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Google Maps cut off from Windows phones?
- Thread starter Rogifan
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I've never visited maps.google.com but when I just tried on my 8X it just takes me to Google search. Not too bothered by it since I don't use my phone to navigate. I'm more concerned about not being able to sync contacts/calendar from my gmail account. It seems to still work.
No idea how they're doing it. Like I said, this was the first time I tried to visit it on my phone (recently purchased)
If Google are doing this on purpose, then they're going to get themselves into trouble sooner or later. Google's reasoning for not developing WP and W8 apps is ludicrous, they say they can't justify the costs of developing apps for these platforms due to the small user base of each, when the costs would amount to a drop in the bucket of Google's vast resources. Besides, W8 will eventually become an extremely popular OS, it's going to come preloaded on effectively every new PC from here on out, Google are going to have to do it sooner or later. All they're doing at the moment is being anticompetitive.
Meh, Ive never bothered using them when Nokia maps is perfectly good and hasnt led me astray yet. But still, it is a pretty dickish move and the justification of it is a little ludicrous.
Why is this anticompetitive? Apple = exclusive, they don't make any apps for the competition. Google = anti competitive because the only make SOME apps for all of the competition?
"Last month, Google Apps director Clay Bavor told V3 that currently Big G isn't planning on building any of its popular apps for Windows platforms, such as Gmail or Google Drive. "We have no plans to build out Windows apps. We are very careful about where we invest and will go where the users are but they are not on Windows Phone or Windows 8," Bavor said, "If that changes, we would invest there, of course."
MS has 2% market share. So what he's saying is perfectly believable. He even says if that changes they'll invest there.
Plus Google makes Chrome and Search for windows. And MS only makes 2-3 apps for Google. How many apps must they make before people are content? Does Google need to make all their apps for MS but MS doesnt need to make hardly any of theirs for Android? Seems fair. MS and Google are doing the same thing to each other, both have a lot of apps in the App Store but hardly any in each others stores.
If anything MS made themselves anticompetitive buy making such lousy apps. I HAD one MS app (photosynth) and have 7 google apps on my iPhone (translate, earth, maps, drive, chrome, youtube, google+). You cant expect MS to put out junk and expect google to return the favor with premium apps.
At least we see MS and Google apps on different devices though. Apple doesn't do squat for anyone other then Apple.
Stop it
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-73908787/
Just MS workers trying to stir up more drama for their none relevant mobile OS.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-73908787/
Just MS workers trying to stir up more drama for their none relevant mobile OS.
Forget the apps for a second, WP users are being denied access to the Google maps website, whereas they previously had access to it. People are even reporting that if you use the Windows Phone user agent on other platforms, you'll be denied access to the website. That's ridiculous.
As I said, the W8 situation is going to change very quickly, even if W8 ends up being another Vista there'll still be more than enough users to justify W8 apps.
And nothing else. Where's the official YouTube app, for example?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Microsoft+Corporation#?t=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLDNd
There's a lot more than 2-3 apps there, there's some that provide access to some of MS' best services, such as SkyDrive and OneNote, plus Android users also get other great apps, such as XBox SmartGlass, and even an app made exclusively for Android devices (on{X}). The situations aren't really all that similar.
As I've already mentioned, MS has some solid apps on the Play Store for their services and products. You can't say the same for Google and the WP and W8 stores.
True that, the days of Apple sharing the love to other platforms (e.g. iTunes and Windows) seem to be over, bar Windows and a select few of Apple's apps and services.
Hmm I did a brief search prior and didn't get all those apps. However you have to admit the majority are pretty bad. I never used sky drive or one note but they are the only ones on that list that look remotely interesting.
We are just now seeing iOS google maps app. I'm sure windows will see an app since the browser isn't officially supported. I'd like to have seen how well it worked when it did.
YouTube is like maps IMO. While I'm sure you can still use the browser what do you expect from the competition? Want to use Google services don't expect the best access to them with a competing device vs a Google device.
As annoying as it is that's apples out look on native apps. Want FaceTime or iMessage? You need an iDevice, simple as that.
It depends what you're into. I personally wouldn't like apps such as Kinectimals, but there are people out there who would. Same goes for Xbox SmartGlass and My Xbox Live, not everyone has an Xbox, but those who do would be happy that those apps are available. Most of the apps available are of a high standard, they just aren't going to appeal to everyone. MS' Android exclusive, on{X}, is a great example- those who use it love it and the power it offers, but it's only going to appeal to a limited audience and there's a lot of tears and whinging within that audience about the app's FB signin requirement (I.e. why it has a 3 star rating). Those that appeal to the widest audience, OneNote and SkyDrive, have been quite well received.
