

Here for Android beta - __Joker
http://here.com/beta/android/

======
mmahemoff
Strange this is an APK download, requiring users to reduce their security
settings and download+install manually. A better way since mid-2013 is to make
use of Android's alpha/beta/staged rollout setup. Ratings of beta users don't
count towards the official rating if that's what they're worried about.

[https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-
developer/answ...](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-
developer/answer/3131213?hl=en)

~~~
snuxoll
> reduce their security settings

I don't get how enabling side-loading is "reducing" security. Regardless of
whether an APK comes from the play store or not the system still presents you
with the permissions dialog and the apps still run sandboxed.

~~~
jdietrich
Permitting the installation of apps from untrusted sources is a big security
risk, because it facilitates drive-by install attacks. Once you've ticked that
box, Android doesn't subsequently warn you that you're installing an app from
an untrusted source. Malware is disguised as a system app and installation is
deferred until something else updates, so even savvy users can be tricked into
allowing the installation of malware.

~~~
snarkyturtle
You could just untick the box after you installed the app though.

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joezydeco
HERE is the new(ish) name of NAVTEQ, before Nokia purchased them. They've been
in the map business for a while.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navteq](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navteq)

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y0ghur7_xxx
OpenStreetMap has such a level of detail (at least in Europe) that I can
completely relay on it for my trips. I went on a drive from Italy to Holland a
month ago using MapFactor Navigatior with OpenStreetMap maps, and I was really
surprised how good it worked. It even had POIs for the toilets on the highway!
Amsterdam was mapped really well as well, with house numbers and everything.

And it was completely offline (even the routing algorithm) and free.

~~~
Brakenshire
It's just a pity the apps aren't quite there on Android. I find MapFactor
Navigator to be clunky and outright confusing, Telenav Scout is only available
in the US, Skobbler seems to have been withdrawn (at least, it's not
accessible in the UK Play Store), and OSMAnd is great for what it is, but has
no traffic information, and is a bit guileless in selecting a route -
certainly enough so it's not sensible to trust it for long journeys.

~~~
bad_user
Skobbler has been acquired by Telenav and they have been releasing updates to
their apps. I'm surprised you're saying they have been withdrawn, as I got
this app on all of my Androids:
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.f...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.forevermapng)

I personally love it - it's cheap, it's polished and it works.

~~~
Brakenshire
Yes, I was hoping to use that app- I can see that in the US webstore, but
nothing comes up searching for it on my UK phone.

Maybe they're half-way in transitioning from Skobbler to Scout, and they've
removed the former without adding the latter. But I'm pretty certain it's been
like this for weeks if not months, because I've looked unsuccessfully before.

~~~
bad_user
I'm from Romania, so it isn't just in the US. Maybe the app has problems in
the UK that need to be fixed, as your zip codes are nonnumerical and you're
driving on the wrong side of the road :-)

They had an update in September, so it's alive. You could contact them at
support@skobbler.com … BTW, I care about them because the company may have
been German but the developers were Romanians :)

------
simonmales
I've used HERE on FirefoxOS and was impressed for a HTML5 application working
relatively well on an under powered smartish phone.

Majority of the work the HERE guys do is behind the scenes magic for car
manufactures, they are just attempting to crack the consumer market.

I met a couple of the HERE guys in Berlin, they seem quite humble and want to
play a bigger part in the mapping community whilst keeping existing clients
happy.

Also to note, OsmAnd is awesome and have just traveled eastern and western
Europe extensively with it.

------
Rezo
Nice! 4,970 MB to download the entire map of the USA for offline use, or you
can just download individual states. Unlike Google maps, there's full offline
routing and search as well.

The transit overlay for pedestrians looks great with realtime tables for the
stops.

------
mslot
Interesting move. HERE Drive+ on Windows Phone is better than any Android
alternative as a navigation system. It just works and has a seamless offline
experience. It is (used to be?) one of the main reasons to own a Windows
phone.

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jmspring
Here originally was the branding for the Nokia suite of Navigation Apps on
Windows Phone. I've been using them on and off for probably three years now
and have used the mapping app in the US and Europe and find it quite useful.
Downloaded maps and offline navigation is a great feature when traveling
internationally.

I just wish it would find its way over to iOS.

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jokoon
finally!... I bought a 60 euro, 4 inch android smartphone without a data plan
on it, and I already tried to download a OSM export to just browse it on my
computer, without any luck. I thought I could export tiles and browse them as
a html file on my phone, but I did not manage to do it.

On google map on the nexus 7 I managed to select a portion of an area and
download it, but I could do it again on my huawei Y330. I could not make it
work offline.

