Rahul Always

6 Ways Google Maps Beats Apple iOS 6 Maps One of the most significant updates to iOS 6 is Apple's new Maps application, which replaces Google Maps as the default, pre-loaded app. It's widely believed Apple did this to scale back its reliance on a major competitor for a key part of its mobile operating system. It's less likely, though still possible, that Google's licensing terms became too onerous, or that Apple wanted to activate voice navigation for free and Google refused, since the built-in, voice-enabled Google Maps Navigation app has been one of Android's traditional competitive advantages. Whatever the reason, I was hoping Apple was going to come out of the gate strongly with its own Maps app. After all, Apple has a pretty good history of doing just that. It looks at the market, see what other competitors have done, and then comes in with its own product that often upends existing ideas and with an extra dose of polish. Unfortunately, it appears that we didn't get this at all. Apple Maps looks gorgeous, and functions well enough on a basic level. But early impressions are that it's a 1.0 app in a 6.0 OS. For example, reports are already pouring in saying that Maps is coming up with some strange ideas about how to get places. Google went through this sort of thing years ago. Waze is going through this now, as crowd-sourced directions are great for avoiding traffic, but not so good at optimizing routes when behind the wheel. It takes years of refinements to get this right. So far, it appears Apple's vague mix of TomTom, Waze, and other sources isn't panning out so well yet. It sure isn't TomTom's fault, incidentally; its devices have been great at routing for years. We'll be testing iOS 6 Maps much more heavily over the next week, particularly as the iPhone 5 arrives. Existing iPhone 4S owners who upgrade to iOS 6 get the same feature set, while those with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 get most, but not all, new iOS 6 Maps features - like voice navigation and flyovers. But even today, just with some basic testing, it's clear Google Maps retains a serious advantage in many key areas: The maps themselves. The city maps we're seeing in iOS 6 Maps certainly look attractive, but they're also kind of bizarre. For example, zoom in and out, and Apple's app has a really curious way of deciding which neighborhood names and landmarks are important, and which aren't. In the above screenshot, I'd probably pick four or five neighborhoods before highlighting the tiny Koreatown and Meatpacking Districts: Chelsea, Gramercy Park, Murray Hill, Midtown… Poor address location. Right here in Manhattan, the app is proving it has trouble finding points of interests as well as even basic street addresses. Even when it has my location nailed on East 28th Street, I typed the full street address of the building I was standing in front of, and the type-ahead search brought up five examples in Brian Head, Utah. I ran a search on a street address on East 15th Street in Manhattan, and it delivered a red pin on Marlborough Road in Brooklyn—not only was that incorrect, but it defaulted to Brooklyn, since Brooklyn has an East 15th Street, instead of Manhattan. I put in my father's old store, which has been open in Brooklyn since 1976, and Maps lists it as a Jewish Center in the middle of the block. He didn't own a Jewish Center. Around the Web, people are noticing it gets entire neighborhoods wrong, and someone found it gives the wrong city name for Berlin in Germany. No street views. Google Street View started as a fun and curious experiment in San Francisco years ago, but has since blossomed into something truly extraordinary that works in many major metropolitan areas. Google added it to show destinations during voice navigation, too, although that's minor in comparison to its day-to-day importance on the ground. It's gone. Apple's flyovers are really cool, but they only work in a couple of cities; it's probably going to take Apple just as long as it did Google to build this into something truly useful. Missing public transit information. This has already been widely reported, and it's a big one if you live in a major city. There's no bus, subway, or train information—schedules, stops, and transit times are all gone. It essentially means that if you're on foot, you can no longer rely on the Maps app to give you directions or even show you nearby stops to head to. Fortunately, you can still access Google Maps for this info via the browser, although that's decidedly less convenient, and it doesn't allow for simultaneous GPS location as you're walking. Poor 3D driving interface. Aside from possible routing issues, Maps doesn't offer a useful 3D interface while driving. It features the next step prominently in a fake green road sign, and the distance to it; that's great. But the ETA and distance remaining is crammed into the top status bar with a very tiny font. There's no current road speed or speed limit display. You can't tap the display to repeat a voice command in case you didn't hear it. There's no traffic info on screen. Google Maps Navigation isn't perfect, but a lot of this stuff is present, and the interface works well on the road. Poor traffic reporting. I've really come to rely on Google's shaded traffic reporting, which is based on three colors (green, yellow, red) and shows at a glance exactly what you're up against before you start driving. That's gone with Apple Maps; instead, you get some red dotted lines showing… something. I'm assuming congestion. This being Manhattan, that's not very helpful. There are a lot of people here. There's always congestion. PCMag Well, with the hurry to get Google Maps off from the iPhone, I wonder if Apple has bitten off more than it can chew? (Pun intended!)

