TA Maps for Windows Phone 7
TechAutos Maps is a mapping solution for Windows Phone 7 that uses sources like Google Maps and OpenStreetMap and gives better coverage in many parts of the world than Bing Maps. TA Maps includes:
- Scrollable/zoomable maps
- GPS location tracking
- Search, driving directions
- Maps: Google street/satellite/terrain/bicycle/China, OpenStreetMap, OpenCycleMap
- Layers: Google traffic, transit
- Favorite locations
- Driving mode (keeps map centered on GPS location)
- GPS sensitivity settings
- Smoothly restores your last map view and pushpins
We will be adding features like a new points-of-interest database in upcoming updates.
How to Get It
TA Maps is available on the marketplace for $1.99 (or equivalent in other countries).
Here’s a direct link: TA Maps at the Zune Marketplace. You can also just search for “TA Maps” in the Marketplace app on your phone.
Contact Us
If you have any feature requests or encounter issues with TA Maps, feel free to contact us at support (at) techautos.com.
Known Issues
Here are issues we have identified in v2.2 thus far:
- At times (particularly with pushpins located far from the current location), a message indicating a WP7 map error may appear. This is likely due to a bug in the WP7 map control, but a workaround is in progress. To get rid of the error, tap the bottom menu then “clear map.”
- Google Maps does not provide search data for Israel, North Korea, Cyprus, Guyana, Kiribati, Maldives, Malta, Palau, Suriname, and Vanuata (see here). This is because Google only has a license to use the data on its own site, and not to provide it to others. We will try to address this by adding other search data sources but can’t provide any guarantees.
Release History
v0.1 – 12/5/2010 – Released as a side-loaded app for jailbroken phones
v2.0.1 – 2/11/2011 – First version to hit Windows Phone Marketplace
v2.1 – 2/18/2011 – Fixed search bug for non-dot-decimal locales, fixed search box focus issue, improved map error handling, added driving mode indication
v2.2 – 3/30/2011 – Added driving directions, zoom buttons, new map types (terrain, bike, OSM, Google China, OpenCycleMap), Google map layers (traffic, transit), prevent screen lock option, pushpin popups, share pin info by email; added trial version; expanded pushpin options; fixed local search bug
about 1 year ago
Works great, only the 2nd app i paid for so far, as google maps have superior Intl coverage.
Any chance of enabling street view using xna 3d api's.?
about 1 year ago
Street View is likely possible- we'll look into it soon.
about 1 year ago
when is turn by turn coming?
about 1 year ago
The next update, v2.2, will have basic driving directions and should be out in the next week or two. More advanced navigation will come in a future update.
about 1 year ago
I'm dying for results from Google Maps Traffic. Does it have it or will you be adding it? My wife and I will both buy it immediately if you do. Unfortunately, Google is the only one with traffic on non-highways in Charlotte, NC.
about 1 year ago
If you mean the traffic layer (which overlays green/yellow/red color on roads to indicate traffic status), then yes, that's been added in for the next update, v2.2, which will come in the next week or two.
about 1 year ago
Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Beautiful! Will it also show accidents like Google Maps does online?
Can't wait to check it out!!!
about 1 year ago
Hi Michael- just a heads-up that v2.2 is up with the traffic layer added.
about 1 year ago
Thank you guys!
I'm buying it as soon as you put in driving directions!
Cheers from India (where Bing Maps sucks)
about 1 year ago
Hi Chintan- just letting you know that v2.2 is up with driving directions– and it works fine in our testing in Delhi and Mumbai
about 1 year ago
please make sure ut has post code look up..very useful feature
about 1 year ago
When I type in UK address E.G. Wood Green it defaults to finding Wood Green in the US instead of near me. Bing maps doesn't do this nor Google maps on the Iphone. Any help?
about 1 year ago
We've fixed this in v2.2, which now correctly searches based on the current map window. The update is going through marketplace testing and should be up in a couple of days.
about 1 year ago
When are Directions for Walking and Driving appearing and can it use the compass so i know which direction I'm facing in?
about 1 year ago
Driving directions are coming in the next update, 2.2, which will be submitted for marketplace testing in the next couple of days and should be approved by next week.
Can't use the compass at the moment because Windows Phone 7 does not support it yet. Microsoft says it'll be coming in one of their updates (likely the one coming later this month), so as soon as they include it in the OS, we'll add it to TA Maps.
about 1 year ago
Is there any sort of map caching going on, or will it always require a data connection to view maps? I would like to use this in foreign countries where Bing maps coverage is abysmal, and in these places I would download map data on wifi, and then use the cached data while offline.
about 1 year ago
There is some (minimal) caching for performance, but nothing that would avoid using the data connection. Unfortunately, the WP7 map control currently does not support local caching, so we'd have to recode it from scratch to include the feature. Will look into it.
about 1 year ago
Please anable a testversion. Maybe you could let us test the App for one week. I'd like to buy it but not without testing it.
about 1 year ago
Yep, we're enabling a free trial version with the next update (v2.2), which should hit the marketplace by next week.
about 1 year ago
Hi Bob- v2.2 is up with a free trial version, so check it out.
about 1 year ago
Search doesn't seem to go local, so when I put in "cuba st' it goes to somewhere in the united states, not just down the road from where I live in Wellington New Zealand. It doesn't seem to have POI search. Is this coming? Would be very useful.
about 1 year ago
Currently it does a geocode search, which includes addresses and major landmarks. We’ll be adding a more extensive POI database in the next update, v2.3 (v2.2 will be hitting the marketplace in a few days).
