Google Maps (3.3.1) vs Ovi Maps

I think Google Maps is better.

Quicker fix.

MUCH more accurate than Nokia/Ovi Maps and it doesn't seem to jump around like Nokia/Ovi Maps does.

BTW...Ovi Suite told me that there was *NEW* map data this weekend so I downloaded it and ran it through a test walking around my subdivision.

1. It still puts you on a street even when you're not on a street (i.e. it assumes that you're always driving).

2. It tracked okay for about 10 minutes but then had me on another street a good block away, then after about a minute jumped back to where I really was.

3. Addresses...WAY OFF!!! I was walking in front of 1501 and 1504 houses and Nokia Maps was telling me that I was at 1534 and 1537. These are further down the street. My own house (location vs. address) was off by two whole house numbers.

Nokia still has a LONG, LONG WAY TO GO with getting a decent GPS product working for the Americas.

ps. I just discovered Amaze GPS and will be trying it out in the next week or so.

They both have their merits. They share favourites - so it's easy to use both:

Google Maps:

Finding things/people
Walking navigation
Traffic

Ovi Maps:

Voice-guided drive navigation
Offline usage

I have had issues with Nokia/Ovi Maps which make it unsuitable for turn-by-turn navigation:

1. Lags position often by 20-30 seconds, so that turn advisories come after the turn.

2. Position "jumps" (most of the time to the east by about 30 meters) which sometimes put me on an adjacent road (making the voice navigation say "enter the roadway ahead" or "take the entrance left"😉 or off-the-road altogether.

I've had the GPS antenna official "factory" fix, I'm running v20 firmware, have done numerous hard resets and total reinstallations of the latest Maps software and Maps data and still have these issues.

So far it looks like there are bugs in the Nokia Maps program and the Maps data itself for my region (Texas, USA).

Since Nokia can't seem to "get it right", I am seriously looking at buying non-Nokia navigation software in an effort to get some value out of the N97's GPS.

Only reason why Google has quicker fix is because it uses Cell-phone tower location technology inbuilt before any of the API ones are used. This results in faster fixes with approximations only. SInce all the apps are going through the same API, then they are relatively similar in fixes

If that were the case, since I have Nokia Maps set up with A-GPS so it should get an initial fix as quick as Google Maps--but it doesn't.

Nokia Maps seems to "linger" on the previous fixed location for an inordinate amount of time until it establishes a satellite fix (i.e. it appears to ignore the most recent cell tower rough fix locations).

In the latest Google Maps there is an indication of how many satellites have been detected and processed, and the "fix" radius indication is adjusted continuously both on the graphic and in text--telling you the accuracy of the fix.

Even Trapster gets a good location fix faster than Nokia Maps.

I get a good fi�x in 3 - 4 senconds with Ovi maps and the accuracy is between 10 and 30 meters. It always puts me on the road I'm on and does not drop the signal except in tunnels, but it then reconnects immediately.

Google maps is just as good. So I cannot say one is better than the other.

Cheers,

Barrie

You have to understand that AGPS is not the same technology as the Cell phone towers + WIFI location mapping that Google maps uses (Skyhook)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyhook_Wireless

Skyhook technology is inbuilt into Google maps by default.

AAS covered it here (you can get it as an enhancement for your N97 now within the MAPS API)
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/10736_Maps_Booster_enhances_GPS_perf.php

Once you install Maps Booster, it defaults to that first (since it is local database of known access points) then it uses AGPS (downloading of satellite data via the 3G Network) then GPS, then Bluetooth (if it is on) and lastly Network based Cellphone tower triangulation (takes the longest, if it does work at all).

Skyhook typically gets you a "rough estimation within 30m" in around 2 seconds.. AGPS up to 10 seconds (depending on network), GPS up to 5 minutes..

Hence Google maps will be "quicker" to get since it favours that technology

Actualy, what I wrote earlier is not true. Google maps is quite useless when moving. Because the maps are not on the phone, they have to be downloaded on the fly as it were. It actualy takes longer for the map to download than to travel the distance. So most of the time the screen is blank. When the map was there, most of the time it put me about 50 meters of to the right. So all in all, Ovi maps is a much better solution.

Cheers,

Barrie

As long as the maps for Google Maps can not be pre downloaded I will not even consider testing the application
SO OVI MAPS IT IS !!!!
p.s. I do not see any reason not to go for OVI MAPS .. OVI MAPS wroted by NOKIA itsellf should be the best choice ever !!!

bchliu wrote:You have to understand that AGPS is not the same technology as the Cell phone towers + WIFI location mapping that Google maps uses (Skyhook)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyhook_Wireless

Skyhook technology is inbuilt into Google maps by default.

AAS covered it here (you can get it as an enhancement for your N97 now within the MAPS API)
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/10736_Maps_Booster_enhances_GPS_perf.php

Once you install Maps Booster, it defaults to that first (since it is local database of known access points) then it uses AGPS (downloading of satellite data via the 3G Network) then GPS, then Bluetooth (if it is on) and lastly Network based Cellphone tower triangulation (takes the longest, if it does work at all).

Skyhook typically gets you a "rough estimation within 30m" in around 2 seconds.. AGPS up to 10 seconds (depending on network), GPS up to 5 minutes..

Hence Google maps will be "quicker" to get since it favours that technology

Very interesting Post. :icon14:

Downloaded and ran AmAze GPS (trial version).

When it was first-out, it was reportedly free, but now it seems to be a subscription service.

The display interface is very glitzy and somewhat intuitive, though I did have a few problems when searching for addresses.

Downside is the constant need for data access.

BTW...over the holidays I was in a location in the boonies (resort hotel in the deep wooded hill country of Texas). Most places I didn't even have 3G or Edge service (zero bars). I did find that if I went to the top of some of the hills I could get a stronger signal to access data and make calls.

This eventuality (no data access) argues against non-pre-loaded GPS applications like Google Maps and AmAze GPS.