
Microsoft: Hey, Apple Maps haters, Use Bing for iPhone instead - bmillipede
http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/26/apple-maps-haters-use-bing-instead/
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kennywinker
Strangely, Microsoft hasn't put the Bing app in the Canadian app store. The
app's been out for ages now, and is still US only (as far as I know?). I can't
for the life of me figure out a good reason for this. Bing.com has local
search results for Canada, so it's not that.

Not that it's putting me out. I can search bing from Safari. Just a strange
move on their part. It's like the intern who's job it was to ready the
international version got fired and nobody checked his pending workload.

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Fjolle
As an European Windows Phone user i'm doubting that they are aware that
there's a world outside USA.

A lot of features are disabled for no good reason, and the rest of them has no
data for Denmark.

For example when you play music on your phone you can set it to show pictures
of the artist on the lock screen. On my phone the background just turns red.
Also Local scout is disabled, though there aren't any data for it in Denmark
anyway...

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vdm
I gave up on Windows Phone because there was still no Skype app 6 months after
I bought the phone, even though Microsoft acquired them. iPhone 4S Just
Works...

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iLock
I think skype was released a month or so after they acquired skype. Besides
the skype integration that they show in the next version is way better than on
any other phones/OS

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mjallday
_in the next version_

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ygra
Set to be released this fall, if I remember correctly. So it's not that far
off.

Skype (when not yet acquired by MS) shelved any plans of producing a Windows
Phone version, so Microsoft (after the deal went through) probably had to
start at near-zero with its version. At the same time they were likely working
at the more native integration for WP8.

Just how many people would you expect them to throw at a problem that likely
won't generate that many new customers? It all comes down to that in the end.

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argimenes
I wonder if this tendency to characterise people as 'haters' was brought about
by the increasing divisiveness of American politics. It is a little disturbing
that any kind of opposition or criticism toward a product can be summed up as
'hating on it'. Rather than be a hater, why not be an adversary, an opponent,
a critic, a skeptic, a detractor, a gadfly, an enemy, or an antagonist?
Instead of 'hating' why not dislike, distrust, oppose, criticise, be skeptical
of, or consider flawed? Or if you want to be extreme why not slander, defame,
denigrate, or calumniate?

So if I take a balanced view and consider that there are good things about the
new Apple Maps but on the whole think there was a laughable lack of quality
control -- that makes me a 'hater'.

Words are the functions of speech -- the API of natural language.
Differentiation of meaning matters. Using crudely simplified language is like
using a crudely simplified API in your programme; it restricts the scope of
your expression and what you can create.

If we insist on 'beautiful' APIs with our software, why not go further and
reach for the right word when it comes to criticising software?

~~~
conradfr
Americans seem to be overly enthusiast for anything, so maybe when everything
is supposed to be "fantastic" and "amazing", any criticism can be dismissed as
hating.

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nivla
The title of the article is just silly, sounds like a 13 year old came up with
it. However, having used Bing maps, it seems like a great alternative to
Google Maps. Both have Streetview, Transit maps and can also detect nearby
businesses. The Bing map's layout and typography looks much cleaner and
fresher than Google, but that's just my personal opinion.

<http://binged.it/TDK322> <http://goo.gl/maps/N06xc>

~~~
kevinqi
I don't know about that. Google has done a fantastic job at a lot of details
such as colors and readability of street names that really improve usability.
In the Bing version, the color palette is much closer together and less
visually distinguishable. And Google Maps is the only map service I've ever
encountered that does zooming in and out in a non-jarring way.

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elithrar
> Google has done a fantastic job at a lot of details such as colors and
> readability of street names that really improve usability.

This made me recall this great comparison between Google and Bing Maps from
2011: <http://www.hostileuser.com/2011/01/06/google-map-legibility/>

Added: It appears the source is no longer available.

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ftwinnovations
Like most others with iOS6 maps I've had my share of troubles and was excited
to try this out when I saw the post. My wife gave birth a few days ago and so
the first thing that came to my mind was the name of the hospital - a major
hospital in LA. Unfortunately, bing failed utterly. "No results found. Pan to
a different area and try again". At this point I'm zoomed to all of LA. I
tried again, no dice. Apple maps not only found it without a problem, but I
only needed to type the first word of hospital name and the rest was suggested
as I typed.

Yeah, I only tested one search but it was hardly some tiny dive restaurant or
other obscure landmark. App deleted.

