June 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.