~~~
lucb1e
> tried to download a OSM export

> export tiles and browse them as a html file

Huh no you're thinking way too difficult, just download the OsmAnd app. I'm
afraid it needs a few gigabytes of storage though, at least in Europe the map
is very detailed.

~~~
jokoon
even for a single city ?

~~~
lucb1e
They offer regions as default downloads, but it's all open source and open
data, so if you want you can export a single city and use it in the app. It is
quite a bit more work than just downloading regions (or small-ish countries
like the Netherlands) though. See OsmAndMapCreator if you want to do this for
the OsmAnd app.

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enlightenedfool
Why does this need read permission for my contacts?

~~~
onestone
Because of the Glympse integration, I suppose.

~~~
enlightenedfool
Ah, I see. I hope it won't crash with my Privacy Guard blocking contacts.
Offline maps is a win!

~~~
lucb1e
> Offline maps is a win!

If you care about privacy and offline maps, OsmAnd is the way to go. Open
source software and offline maps.

------
jarnix
What if Google does it? (reference to
[http://wigdi.aws.af.cm/](http://wigdi.aws.af.cm/) )

~~~
lnanek2
In this case Google Maps has been steadily getting worse, so no worries. It
feels like every month they remove features and make things take more clicks
or require mystery meat navigation. It took me 15 minutes the other day to
figure out how to get the list of directions back in navigation mode. You have
to tap some unlabeled header. I'm sure that feature is headed for the cutting
room floor eventually too even though personally I have no use for step by
step navigation and just need to see the list of turns and I'm fine.

~~~
swartkrans
> In this case Google Maps has been steadily getting worse, so no worries.

Whether the UI changes are worse is a subjective claim, but the data Google
has has not gotten worse. I've found all the alternative mapping solutions
(Here, Bing, OpenStreet, and Apple maps) to be inferior when it comes to data
quality which is the more important factor, unless you think getting directed
through non-existing streets is a small concern. I'm not a Google fan, I've
given up a lot of Google, but I can't quit maps or google search, although I
use ddg quite a bit. Google has the most reliable map data, there is no
competition and no good alternative.

~~~
vetinari
The UI definitely got worse.

About two weeks ago I was unable to switch to Street View in the android app.
It simply wasn't accessible through dropping the pin, as it was in the past.

When Google's flagship app on their own platform forces me to find computer
and use the web version, something is seriously wrong.

~~~
swartkrans
> About two weeks ago I was unable to switch to Street View in the android
> app. It simply wasn't accessible through dropping the pin, as it was in the
> past.

The first thing you should have seen after updating and adding an address is a
message telling you to pull up to get more detail. It took me 2 seconds to
figure out how to get street view in the new UI. So as I said subjective.

~~~
vetinari
One week ago, it worked.

Two weeks ago, it didn't. I even googled it, how I'm supposed to find it. The
street view strip just wasn't there.

It's unpredictable. Nothing subjective, just seek-and-hide UI, which was
always hallmark of bad UI.

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drey08
Well, I can't seem to download this from my Android because it keeps wanting
to use the web app instead. So much for that..

~~~
Rezo
If using Chrome on Android, open the "..." menu, pick "Request desktop site".
Worked for me.

------
swrobel
Why not use built-in Android TTS functionality?

~~~
edent
Personally, I find the Nokia TTS much better (UK English, if that makes a
difference).

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whacker
free offline maps on android! This takes away one of the big unique things
Windows Phone had going for it.

~~~
Doctor_Fegg
There are plenty of free offline maps on Android. This is just Here arriving
late to a party started by OpenStreetMap.

~~~
sz4kerto
I have tried many of them (the most popular ones at least), and I found HERE
to be way better -- not because of the map data itself, but the look and feel
of the app and also the quality of navigation is better than the rest (imho).

I tend to use it instead of Google Maps as well.

Re. Windows Phone: I think that if a cross-platform service gains foothold (on
Android) then it's good for WP. If GMaps is the de facto mapping solution (as
it is more or less), then GMaps not being present on WP is a deterring factor.

~~~
bad_user
For a polished app that uses OpenStreetMaps, check out this one:
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.f...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skobbler.forevermapng)

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timov
It also works on Sailfish OS (Jolla)

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Splendor
Why does this require me to sign up with my name and date of birth to use the
offline functionality?

~~~
abrowne
I wondered that too, and then I deleted the app (Moto E with small internal
storage). I'll still try the final version, but this is a turn off.

