Within this trip, with some help from Google and Apple, I became determined to keep caffeinated and maybe find somewhere else to eat besides McDonald's and truck stops.
We had two iPhones and 2 Android phones between us, allowing me to evaluate Google Maps on the iPhone and Android and Apple's own mapping app with the iPhone. There isn't any Apple app on Android. These apps all have turn-by-turn voice navigation and can nag you with new directions if you make an incorrect turn or make an effort to turn off-course.
I tested out of the Google and Apple mapping apps before, but centered on how their walking and public-transportation functions worked in New york. I needed to discover where did they performed for driving and not in the comfort of any major metropolitan area.
But mainly, I want to to see how Google Maps fared compared to Apple's Maps, which kicked Google Maps over iPhone in September. That meant Google had no mapping app on the iPhone until it released a replacement in December. Google Maps with voice navigation has been on Android phones since 2009. I additionally wanted to find out if the Android and iPhone versions necessary the same features. (Spoiler alert: They don't really).
We embark from Big apple with his easily bored 3-year-old daughter strapped from the back seat. I energized the phones and set courses for my parents' home in Haslett, Mich. (just outside Lansing, for those too lazy to Google it).
Both versions of Google Maps and the Apple software essentially gave me exactly the same directions and time estimate - approximately 10 hours, though we had arrived planning on 12 with stops.
We usually relax at the Panera Bread bakery about an hour into Pennsylvania, but our daughter was napping and that we weren't really hungry. So we threw ourselves at the mercy of Google and Apple and hoped that they would find us something in the hour or two.
When we wound throughout the hills, with my better half driving, I watched the small blue arrows on my phones move across the state and checked out all the features each mapping program offered.
The Android version of Google Maps has got the most toys as well as the most breathtaking graphics. The bars and cleaners visible on its street maps of recent York get replaced with the names of rivers and small-town roads from the distance.
By comparison, both iPhone apps seem simplistic, which isn't too surprising as being the Android app a start of several years. Apple's fancy 3-D graphics largely burn away when you get out of your city.
The Android version allows me to pick out "layers" for my map showing particular things like traffic and nearby businesses.
The restaurant layer proved beneficial when my daughter started getting cranky and we was required to make an unplanned stop.
The traffic layer, which illuminates in red, yellow and green depending on the quantity of traffic, also was particularly helpful along the way here we are at Big apple. It warned us of a monster backup within the George Washington Bridge and estimated just how long that may delay us in case we wanted to take another route. We took our chances while using bridge. Even though the delay wasn't quite badly even as feared it becomes, rrt had been definitely helpful to be familiar with it early.
The iPhone version of Google Maps doesn't offer layers in any way. And even though the Apple software does offer some traffic information, you cannot see it available as a layer when you're in navigation mode as you're able using the Android version.
The Android version also lets you set a last destination and try to find places along your route, while Google's iPhone app doesn't.
Apple lets me accomplish this utilizing the Siri voice assistant on my iPhone. By striking the home button and saying "Starbucks," I got the nearest locations.
It is precisely what we did a period of time into Pennsylvania when our caffeine withdrawal headaches started to activate and our daughter was getting antsy.
As it turned out, both Siri as well as the Android phones located a Starbucks in a town just a couple miles journey freeway. We easily got there, but thought it was was within the campus of Bloomsburg University, which appeared closed for that holidays.
So, we were back while travelling and headed to a higher location, in Williamsport. Unfortunately, we never made it to that Starbucks either. Apple and Google both took us with a residential part of the suburbs, without any Starbucks coming soon.
I still are not aware of basically did a problem or if there is one inside the mapping software. Given that both sent me with a store whose existence I later verified, I'm more inclined guilty my caffeine-deprived brain versus the phones.
We never saw a Starbucks before leaving Pennsylvania or even a cute mom-and-pop restaurant to consume at. But when we finally caved to the daughter's demands and made a decision to visit the following exit, I did utilize the restaurants layer during one from the heart.} Android phones to locate an Arby's. Not exactly haute cuisine, however it is a guilty pleasure from childhood of mine, and all sorts of three individuals got the break we needed.
Furthermore used the feature for the trip to Big apple to identify a Mexican restaurant we had eaten at a two years ago outside Youngstown, Ohio. Unfortunately, it had yet to spread out for the day, therefore i used it to discover and look online reviews about another Mexican put down the trail. We finished up developing a nice meal there.
It's worth mentioning until this is one kind of days past smartphones with larger screens help. The Samsung Galaxy Note II I became using let me easily take a look at what companies are available off exits far as time goes on. Regardless of whether my iPhone ended up able to show me these items, it could happen to be difficult view them on its comparatively tiny screen (3.5 inches diagonally on my older Apple 4S, in contrast to the Note's 5.5 inches).
Another nice feature entirely on the Android, however , not Google's iPhone app or Apple's software, is that the phone's screen enters a single night mode when you find yourself driving through the night. The background turns dark, so it will be not as distracting.
One drawback with Android phones: There is a rough sledding finding enough juice, even when plugged into the car's charger. In fact, the HTC Droid DNA I had been using provided two warnings that my energy usage was outpacing the electricity visiting my phone. A colleague a similar problem using two other Android phones. By contrast, the iPhone appears to stay fully charged when you hook it up.
Naturally, I could shut one Android phone down while I use another, but this probably isn't an alternative for most people.
After we got to Michigan, the phones also proved a good choice for quick little trips in town. That included a last-minute trip to a Toys `R Us i always couldn't quite remember fondly the location of. I also got with a restaurant that was slightly off of the beaten path.
Important thing is the fact when you find yourself on your way, all three programs will likely ensure you get where you're heading. They feature clear maps and audible instructions which have been obvious to see. This helps you the directions you may need with sufficient of time for making turns and get inside the appropriate lane of traffic. And once you inevitably do miss a turn or highway exit, these are quick to recalculate your route.
Nevertheless for those who want an experience and information that rivals those offered by a car or truck Global positioning system unit, Google Maps for Android would be the way to go. Just don't forget your automobile charger.
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