Updated Google Maps Navigation App Avoids Traffic

GPS systems that hook into your car can be very helpful most of the time, but what do you do when your GPS takes you on a route straight into the middle of a traffic jam? A new update to Google’s navigation app now allows you to avoid that mess though.

In a blog post on Monday, March 7, Google said that its Google Maps Navigation for Android phones will now automatically route you away from and around all traffic issues. Before the latest update, the Google app would simply choose the fastest route without any consideration of the traffic conditions at the time. It did feature the option of choosing the shortest route or the route that used the highway instead of side roads.

"Starting today, our routing algorithms will also apply our knowledge of current and historical traffic to select the fastest route from those alternates," wrote Roy Williams, a software engineer with the Google Maps team. "That means that Navigation will automatically guide you along the best route, given the current traffic conditions."

Google went on to say that they could not necessarily guarantee a faster route with the new updated Google Maps Navigation, but they said "it will always try to get you where you're going as fast as possible."

The new and improved app from Google is now available in North America and Europe.

It was first released in 2009 as a part of the Android 2.0-powered Motorola Droid. It was the very first free GPS app that featured voice prompts. Later on, a version of the app was created for Android 1.6 devices as well. The Google Maps app is available via the Android Market.

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A Tablet Coming From Motorola

Everyone wants to go head to head with the iPad and put a little competition into the game, and Motorola is not about to be left behind. Unfortunately, it is going to be awhile before we see a glimpse of this tablet from Motorola.

The co-chief executive of Motorola, Sanjay Jha, told individuals at Motorola’s investment conference, “We want to make sure that any tablet that we deliver is competitive in the marketplace, and I think all of us will make sure that we will only deliver that when that occurs.”

I think that it is definitely a good idea that Motorola spends the time perfecting a tablet so that they can be competitive, but I also feel that they should be careful not to take too much time because they do not want the tablet hype to wear off at all.

Some are hopeful that the tablet will be released by early next year, but there are still some issues that need to be worked through. The latest build of Google’s Android is one of these concerns. Froyo, Android 2.2, Google’s mobile operating system, is not exactly one hundred percent ready for a full-on tablet. Jha stated that they simply will wait until the Google, Android software can accommodate a tablet. This is certainly disappointing but understandable.

Motorola has been supporting Google’s mobile operating system a lot lately. They have recently released several Android-based phones including the Cliq, Devour, Charm, Backflip, Droid, Droid 2, and Droid X.

Looking for a tablet now or in the near future? Check out the Kindle 3G, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, or Facetime-Compatible iPad.

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