Apple flops with new maps Apple faced growing criticism on Thursday from users around the world who complained that the tech giant's new mapping system is riddled with errors. A day after the new system was released, users from countries including the United States, Britain, China, France and Japan protested that the new maps misplace some landmarks and leave others off altogether. Many disappointed fans headed to online forums to vent their frustration, which could take the shine off the eagerly awaited release of the iPhone 5 on Friday. "In the UK many town names are wrong, with some missing; roads are all the same colour; satellite image resolution is not as good as it was previously," user Shilts9 wrote on Apple's support forum. "Awful in Australia, too," wrote Shane Keher. "Apple's version is bad on so many levels it's hard to imagine a workable version for at least a year or two." Apple announced in June that its new operating system for mobile gadgets, iOS6, would replace the Google Maps app with its own custom-made mapping software. iOS6 became available to existing users of the iPhone, iPad and iPad Touch on Wednesday, and anyone who installs it will have to use the new maps. The system comes pre-installed on the iPhone 5, which debuts across nine countries on Friday. But the glitches have put a dampener on the launch and the strong reviews for iOS6's other features. Users have reported satellite images showing various locations, particularly in rainy Scotland, obscured by cloud -- while a search for Manchester United Football Club directs users to Sale United Football Club, for footballers aged five and above. Sears Tower in Chicago has reportedly shrunk, Helsinki railway station was listed as a park, and a British furniture museum placed in a river. In Ireland, justice minister Alan Shatter has written to Apple asking for an urgent correction to an error placing an airport at a farm named Airfield in his Dublin constituency. A separate Google Maps app is not currently available for sale from Apple, although Google's system can still be used via the iPhone's web browser. Apple was yet to comment on the complaints about the software. Dutch sat-nav company TomTom, which worked with Apple on the program, told the BBC it provided only the data for the maps and was not responsible for how they worked. Foxnews BBC News Economic Times

Well each day is a learning experience! The solution is something that has escaped all our attention. Glad to know your PC is up and running!

Right Choice magazine likes to call itself "truly independent" since they do not take advertisements at all. So the complete magazine is paid for by the subscriber. Each month, they review a lot of products including cars, mobiles, washing machines, TVs, music systems, laptops, coffee shop chains, supermarkets etc. They say that they are not affected by external influences and deliver to the customer what he truly desires - a review that is not paid! I have subscribed to one year (much before this offer of pen drive) and am into my fourth month. Seems quite a decent deal so far!

Many many happy returns of the day Rajan bhai! Keep helping all of us out here with all your amazing finds!

If you have a LAN card (internal) or a display card, try and remove that and then restart your PC. Defect on either of these could also result in your PC not starting up considering that you have replaced your SMPS and not got any success. Further, if you have more than one memory module, try and start by removing them and inserting them one by one. Remove connections for your DVD drive. If you have more than one HDD, then remove connections and use them one by one. Any one faulty component could result in this situation. Regards Rahul

Finally got the prized OTA update to JB 4.1.1 yesterday night. Seems quite smooth as of now. Dont know if the network is better as compared to the previous versions but everything seems to be the same with enhanced performance. Have the option of sticking on to the official version or else back to rooting with custom ROMs. Glad to be on the Nexus S 4g, Google's pet!