I don't know if we will see a WP Google Maps app when Google is going out of their way to hurt WP users. Google's actions, such as blocking access to Maps (whilst offering the excuse of IE not being supported whereas Maps worked in the browser previously), dumping support for Exchange ActiveSync for personal users (I.e. rendering WP devices from being able to access contacts and calendars on their Google accounts) and refusing to even build a YouTube app for WP and W8 devices (or to offer the private APIs necessary for MS to build their own) when devices with far smaller audiences, such as the PS Vita and Wii U, have official YouTube apps, are all bad signs for WP and W8 receiving Google apps.
The difference between Apple and Google is that when it comes to mobile devices, Apple has always kept their sevices and apps as Apple-only exclusives. Google is different, they've, for the longest time, offered their services on the widest variety of platforms possible and also offer apps for platforms other than their own. They've set a precedent of offering their apps and services to basically everyone, and for them to offer their apps and services to one of their competitors, whilst withholding them from another, smacks of anticompetitive behaviour. I'd guess, and I could very well be wrong, that Google is trying to kick MS while they're down, as MS offers a competing search product.
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Internaut
macrumors 65816
Google blocking maps is not relevant, and probably fixable by Microsoft should they choose to do so. Besides, Nokia maps is very competitive and in many ways better than Google maps.
Annoying that Google keeps pulling crap like this against Microsoft, but really, barely anybody probably uses it in the first place when there are apps like gMaps that use Google Maps data for free.
Sent from my 8X using Board Express
Sent from my 8X using Board Express
Supposedly it's been blocked due to the fact that it is designed for WebKit based browsers. I'm inclined to believe that stance seeing how it performs on Opera Mobile.
For me, Google maps mobile doesn't work at all on the Presto rendering engine (you can't scroll around as it doesn't load the map tiles).
I can't fully test it on IE Mobile however as I don't own a Windows Phone at the moment.
For me, Google maps mobile doesn't work at all on the Presto rendering engine (you can't scroll around as it doesn't load the map tiles).
I can't fully test it on IE Mobile however as I don't own a Windows Phone at the moment.
MS has responded to this saying wp8 ie uses the same renderer as the full desktop version, which isn't a WebKit browser either.
It's definitely a shame, but hopefully pushes MS to improve Bing. They've really improved IE a ton, so they have the resources and now the motivation, the hell with google.
MS should add a user agent switcher with iOS and Android profiles to IE. That'd screw Google and whoever wanted to pull any shenanigans in future.
Let the user decide what works well enough that way.
I will say I'm not impressed with people coding things for specific browsers and rendering engines. Doesn't make the Web that "open" if this carries on.
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From what I've been reading, everyone who has a current Google account will be fine using exchange to sync with Google. It's only new accounts that will miss out on EAS.
Google have already paid for us to use it so we're already licenced.
Let the user decide what works well enough that way.
I will say I'm not impressed with people coding things for specific browsers and rendering engines. Doesn't make the Web that "open" if this carries on.
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From what I've been reading, everyone who has a current Google account will be fine using exchange to sync with Google. It's only new accounts that will miss out on EAS.
Google have already paid for us to use it so we're already licenced.
Awesome news, thanks for clearing that up
Hmm..... It might not be as good news as I first thought (I can't remember where I read the fact it'd work for us forever) but it may be different.
http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2716936
Looks like from January, we won't be able to add new devices using EAS.
To me, this is capable news.
Hmm..... It might not be as good news as I first thought (I can't remember where I read the fact it'd work for us forever) but it may be different.
http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2716936
Looks like from January, we won't be able to add new devices using EAS.
To me, this is capable news.
So if I restore my iPhone or get a new device I can't set up exchange even on my current account? I'm disappointed in Google. They offered this as a feature and they're basically pulling it from under their users' feet with no notice whatsoever.
They better be working on an alternative for proper Google account syncing on other OS's aside from Android after taking this action.
Your iPhone will work fine as it supports CardDAV and CalDAV and IMAP. You'll run into issues moving to Windows Phone as it doesn't support CardDAV and CalDAV for contacts and calendars sync. Email will still work though.
Might be worth migrating your data to outlook.com if you're worried.
This can be partiality blamed on MS too as they don't support the open standards like Apple and Google do. MS obviously want to push their own standards (exchange activesync) so their position does make sense from a business perspective.
If I set up a Google account normally without Exchange I can sync mail, calendars, and notes, but not contacts. The contact syncing is the most important part for me personally, I wouldn't want to lose out on that.
Rather than block access Google should have added a header banner or something to warn potential non-WebKit users that maps might not work.
From a mobile web development point of view I'd imagine Windows phones probably rank lower than testing on Opera. I've never met a dev who wanted to test Opera (unless it was their browser of choice to start with), it's a bit of a running joke. Given this I doubt WP stands much of a chance at getting proper attention right now. I shouldn't be that way but there it is.
From a mobile web development point of view I'd imagine Windows phones probably rank lower than testing on Opera. I've never met a dev who wanted to test Opera (unless it was their browser of choice to start with), it's a bit of a running joke. Given this I doubt WP stands much of a chance at getting proper attention right now. I shouldn't be that way but there it is.
Seriously are people more in to conspiracy theories? That's word from Google themselves.