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Google Adds Street View to Web-Based Google Maps for Mobile Devices
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It uses vector based graphics.
That's true if and only if the app downloads (caches) the map data first (and it's true for all other map apps). The phone hasn't got all the maps stored in its memory.
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On the contrary, I think it works surprisingly well for a web app. Obviously if you compare it with a native app it is inferior.
It's hard for me to believe there has been a lot of consumer experience with this in North Korea.
that is if you need to know where the phone is, why is that important for street view?
Can't I view other streets that I am currently not located on?
You are a recipient of their services and thus you are a customer.
The services are payed for by advertisers who hope that some of their adverts will appeal to you and score them a sell.
Are you a product when you pick up free newspapers? I don't think so.
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North Korea.
Right....
Yeah, the old app had no idea of where you were...
Actually, if you were paranoid about Google knowing your exact location, you could turn the old Maps.app's location tracking off in iOS settings.
You could still get maps, itineraries, street view and everything except your location (blue dot) wouldn't show.
Not that I personally care about Google knowing my location but it's true that they shouldn't need your exact location for you to use their maps, they just do to gather more of your personnal information because that's how they make profit.
Now, now. Steve Jobs said that HTML5 apps were "sweet".
The Jobs worshippers seem to forget that he never envisioned the need of an App Store, but rather an iPhone running just web apps. The jailbreak community convinced him otherwise.
http://9to5mac.com/2011/10/21/jobs-original-vision-for-the-iphone-no-third-party-native-apps/
I agree with you. What I'm saying is the reason they don't need your location is because they are triangulating your position via wi-fi. They are getting it without asking you.
They shouldn't need it at all but...it's Google. Either live with them or live without them. I'm ok with letting them see my data...for now. Strange that I'm more concerned with Facebook having my data than Google.
I'm a user, let's agree on that. A customer is someone who directly contribute to revenue, someone who buys something.
As you say, the services are paid for by advertisers, ie the customers. But there are more of them, for example users of different Google API's (maps and translation services for example).
This is not really specific to Google though, but is true for all (for profit) free to use internet services.
Dude, it's to locate you on the map. No one cares where you are, you are not that important.
Advertisers are the customers who contribute to revenue, that's correct.
Semantically even if you use the word users instead of customers, I still wouldn't use the word "products". It has a very pejorative connotation and suggests a very exploitive nature of the company, and hence my "fear-mongering" comment. I personally do not think that Google is treating their customers/users as products and exploits them heavily. Obviously you have the right to disagree with this.
Better performance, faster app launch, would work offline with automatically cached maps, more vertical space, use of compass/gyroscope.
I also assume it would use vector-based maps (loads faster, prettier, uses less data) have 3D satellite imagery and possibly turn-by-turn direction / voice search.
Walter -
I just checked out your website for your farm. I applaud what you are doing. I wish that I could get your pork loins in the Boston area.
So the reason not to call the users "products" is that it sounds bad.
If Google lost all their users tomorrow, what would they sell to their customers?
I can agree that it's not the users directly that are products, but their data.
Is there still no way to make show traffic persistent such that when you first open the web app it'll show traffic? Currently I have to select it within layers.
I don't think that's correct.
Neither the data nor the users are products. Google does not sell you or your data to anyone. Google merely uses your data to show you relevant advertisements which in turn bring profit to Google (Google does not tell the advertiser that John Smith from Arizona likes motorbikes, they merely show you relevant ads based on your activity). The advertisements are the products here.
It's like listening to the Radio. You get the music, news and shows for free, however from time to time you will listen to some ads - that's how the radio makes money. Are you a product in this case?
Ok, aspects of the user's data is used to create the product. A very targeted advertisement space.