It could be a defect with the SMPS since the SMPS and CPU fans are not rotating when you switch on the PC. The power required by the motherboard is minimal and therefore the SMPS is able to just provide power for that. However, it is not able to sustain the additional power requirements of running a PC and therefore nothing happens. In addition to changing SMPS, I would suggest carrying out the following if you are not a noob as far as PC is concerned: - (a) Open up the CPU case. Make sure that you and the screw driver you use are grounded prior to this. ( Remove the memory stick (s) and clean the contacts using a normal eraser. Also if you have a source of compressed / pressurised air, then blow the memory card slots on the motherboard to remove dust, foreign objects, if any. © If you have a display card, remove the card and clean as above. (d) Check that the fans are functioning properly when the power is switched on. Clean the fans and contacts as appropriate. (e) Remove and re-fit all power and data cords to the DVD drive and Hard disks Regards

The release of iPhone 5 is going to reignite the patent wars as both HTC and Samsung prepare to sue Apple on use of LTE in the new iPhone. I wonder how Apple would come out of this when HTC is planning to ask for a ban on entry of the new iPhone to US! Link And in the lighter vein, Apple Sues Apple As IPhone Found Copied From Earlier Versions In a major turn of events, after running out of companies to sue, Apple has decided to sue itself for $10 Billion. Apple says that Apple knowingly and wilfully copied its own products and failed to innovate. “Look at the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS; they all look very similar. Now look at the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S; they are almost the same,” said an Apple lawyer. Apple says that it has a patent on squares with rounded corners, which Apple copied for the last 4 years. People have been mislead into buying newer products, year after year, which are basically the same. However, Apple says that it was building on its own innovation and design patents shouldn’t apply in this case. The judiciary system in the US is absolutely stumped. They are already convinced that Apple has shamelessly copied Apple, but are not able to decide how to go about the case. It is the first time in history that a company has sued itself. Some analysts believe that this is a very smart move by Apple. If Apple loses the case, and pays 10 Billion USD to Apple, it might serve as a precedent for future cases. Some believe that it is marketing ploy by Apple, after being reportedly out of any tech coverage for over 4 hours. The lawyers at Apple’s legal department were found to be having a huge party near the campus in anticipation of the huge pay check that they hope to receive from Apple, as well as Apple. Courtesy : Fakingnews

Bought one and it got delivered in three days flat! Dont know about the product but does seem genuine enough and manufactured in Paris. Well at 48 (incl shipping), I cant be complaining! Thanks for the link

Thanks for the information. I had rooted my Nexus S 4g and had been using a custom 4.1.1 (JB) rom. Just now unrooted and immediately getting my OTA update for ICS. Let me see how good the OTA rom is. Else I plan to go back to rooting and using a custom rom again!

Wishing everyone a happy independence day! Enjoy responsibly Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

@ Sougata, I think the OP here was referring to video calls similar to those available with GSM and not using third party software like Skype / Fring / G Talk etc which anyway is supported by both GSM and CDMA operators on 3G and EVDO respectively. I think it is high time CDMA operators addressed this issue of video calling using normal mobile network on similar lines of 3G GSM operators.

Thanks a lot. Worked for me. I have been searching for the code for quite sometime now after downloading Market Unlocker.

Check out the deal for Samsung Galaxy S3 deal for a measly sum of Rs. 9/- If you are lucky you will get the Galaxy S3 else 9 rupees gaya paani mein! Par chalta hain na? http://www.dealsandyou.com/Chance-to-win-Samsung-galaxy-S-III/samsung.html

Well they certainly seems to have taken efforts to develop the website, get it registered etc. I wonder how they hope to recover their investment. They also talk of payment through credit card. Seems like a huge risk to take since the customer can easily block payment citing dispute. Maybe he is hoping that majority of people would prefer to have cash deposit / online bank transfer. Anyway thanks everyone for the research. Made quite interesting reading!

I think a Rimweb page is already there in Facebook?

I do agree with you VA that it may not be the same with every phone nor do I judge your capabilities. As I said, it is a pain especially for newbies used to GSM handsets who feel thrilled on being introduced to ultra cool handsets. However, all said and done, the efforts of all the power sellers out here cannot be belittled and am sure many would be willing to help out in case any one of us do get stuck. However, yes, the fact that we are so "dependent" on someone else for even seemingly trivial issues can prove to a damper for most people.

