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Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#261

Post by jonas21 »

philsnow wrote: post #215

Not related to Google maps, but just today I got tired of the Amazon app sending me "you might like this deal" notifications and dug into whether it's possible to disable them. You can , but if you do, Amazon will no longer send Amazon "Smile" micro-donations to whatever charity you've selected: https://i.imgur.com/wNAkUAT.jpeg . I can't say that this is underhanded, but it does cast into sharp relief the fact that A…

So Amazon gives you 3 options, two of which result in a charity of your choice getting money in exchange for a minor inconvenience to you, and the third of which is to not participate in the charity program. And this makes them the bad guy?

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#262

Post by patentatt »

mhardcastle wrote: post #224
philsnow wrote: post #215

Not related to Google maps, but just today I got tired of the Amazon app sending me "you might like this deal" notifications and dug into whether it's possible to disable them. You can , but if you do, Amazon will no longer send Amazon "Smile" micro-donations to whatever charity you've selected: https://i.imgur.com/wNAkUAT.jpeg . I can't say that this is underhanded, but it does cast into sharp relief the fact that A…

Shopping at Amazon has become such a blatantly user-hostile experience. More than any company I've dealt with in recent memory, they seem to tolerate just about any unethical behavior - allowing fake product reviews, facilitating sale of counterfeit merchandise, and evidently withholding charitable donations if you don't allow them to pester you via your own device. It's to the point that shopping at Amazon feels dir…

And yet sometimes I'm basically forced into using them. Twice in recent months an item bought from a retailer is 20-40% cheaper if I buy it from that same retailer but through their amazon account. It infuriates me. I'm trying to avoid amazon as much as possible, but if you charge 20-40% more for the same item when ordered direct from you vs your amazon storefront, I'll give amazon my business every time. I wish retailers would stope doing this. One item was fire starters and the other was a barbell.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#263

Post by stevage »

beermonster wrote: post #31

So how about OsmAnd[0] ? Supports fully offline mobile navigation. [0] https://osmand.net/

OsmAnd does much better navigation than Organic Maps, but the interface is much clunkier. Has a lot of other features too, so good to have both.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#264

Post by im3w1l »

xg15 wrote: post #206
aftbit wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would presume they're hoping to find the devices of other nearby users?

But those would be in random cars around you, which are constantly moving. How could those help retrieving your own location on a map?

If there is a car travelling the same direction as you but a bit to the right, then you are not in the rightmost lane.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#265

Post by darkwizard42 »

ImaCake wrote: post #153

Has anyone else found google maps will turn your position icon into a pop up saying “accuracy: low, tap to improve”? It is the most obnoxious UI “feature” I’ve seen in maps (one of many I suppose). When you click on it, it wants you to take photos of the street around you to improve accuracy! What bullshit. No, google, I am not going to give you free streetview photos because you are lying about location accuracy.

It isn't about generating "free streetview photos" but actually about matching the imagery around you to the database of Street View photos they already have. If there is no match, it isn't going to take your photos and keep them... it has no accurate idea of where you are.

The service is called Live View and is exceptionally useful (and optional) if you are in a foreign country where you are unfamiliar with street signs or in an urban canyon.

Location accuracy challenges aren't a conspiracy, it can be very difficult to generate at cold start (see numerous other comments about how GPS can take a while to locate accurately but fused signals from other sources can help turn that into 1-2s)

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#266

Post by teirce »

steelframe wrote: post #249
teirce wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_v._Ford_Motor_Co .

From TFA: > A business corporation is organized and carried on primarily for the profit of the stockholders. The powers of the directors are to be employed for that end. The discretion of directors is to be exercised in the choice of means to attain that end, and does not extend to a change in the end itself, to the reduction of profits, or to the non-distribution of profits among stockholders in order to devote them…

Yes, I knew that when I posted this the reply was coming. I'm not parent commenter so I won't defend _everything_ part. But it is clear that decisions must be made with the intent to benefit shareholders (or as you pointed out, at least not intentionally as charity (unless that could be construed as benefiting shareholders)).

It's clear there is a lot of ambiguity involved. I believe this is covered in the wikipedia article but I haven't read the full thing in a long time.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#267

Post by darkwizard42 »

reustle wrote: post #234

I haven't lived in the US in a long while, but recently drove 3,500km here and was surprised to hear Google Maps say things like "Turn left at the McDonalds". We all knew this was coming one day.

Is it surprising?

When you give directions to a human you generally use landmarks or businesses to express where you should make a turn, so why wouldn't Google if that helps more than "...in 300m turn left"

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#268

Post by ikt »

jonas21 wrote: post #261
philsnow wrote: post #215

Not related to Google maps, but just today I got tired of the Amazon app sending me "you might like this deal" notifications and dug into whether it's possible to disable them. You can , but if you do, Amazon will no longer send Amazon "Smile" micro-donations to whatever charity you've selected: https://i.imgur.com/wNAkUAT.jpeg . I can't say that this is underhanded, but it does cast into sharp relief the fact that A…

So Amazon gives you 3 options, two of which result in a charity of your choice getting money in exchange for a minor inconvenience to you, and the third of which is to not participate in the charity program. And this makes them the bad guy?

Why not just donate the money directly to charity and not have Amazon notifications?

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#269

Post by Diesel555 »

patentatt wrote: post #262
mhardcastle wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shopping at Amazon has become such a blatantly user-hostile experience. More than any company I've dealt with in recent memory, they seem to tolerate just about any unethical behavior - allowing fake product reviews, facilitating sale of counterfeit merchandise, and evidently withholding charitable donations if you don't allow them to pester you via your own device. It's to the point that shopping at Amazon feels dir…

And yet sometimes I'm basically forced into using them. Twice in recent months an item bought from a retailer is 20-40% cheaper if I buy it from that same retailer but through their amazon account. It infuriates me. I'm trying to avoid amazon as much as possible, but if you charge 20-40% more for the same item when ordered direct from you vs your amazon storefront, I'll give amazon my business every time. I wish reta…

Clearly that seller is getting some benefit for selling the product through Amazon, probably close to 20-40% of the value of their product if they didn't. They aren't just using Amazon because it's fun. It provides them some value.

> I'm trying to avoid amazon as much as possible, but if you charge 20-40% more for the same item when ordered direct from you vs your amazon storefront, I'll give amazon my business every time. I wish retailers would stope doing this.

Unless you change "I'll give amazon my business every time" to "I won't accept it" it will continue. It's basic economics in a competitive environment with a lot of buyers and sellers. To you, the cost of the Amazon experience is worth the financial benefit. There are likely other consumers that the Amazon experience is not worth it who buy it from the manufacturer. And likely, on the other side, there are those would use the Amazon experience for a mere 5-10% discount instead of the 20-40%. Those people receive a "consumer surplus" for getting it at 20-40% below value instead of 5-10%. The market has settled at 20-40%.

Big picture, if you don't like it in a competitive environment, buy from the manufacturer and help shift the supply demand curve.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#270

Post by gameman144 »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #148
nickpp wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hell let’s make selling anything about me illegal: my voice, my image, my ideas, my bodily fluids, especially my time and effort. Then I can finally live off the allowance our caring government will generously offer.

Here, how about a compromise. They can have my data but they have to pay minimum wage for it.

What even does "minimum wage" mean in this context? Like, all the time they possess it? The CPU time they spend on it? I'm not sure I understand the sense this makes.
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