wildetudor

This is my final set of questions - this time about Google Maps. To anyone reading: many thanks for your patience

- Is there a way to change the artificial voice that is used for Navigation? I know you can't have a natural voice (i.e. bits of recordings put together) in Google Maps, as you do with Nokia Maps, however still, there are much better speech engines out there than that, and I'm surprised that the one Google went with is that horrible "1980s robot"-themed one.

- Once I save (star) a given location, it seems to always appear in the My Places list with its default name (either the place name or the address), with no renaming option available. Isn't there a way to rename all these places to something more meaningful, such as "Home" or "Work"?

- I was pleased with how the digital compass of the phone worked until a few days ago, when suddenly, the map stopped being correctly alligned with my orientation and is now always off by 90-or-so degrees. This also happens when using Street View in Compass Mode: rotating the phone does not rotate the view accordingly, instead the movement is jerky and uneven. I looked for an option to reset/calibrate the compass but did not find one. Has anyone else experienced this?

- I noticed that if you don't touch the screen long enough that it goes black, when you wake it up, the accuracy of your location drops dramatically (to something like 1400 m, whereas just before the screen going black it was 10 m), as if Maps has just been started and the localisation process needs to start afresh. Is this a problem, or does it simply show that the GPS is turned of when the screen goes black?

- I've noticed that the Settings contain a surprisingly low number of options that can be set. A few conspicuous ones are options for:
- language used for voice directions
- units of measure (miles or killometres)
- speed limit warning.
- preferred routes (e.g. main roads or smaller lanes)
I wonder if any of these options are likely to be implemented in future versions. In either case, I now understand why so many people think Nokia Maps is the better, more "stable" program, although of course Google Maps is much more "forward thinking" and up-to-date.

- I noticed that the screen always stays lit only in Navigation mode, whereas if you are just searching/browsing the Maps, the screen will turn off after a while, like it does in any other app. In Nokia Maps it was possible to make the screen never go black when the program was open; is there a (hidden) option for Google Maps to do the same?

- Coming from Nokia Maps, the most annoying thing about Google Maps is, of course, the fact that you are not given the choice of pre-downloading all map data for a given country, instead you need to download everyting on-the-go, via the network. I know there is a Lab add-on that allows precaching of map tiles, however you can only do that for small areas (squares of about 3x3 miles). I imagine there's no easy way to increase that area, but I was wondering what the limit is to this Lab feature - has anyone tried to precache many adjacent map tiles in a way that covers a whole region, perhaps even a small country? Personally, I use the GPS most often when abroad, and it just seems silly to have a navigation program that requires constant roaming traffic in order to do anything!

- Is there a way to stop the map mode automatically switching from Map to Satellite while navigating in Walking mode? I think this only happens either when you're very zoomed in or when you're in the final portion of the route, but it's still annoying, given that this implies a lot more data being transferred (plus, personally, I always prefer the Map view anyway).

Many thanks in advance for any help!

sitlet

No.

From a pc, yes.

It's normal, Maps turns off the gps radio when the screen is off to save battery. On my phone it only takes a second or two to regain connection.

lunatic59

Just to address one point ... use KeepScreen (now free) | AppBrain Android Market to prevent the screen from sleeping when in Maps. Yuo can also apply this to any other app you'd like as well.

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Stuntman

The compass always worked for me. How are you holding your phone? I the that the phone should be held vertically. If you hold it horizontally with the screen facing up, the phone may not pick up your facing correctly.

I'm not sure about it being more stable or better. I have used both and find that each has its own advantages. I haven't had any issues using either one. I have noticed that in my home town, I tend to question some of the routes that Nokia Maps chooses more often than Google Maps. Regardless of the route, both will get you to your destination. If you are in a foreign city, you are not likely to notice a slightly longer/slower route as long as you get to the proper destination.

The Navigation mode is the only way I can find to prevent the screen from blanking out.

My understanding is that the lab feature allows you to download an area of around 50km or so. I may be off with the exact radius. It also allows you to preload the route you plan to take (plus a bit of the surrounding area). That way, if you are travelling in between coverage areas, you can still navigate through the area without network coverage.

I don't think there is.

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wildetudor

Thanks for your replies everyone. I always hold the phone vertically to make the digital compass' work easier, however even so, it's been off lately, as I said. It's on and off really, sometimes it shows the right orientation and follows my rotating the phone smoothly, other times it's just completely confused - and I don't think it's because of any external factors (e.g. EM interference).

wildetudor

I accessed Google Maps|My Places from a PC, and although I can see the place that I've just saved on the phone, there is no Edit or Rename command, just the usual commands (Directions, Zoom Here, Street View, etc)

Stuntman

One thing I have noticed is that inside of my car, compasses (both digital and analogue) suffer from interference from the chassis of the car. If I'm in the car, compasses are way off. They are fine outside of my car.

It could also be an issue with your phone itself. If you have some other type of mapping software or digital compass app, you should try it out. If both Google Maps plus another app is showing the wrong direction, it is likely an issue with your phone.