I agree with you there. Having to disturb the original seller again and again is quite am embarrassing situation and something which is unique only to imported programmable handsets. Well I guess most of the sellers here have got more or less resigned to the fact that they could be doing the same job more than once and almost like a "life time support" each time! I have visited a WW near RBI and the person there sounded knowledgeable enough regarding ability to transfer an existing number out of my handset to a RUIM and vice versa. Why dont you try there? Plus, EVDO activation happened on the phone through 198. Regards Rahul PS: No offence taken !

I think this is quite a relevant topic. I do admit that I am using an imported handset which I bought from Saddik here itself and I personally have not faced any problems, both in getting my number shifted to the handset or activating EVDO (not once but twice after I had to shift circles). However, the ease with which the same is available with GSM handsets is sadly lacking as far as "decent" CDMA sets are concerned. Either the sets require numbers to be programmed which noobs obviously cant undertake or else the OMH handsets are expensive or else very basic. So in most ways, it is a no-win situation. Even when we have to sell these handsets, it becomes quite a pain trying to make the Webworld guys understand the nuances of the problem. Not withstanding all that, I will still try to correct a few errors in the opening post. EVDO activation does not require seller intervention after the parameters are entered correctly. It is only a matter of making the customer care understand what exactly you want. Post reduction of 3G rates by most GSM operators, it is cheaper using a GSM connection for net rather than 3.1 Mbps (theoretical) on CDMA. I guess this is a recent happening and earlier, EVDO rates were definitely much cheaper than comparable 3G rates. Getting a customer care guy to try and understand that you want your phone to be declared as "lost or stolen" can be definitely a trying experience especially in small towns. So shifting of a number does become a pain. However, I definitely found it pretty simple in Mumbai. Warranty does not exist since these phones are imported on a "as-is" basis. Most sellers however do try and address issues (especially if defects happen within initial periods where the buyer is not at fault). And then what happens if your high end GSM phone develops issues on the 366th day? OTA updates and custom roms do not remove your number and data settings unless you have been playing around with stuff without really understanding issues. Again, you cant blame anyone other than yourself for fiddling around with settings unnecessarily. Here, even if you play around with GSM phones, the warranty becomes null and void.

The presence of 3G icon does not necessarily indicate that you are on EVDO network. I too used to have the similar 3G icon on my Nexus S even before it had been configured. However, now that my settings have been configured, I find both 3G and 1X appearing depending on the available network. The ping speeds seem to suggest that your handset is not configured correctly yet. If the dealer is local, then maybe approach him and get the handset configured correctly else speak to him and ask him to configure the phone for you using maybe teamviewer. Regards Rahul

Just dealt with Deltapage.com. Been really impressed with their speed of delivery. Paid for it yesterday and I am already holding the items in my hand today. Could not have asked for anything better. The only grouse (if it can be termed as such) is that they charge an extra 3% for credit card payments and instead prefer online bank transfer. Other than that, the transaction has been smooth as silk! Would definitely recommended deltapage.com to others out here Regards Rahul

Wanted to shift my desktop to a more convenient location in the house. With MTNL already providing a Wifi modem, picked up the iBall Baton 150M Wireless-N USB Adapter. Even though the price mentioned (including the website is Rs 1099/-) managed to get it from Rs 800 after some hard bargaining. The component comes with 3 years warranty and with an iBall product, am sure would definitely have peace of mind. It was easy to install and Windows detected it immediately on installation of the bundled drivers. It is supposed to have 150m range indoors and 300m range outdoors (line of sight) so sufficient for me inside the same room. The speeds have not deteriorated even though I have shifted from LAN to Wifi. In fact have even noticed a slight uptrend as far as internet speeds are concerned. Website link: iBall Baton Regards Rahul

Recieved the Gillette Fusion Razor too. Good packing and despatched through Aramex Couriers. Thanks once again Honest bhai!

If you are looking for activation of EVDO I would suggest calling up 198 rather than *222 or *333. Tell them you want to request for activation of EVDO. I had my EVDO activated by calling up 198 so why dont you try that?