On the local search, it feeds the current map view to Google, which in that particular case (and a few others) doesn’t seem to be properly biasing the results based on distance. Looking into this now.
about 1 year ago
Update- we've fixed this issue in the v2.2 update, which is going through marketplace testing and should be up in a couple of days. More extensive POIs will be coming in v2.3.
about 1 year ago
Great App, thank you! Appreciate you guys pushing the boundaries and continuing development work on this… bing maps it completely useless outside the USA. Cheers
about 1 year ago
Glad you like it– a big update (2.2) should hit the marketplace in a few days, adding driving directions and more. Let us know if you have any issues or think of any features you'd like.
about 1 year ago
2.2 is a great app! Is there a schedule for the features I am still missing?
.) Automatically updating turn-by-turn navigation (when there is a detour, for example)
.) Voice instructions.
.) A map where I am always driving to the top screen edge (now the top screen edge is always the north side of the map).
.) Landscape mode.
.) A map that is not viewed from a 90° angle, but from, let's say, 30°.
about 1 year ago
Yeah we're looking at adding in something closer to a full-blown navigation system. Will be a focus after v2.3 (which will add a new point-of-interest database)– looking into voice instructions and rotating maps as part of it. Will also check on implementing a landscape mode.
about 1 year ago
2.2 is a very nice update adding novel zoom buttons in a position very convenient on my HD7, thank you! Search is still more "miss" than "hit". Google maps in Taipei are very detailed showing all shop names, addresses, etc. Previously I could voice search "KFC" or "7-11" and all the locations in my area are identified. Tap on one and a sub-options menu appears offering more information, directions, etc. On TA Maps v2.2, typing "KFC" brings up nothing. Same for McDonalds. Typing "7-11" brings up 'some' hits, but not all. Maybe this version of search is 'eat healthy' version?
Anyway, just a little bit of feedback incase it's helpful for you to further unlock the google maps for WP7. Again, many thanks for your hard work!
Cheers
about 1 year ago
Yep the main focus for v2.3 is to add a new point-of-interest database, which will contain info on things like restaurants, stores, etc. Google's Places database is currently not open for outside developers to use, but we should still be able to get decent results through an alternative.
about 1 year ago
Incidentally our dev phone is also an HD7, hence the button positioning. Hope it's as convenient on other phones too!
about 1 year ago
great app guys. i only ask that you update it so u can make it so i can plan a trip using public transit like the blackberry does. Would be usuful to plan a Septa (philadelphia transit) bus trip on my WP7 and map where its going
about 1 year ago
Google does not allow outside developers to access its public transit directions system (due to licensing constraints from public transit systems that want you to use their own websites), but we're looking at a few other data sources we could use to add public transit routing.
about 1 year ago
Please can i know what about audio as i need to hear while i drive whit my car. Please i need to have from a replay, thank very much and best regards .Friendly rocco calabrese
about 1 year ago
Yes, we're looking at text-to-speech for the driving directions. It would be most useful as part of a more dynamic turn-by-turn navigation system, which we're exploring. No timeline yet though.
about 1 year ago
I bought TA Maps 2 from Marketplace, but there is a free Google Maps application there called gMaps that loads the maps noticeably faster than TA Maps 2. Can you please look into making TA Maps 2 loading on par or better that gMaps? Can you also do caching? So it won't be loading the same maps every now and then. Thank you for your great product.
about 1 year ago
And please also add another good feature from gMaps, the arrow pointer, pointing to the direction of where you are going. Thanks!
about 11 months ago
it doesnt work in china. china's offset is not adjusted. inaccurate by 450m
about 11 months ago
Have you tried the “Google Maps Street – China” map type?
about 7 months ago
Is there public transit information (like the real google maps)?
about 7 months ago
It has the Google Transit map layer, but if you mean transit schedules or directions, that's not in there yet.
about 1 month ago
Hey, this app looks great, but it is not available in the Norwegian marketplace. Could you please make it available there? Bing app in Norwegian WP7 devices has search disabled!
about 1 month ago
Hi mindre- we have a new version in the works, which we will make available in the Norwegian marketplace as well. Stay tuned!
about 4 days ago
Hey please publish it to the Indian and United Arab Emirates marketplace.