Last night, I was out with some friends in search of a particular bar. Naturally, we did the 21st century equivalent of asking a gas station attendant for directions, we pulled out our iPhones to look it up in the Maps application. The result was odd; the bar we were looking for was there, but there was another result in the same spot, labeled as “User-created content.”
Yesterday, Search Engine Land noted that sponsored links (ads) are starting to show up in the Maps application on the iPhone. It would appear that Google is slowly adding some new features. But what’s odd is that these features are showing up without warning, and, as far as I can tell, without a way to turn them off.
While clearly, Google is not going to let you turn off sponsored links, the user-generated content element is odd. These pins show that some random person I don’t know was at the place I’m looking for, at some random time. It’s simply not useful at all.
I also wonder how Apple, which loves to have total control of its devices, feels about these additions. Google helped Apple build the default Maps application, but it is still one of Apple’s own apps and now it seems that Google can simply inject any content it wants into Maps from its end. Also a bit odd is that this particular piece of user-generated content comes from the location-based social network Plazes, which is owned by mobile rival Nokia.
I’m all for Google injecting user-generated content into Maps on the iPhone provided that it’s useful. So far, it doesn’t appear to be. There also needs to be a way to turn it off if you don’t want to see it. Without those two things, Maps on the iPhone could become a cluttered mess of useless information quickly. Perhaps that’s why Apple bought its own mapping company this summer.
Yes just imagine all the drunk tech reporters adding listing everywhere for things like Gabe’s car. Horrifying!
It’s had these two functions on the symbian version for ages.
I think the user generated bit is more to do with where the information is being pulled from.
For example if I type ‘pizza’ Google Maps displays one or two points on the map that someone has input and reviewed on the site Qype.co.uk.
Qype is one of the (many) sites Google Maps uses to display reviews for businesses. When you make a review on Qype, you can either choose from a pre-set list of businesses in the area or add your own. I bet the problem comes from people not seeing the business on Qype (or whoever) adding it themselves with the same or wrong address. Then Google Maps pulls it in and you get what you saw.
Some times you might get a duplicate of the same place because Google has it in their directory and so does Qype, sometimes the places have different addresses because the user has input it wrong.
Hope that helps
The unverified listings and user content drive me crazy. It’s been around for months, and they say it’s real easy to move/edit content, but 1) I don’t want to have to do that… I just want it to be right (like it used to be 10-12 months ago), and 2) it usually doesn’t get changed whether you submit the change through maps or their message board, and if it does, a lot of times it will get changed back.
The sad part is that even with the wrong data, it’s still better than anything else I’ve found…
Google will soon insert ads on walls of googleplex
This new feature makes typing and reviewing searches in Google Maps on my iPhone while I’m driving unacceptably dangerous.
No, using a mobile to type and review anything whilst driving is unacceptable dangerous. If you think otherwise, you’re an idiot.
“unacceptable dangerous”
….you tool
Trhas a graet innovation…
Att,
Marcelp
This is just one of the effects of the monopolies we live under. Ideally, there need to be separate content providers for everything plus content mixers who know what their customers want and don’t want. Also there needs to be some sort of currency to quantify usage and some sort of revenue model. Finally there needs to be some sort of arbitration that automates change of content providers and / or mixers so as to minimize inertia.
yes its been around symbian for months now and is seriously annoying. I use google maps to locate hotels, places of interest etc. User content usually makes thing very annoying. Hotels not where they are incomplete data. And duplicate content. If google had the mind set they should open up registration for a few proven travellers in some regions and offer an adsense style incentive to ad places correctly. But then i guess they are moving to paid and sponsored listings. Nokia maps may not look so nice. But its hot less clutter
Isn’t that a material change to the contract I’ve signed with my iPhone service provider? Imagine if Apple started a deliver a 10 seconds voice pre-roll before every call?
Google is growing to be an aggressive monster. Probably not quite what Brin and Page had in mind initially.
What else would we expect from a far left organization?
I wonder what percentage of screen covered by ads or reviews (that I cannot turn off) is considered evil…
there is always a trade-off for “free”, somewhere, someone has to foot the bill.
Ultimately that’s what the AT&T monthly service fee is for. Normally that should be end of story, but I’m sure Google feels they’re doing us a favor. Just like their reading of our e-mail is merely for our own good. Just like every problem looks like a nail to a carpenter.
Pretty sure that your monthly mobile tariff doesn’t go to app developers like Google, Meebo, eBuddy, whatev.
Even though Nokia Maps doesn’t have ads its so far behind Google Maps it’s unreal. I’ll take ads for free-ness, so will all the Spotify users. etc etc zzz
interesting… as far as i know, it hasn’t started in uk/london yet.
revenge by Google for Apple’s baseless rejection and removal of several Google Voice apps? some of them which had already been approved, and up for months?
You own the device – or maybe not, but you definitely don’t own the content. Suck it up or try asking at the local gas station next time. LOL.
Funny, I am a very heavy user of Google maps, had it on most of the day yesterday and been using it since the original iphone came out. I don’t remember ever seeing any ads. Wonder why some are getting them and some are not? Could it be something with the AT&T contract your on? I’ve had mine since June of 2007 when the original iphone was released. John
“But what’s odd is that these features are showing up without warning…”
That’s not entirely true.
http://www.appl...ewing-locations
Specifically, “Locations can include places of interest added by Google My Maps users (“User-created content”), and sponsored links that appear as special icons.”