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Google Decides to Monetize Maps

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Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#221

Post by rhn_mk1 »

mailslot wrote: post #214
alasdair_ wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d strongly recommended putting future efforts into Open Streetmap instead - they have a fantastic set of data and tools and are usually (in my experience) more accurate and updated more quickly than Google.

Open Streetmap doesn’t build laser scanning drones, or fleets of connected 360 camera vehicles, or the tech and infrastructure to do the mapping. SOMEONE has to build all of that. It can’t be free. If it’s govt funded, then there WILL be corruption, scams, and it’ll be run as well as the DMV.

That is all true, but what will solve the problem is making something that's suitable and free, either as part of OSM or in addition to it.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#222

Post by blueski »

Our Google Maps bill went from ~$100k per year to $380k per year as a result of these changes. Needless to say, we're moving over to Mapbox.

What Google seems to miss is how this will affect customers' receptiveness to other Google products in the long-term. Having pulled the rug from under us once, there's no way we could consider e.g. a migration to Cloud in case the same happened again (where moving to a different provider would be far more painful).

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#223

Post by CamperBob2 »

coldtea wrote: post #149
manigandham wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Forced to close? Why? That's a terrible authoritarian idea. The only solution is more competition, not less. Trying to limit who can do what has only ever led to worse outcomes. There's nothing stopping a non-profit group from creating maps today if they wanted to.

> Forced to close? Why? That's a terrible authoritarian idea. I don't believe "authoritarian" applies to companies. If anything corporatism is authoritarian.

"Authoritarian" is when you're the one pointing guns at people (and companies) in order to make them do what you say is best.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#224

Post by Applejinx »

jawilson2 wrote: post #192
JohnFen wrote: post #66

I stopped using Google Maps a few years back. I received a notification on my phone that a store I was near was having a sale. It was clear that something was leaking my location, and that was being used to push ads to me through Android itself. A little investigation revealed that the culprit was Google Maps. I uninstalled it at that point and never looked back.

When I first got my Pixel 2 a year or so ago, I was stunned when after a few weeks I started getting notifications like "Check out the McDonalds 1 Block Away!" or "Starbucks is 0.25 miles from you" (or something along those lines). I took about 20 minutes and found all of the setting related to this in Maps and Notifications, and disabled all of them. No, I'm not going to McDonald's daily during my walk to the train,…

Wonder how close they can get to deliberately routing all traffic through McDonalds and Starbucks drive-throughs, as an unskippable part of the route.

Oh wait, oh wait! They do that and then you get an INSTANT E-COUPON for wherever they drove you through. You'll be driving to nowhere just for the chance to be given amazing discounts en-route!

(open to placing bets on how they will inevitably, literally do this. I want royalties, you bastards :D )

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#225

Post by mattm »

treis wrote: post #205
hacker_123 wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's kind of amazing how well Google did without a first mover advantage here. MapQuest launched in 1996. Google Maps launched in 2005.

The advantage of Google Search and the willingness to lose millions (billions?) Of dollars on a product is a powerful combination.

It didn't work for Google+

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#227

Post by astrea »

BubuIIC wrote: post #172
xemoka wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out maps.me for iOS and Android -> Open source, uses OpenStreetMap data (you can fix it!), offline maps with regular updates.

Ugh. In it's core Maps.me might be a good app. But it's sooo full of tracking stuff [1]. And I'm not even sure exodus catches all of them :-/. There's a fork on F-Droid just called Maps, which removes all those trackers and works really well. [2] Unfortunately there's currently an issue with downloading the maps data, which makes the app currently unusable without manual workarounds. [3] The other option would be OSM…

Off-topic, but this was my first time hearing about Exodus and I spent quite a bit of time on there. How is it possible that Facebook has zero trackers? https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/71538/

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#228

Post by [deleted] »

JohnFen wrote: post #66

I stopped using Google Maps a few years back. I received a notification on my phone that a store I was near was having a sale. It was clear that something was leaking my location, and that was being used to push ads to me through Android itself. A little investigation revealed that the culprit was Google Maps. I uninstalled it at that point and never looked back.

[deleted]

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#230

Post by philips »

pojntfx wrote: post #3

May OpenStreetMap prevail!

How can I replicate the common UX of trip planning on my laptop and then send to phone with the directions with OSM? Ideally with offline maps.

I really want to love OpenStreetMap but the usability gap is huge.

I am happy to pay for something too.

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