navigation

Although matters have been quieter on that front, Huawei remains barred from accessing many US products critical to its smartphone business. It hasn't stopped trying to look for key apps and services to replace its dependence on Google's popular software. The latest piece to be replaced is Google Maps which has now become the go-to service for location and navigation and the Chinese OEM has just closed a deal with Dutch mapping company TomTom exactly for that purpose.

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The US and China may be butting heads over 5G dominance among other things but that isn't the only technology that two giants are fighting over. Far older and years in the making, China has been working to create its own navigation satellite system independent of the popular US-owned GPS. While it might still take more than a decade before it goes fully online, China is close to completing its Beidou constellation with the launch of the final two satellites by June 2020.

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Waze, the navigation app owned by Google, is popular due in part to its report functionality, which enables drivers to submit reports that help other drivers avoid various issues on the road. The latest update to this feature is the ability to report when a road hasn't yet been plowed, a key warning that will help many drivers avoid troublesome roads during the winter months.

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Google Maps keeps borrowing features from Waze, and latest to be bundling into the navigation software is an easy way to report road hazards and other events directly from the iPhone app. The new feature allows Google Maps users on iOS to report crashes they pass, along with speed traps and traffic slowdowns, straight from their phone.

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Google Maps and, later, Waze have changed the way we navigate through roads and streets but another revolution also changed the way we travel. While it's not unusual for many to take multiple modes of transportation on a single trip, nowadays some people prefer to cover that last mile with less conventional means, like two-wheeled bicycles and the even more recent ridesharing system. Fortunately, Google Maps is now adapting to the latest trends and will inform users of such options when trying to find their way to their destination.

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There is an old saying that goes "just because you could, doesn't mean you should." And because it's old, it is also often taken for granted. That, however, seems to the realization that the US Navy has reached in investigating a fatal warship collision in 2017. Moving forward, the Navy will be installing physical controls and throttles on warships installed with touchscreens after an overwhelming amount of fleets voiced their preference for the analog controls over flat glass ones.

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Waze is getting a new Carpool calendar, with the popular navigation app adding features that should make managing group trips easier - and might let you secure the front seat, too. The Waze Carpool calendar is part scheduling tool and part social network, and builds on the initial carpooling app which the Google-owned service launched back in 2017.

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Waze is adding toll prices to its navigation guidance, flagging up just how much trips across North America and Israel will actually cost when paid routes are taken into consideration. The new feature is being added from today in the US, Canada, and Israel, and will be able to show an estimated cost of each potential trip in addition to how long a drive, and how far, they'll involve.

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When Amazon first announced the Amazon Echo smart speaker and its Alexa assistant, there were some jokes about putting it inside cars somehow. With the Echo Dot and third-party batteries, that almost became possible. Now they won't have to resort to hacks and workarounds thanks to the new Garmin DriveSmart 65 that not only gets drivers and their passengers to their destination, they can also make their shopping list on the go, all hands-free.

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Google Maps has changed the way we navigate the world but, for some, Waze was the one that changed the way we drive around. Of course, Google owns Waze so it's no surprise that some driving-related features have eventually come to the main Maps app. The latest is the inclusion of a speedometer right at the corner of Google Maps screen which could help drivers, or their passengers, notice how fast they might be going.

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Garmin has a new GPS navigation device, and while smartphones may have taken over in-car directions, the Garmin Overlander aims to prove that standalone still has its place. Targeting the overlanding community, the eponymous all-in-one navigator includes not only road mapping and directions but topographical mapping, too.

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"Google" is now also a verb because of how search has become so ingrained in our modern lives. There is, however, one other Google product that has subtly cemented its role in our lives. Google Maps has changed the way we travel and navigate partly because it made what was once a paid subscription feature available for all and for free. The latter isn't going to change but Google may soon be looking for ways to profit from its lead by, what else, placing ads in Google Maps.

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