Posts tagged bing
TA Maps 2 hits the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace
Feb 11th
TechAutos Maps v2.0, an updated version of one of the first jailbroken apps for Windows Phone 7, has now hit the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.
TA Maps is a mapping solution that uses sources like Google Maps and OpenStreetMap and gives better coverage in many parts of the world than Bing Maps. It includes:
- Scrollable/zoomable maps
- Street/satellite views
- GPS location tracking
- Search
- 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 driving directions, additional map/search sources, and more point-of-Interest data in upcoming updates.
For screenshots and more details, see: TA Maps for Windows Phone 7
Marketplace link: TA Maps at the WP7 Zune Marketplace
Nokia announces strategic alliance with Microsoft: Windows Phone 7, Bing, Xbox Live, Office
Feb 11th
Nokia just dropped the bombshell we predicted yesterday: a wide-ranging “strategic alliance” through which:
- Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 OS will become Nokia’s “principal smartphone strategy”
- Microsoft’s Bing and adCenter will provide search and advertising for Nokia Windows Phones
- Nokia’s Ovi Maps content will become part of Bing Maps
- Nokia’s app and music stores will integrate into Microsoft’s (Windows Phone / Zune / Xbox) Marketplace
- Like all Windows Phones, Nokia handsets will now also feature Xbox Live and Office
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop (former head of Microsoft’s Business Division) and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said:
“There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them. There will be challenges. We will overcome them. Success requires speed. We will be swift. Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed.”
Read on for more about the Nokia-Microsoft deal.
TA Maps: Google Maps for Windows Phone 7
Dec 4th
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 OS ships with an integrated Bing Maps client, but Bing’s map data is lacking in many parts of the world. Unfortunately Google does not have a maps client for Windows Phone 7 yet, so some WP7 users are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
We’ve come up with (the start of) a solution: TechAutos Maps is a basic Google Maps client for Windows Phone 7. It’s meant as a temporary solution until Google releases its official app (hopefully soon), and is still missing lots of features (POI search, favorites, etc.), but some users might find it useful even in its current shape. TA Maps must be side-loaded (i.e. not from the Marketplace), so it requires unlocking your WP7 phone (see instructions).
See here for more info, screenshots, and installation instructions: TechAutos Maps for Windows Phone 7
Game Over: Google shuts down its censored Chinese search engine, Google.cn
Mar 22nd
Google has finally closed down its censored Google.cn search engine. As we reported, the company announced in a January 12 blog post that following a series of intrusions into its systems by Chinese hackers, it would no longer cooperate with the Chinese government’s mandate that Google censor its Chinese site to remove results the government didn’t approve of, from the words “freedom” and “democracy” to the Tiananmen Square protests, Dalai Lama, and more. Over the last two months, the company has been in negotiations with the Chinese government, which is, unsurprisingly, not willing to budge.
Google just put up another blog post announcing that it has shut down Google.cn and is redirecting users to a simplified Chinese (the language used on the mainland) version of Google.com.hk (the Hong Kong site, normally uses the traditional Chinese script). As we mentioned in January, there is much speculation as to the reasoning behind Google’s decision. After all, while the company does claim “don’t be evil” as a motto, it’s been censoring Chinese search results for nearly four years now, so why the sudden change of heart?
Read on to find out.
Apple vs. Google: Getting Personal
Mar 14th
The New York Times just posted an article about the expanding conflict between Google and Apple. Apparently it’s turned into a deep personal conflict between Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Google chief Eric Schmidt. The two were happily cooperating against Microsoft just a few years ago, and most visibly at the launch of the iPhone in 2007, but things have turned sour since, with Google launching the Android mobile OS to compete against the iPhone and Apple entering the mobile advertising space. Google outbid Apple to buy mobile ad firm AdMob, though the FTC is likely to oppose the deal (based on antitrust concerns), so it might not happen after all.
Most interesting is that the head of Microsoft’s online services group has been spotted around Cupertino, leading to speculation that Apple may switch its iPhones, iPods, iPads, and the Safari browser to use Bing by default instead of Google– which would of course be a huge coup for Microsoft’s search group. Apple working with Microsoft to beat Google? Stranger things have happened…
Source: NY Times
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