droidStory

At the height of the Mobile Map War, a small French company called Sensorly just launched an Android app that maps out wireless and Wi-Fi network coverage. This comes in handy to look-up ahead of time, whether or not a certain area has 3G coverage.

The way the app works is that your own phone reports its network experience, combined with location information (GPS and/or cell tower) back to Sensorly’s servers. The more people participate the more detailed maps get built.

Frankly, I’ve been wondering for a while why the wireless providers are not using this kind of technology to map out their problem spots.

It is not clear how many data samples are required and what statistical algorithms are being used for building a map. Also, problem phones like the Nexus One could potentially skew results by reporting insufficient 3G coverage for areas that in fact are working with other phones.

The app itself is a basic map viewer with a color coded overlay, with each color and shade representing a specific network and signal strength level.

The Android version currently maps only GSM and some Wi-Fi networks – sorry Droid users, but CDMA (Verizon and Sprint) maps are planned to be rolled-out in the coming weeks.

The company also plans to release versions for the iPhone and Windows Mobile.

The following maps are now available for free:

Flash – the missing piece of web content is coming soon to your superphone.
Watch demos of early versions of the Adobe Flash Player 10.1 on both the Motorola Droid and Google Nexus One. The Android Flash Player is expected to be released within a few months – I can’t wait…

Just in time for the Droid launch, Adobe released last Friday Photoshop Mobile for the Android platform. The app has been available for the iPhone for about a month and has received good reviews. Having a photo editing program right on your phone, should prove especially useful given Droid’s excellent 5MP camera. In addition to image discovery and enhanced gallery viewing, the app enables you to perform the following non-destructive photo editing:

Editing: crop, straighten, rotate, flip

Effects: exposure, saturation, tint, black & white, soft-focus

All features are accessible through intuitive touch and tap gestures, which quickly makes you want a touchscreen for your desktop as well. Adobe also offers an easy way to share your pictures online though photoshop.com. A free account provides 2GB of on-line storage space. Pictures can be uploaded selectively or automatically by keeping your phone and online account synchronized in the background.

For some unknown reason both app and online service are only available for users in the U.S. and Canada at this time.

One of the big topics in various news stories is that the Motorola Droid now had turn-by-turn directions from Google for free.  (It is called Google Navigation Beta.)  I admit that this feature shows that Garmin and Tom-Tom will have a challenge in the long run.  But, it is not time to get rid of your Garmin or Tom-Tom.  Not yet.  And, with recent price drops, it may be time to buy one.

I first received my Droid on Friday morning at the Verizon Wireless store in Leominster, MA.  I was excited to try my new windshield mount, which immediately placed the Droid into navigation mode.  My plan was to give it simple directions to check out the system.  I had it take me to Interstate 495, which is 15 minutes away via route 2.   It was a pretty simple shot.  However, this is the route that Google Navigation selected:

Why did Google Navigation take me around Fort Devens?

Google maps came up, took me to route 2, told me to get off of route 2, go around a non-existent Fort, and then get back onto the same highway?  Huh?  I stayed on Route 2 anyway.  There was no traffic, no construction, no delay and no reason to get off of the highway.

This was not the only time that Google Navigation picked a strange route.  I am guessing that there is some kind of bug in the software.

Of course, in defense, I would have reached my destination this way.  So, Google Navigation is clearly better than no navigation device at all.  But, the “Beta” in the description is well deserved.

There are a few other topics that are worth noting:

• Google Navigation traffic is the best traffic that I have seen so far.  It is up-to-date, covers small roads, and has fine levels of detail.  I would get this device just for the traffic reports.  Unfortunately, when you view the traffic reports, the screen is static.  So, you cannot view traffic and see visual directions at the same time.  By the way, I am happy with the traffic reports because they are much more current than the ones on Tom-Tom or Garmin.  I often joke that Tom-Tom and Garmin tell you the traffic from one hour ago.
• Google Navigation does not have 3-D view, which makes it much easier to see where to turn and when to turn.  This is not a fatal flaw.
• Google Navigation has an annoying voice for the TTS.
• Google Street View is sexy.  It shows a picture of the intersection as you approach it and the destination as you approach it.  This is much better than saying “your destination is on the right.”  You see your destination.
• Location search is very smart.  I was able to speak the instruction “Thai restaurant in Wakefield, Massachusetts” and it provided a list from which I could pick the right one.  I did not need to know the spelling or hope it was in my list of POI — as I would with a Tom-Tom or Garmin.  Really sexy.

Now — my biggest complaint and the reason why I will keep my Tom-Tom — when a phone call comes in, the call takes over the device and I no longer see where to turn.  I have received calls in tricky traffic situations before.  When a call comes into the Tom-Tom or the Garmin via Bluetooth, I receive a quick visual notification and the screen goes back to directions.

In conclusion, Google Navigation has some growing up to do.  It will get there.  And, some of the features like Street View and the flexible voice search are amazing.  When the other features of Google Navigation are updated, it will be hard for the Tom-Tom and Garmin devices to keep up.  But, keep your Tom-Tom and Garmin for now.

UPDATE: I was driving last night when a phone call came in. This gave me another chance to look at the Google Nav app with a phone call. As soon as the call came in, I received a message “Data Connection Lost.” This happened at the first ring … so even if I had not answered the phone, the data connection was lost. From that moment on, the maps stopped updating. However, the top bar still displayed directions based on the GPS. I assume that the directions are downloaded all at once, but only the current map is sent.

It was quite disconcerting to have directions on the top that did not match the map. Also, the directions are not enough as a very broad “turn right” could have meant a turn onto a different street than the one I chose. It would seem to me that Google could have downloaded more map information and kept the navigation going — at least for as long as I stayed on the original route.