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TallboyOne
Last line really got me. Totally lost it. And yes I agree, that sounds crazy.

I love the app more. I loaded it up the first time and saw how it highlights
parks with very vivid colors instead of a light gray outline. My first thought
was "I live next to a park???" Low and behold... I live next to a park that I
never knew about.

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jser
Bing Maps was the one of the first alternative maps I downloaded after the
install of iOS 6. Unfortunately, the application is not ready for prime time
-- the tiles are not retina, the UI is a mashup of formerly-known-as-Metro
elements, and swoosh/zoom animations are overused, like a bad PowerPoint deck.

If Bing released it with retina tiles and a native iOS UI, I think they could
win significant market share. It could create a halo product that might make
me more inclined to use and think positively of other Bing services.

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rogerbinns
Bing is also available on Android. I don't know how they implemented the UI
but it also has a "glitchy" feel to it with lots of animation. I tried the
routing and often to had to click on things twice for them to have an effect.

But it did fundamentally work.

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mitchty
> But it did fundamentally work.

That is about all I can say on iOS too. It is... definitely a Microsoft
product. That said it has way more POIs/businesses than Maps, and a few that
Google doesn't include. Though to be honest knowing where comcast has an
academy in my city is less than useful its rather complete and doesn't have
bars listed that have been out of business for years.

A for effort and data contained. C+ for execution. Would like to see what
Google comes up with on iOS.

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truebecomefalse
Sadly the bing app won't when I click 'Directions' in the Yelp App. I wish
apple were not such control freaks and we could have the intent system in
iOS... even if it was an advanced feature hidden in some obscure menu.

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jobu
Maybe it depends on your area, but I really think the bad press on the new iOS
Maps App is overblown. I took a 700 mile road trip last weekend and Maps
worked flawlessly. The turn-by-turn directions were neat, and the ETA and
remaining miles were useful.

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charlesjcorn
Yes, cos it uses TomTom data. But try walking somewhere or using public
transport, especially outside of the USA. Then you'll see the problems with
Apple Maps.

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smcl
Maybe I'm being stupid but I cannot find any maps on the Bing app. I open the
app up and I get presented with a search bar and a picture of some mountains,
touching the screen anywhere doesn't bring up any options for different types
of searches (i.e. I wanted a map-specific one). Searching for my town "Brno"
just brings up regular search results with no option to view a map. Searching
for "London" brings up more, so there's a new header giving me the options of
narrowing my results by "all", "images", "video" or "news" but still no maps.

This is not a suitable replacement for Google maps, I'll be deleting it.

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charlesjcorn
Same with me, except I get pretty flowers instead if mountains! I'm in
Thailand do I guess Bing maps only works for the USA. Which makes Apple's
recommendation if it as an alternative to Apple maps even more breathtaking.
They've forgotten the rest if the world exists.

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prof_hobart
Hmmm. Let's see.

"Transit directions aren't available for these locations" (Nottingham, UK).

Nearest pub not on the map (admittedly it's not there on either Google Maps or
Apple Maps, but I guess it's only been open for about three years), and the
nearest one that is listed has actually been demolished for about 3 years
(it's gone on both Google and Apple maps).

No traffic shown on the driving view, at least around here.

Also no street view, but at least it's got aerial views of the town that
aren't just clouds.

So unless I'm after an aerial shot of an area and maps.google.com isn't
working, it's a "no thanks" from me.

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songgao
I really love the satellite view in Bing maps. Clearly shows details, and the
color is just right. But it seems outside US it lacks road information. If you
look at China, even for a provincial capital city with over 10 M population,
there doesn't seem to be many roads on the map:

[http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lld1aGFuJTI1MmMlMmJDaGluYSU3ZX...](http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lld1aGFuJTI1MmMlMmJDaGluYSU3ZXNzdC4wJTdlcGcuMSZiYj00MC41NTUzMTI1MTg0NTQzJTdlMTE3LjgxNDgwNDA3NzE0OCU3ZTM5LjE3NDU0Nzc0NTA3NSU3ZTExNS4yMjIwMzA2Mzk2NDg=)

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joe_the_user
I'm using Bing for the Palm Pre and it is garbage (can't figure out to search
at my location at all). Maybe it's better for the iPhone.

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kpozin
I had to use Bing Maps on the Palm Pre for a few months this year after they
updated the app (and partially blocked the Google Maps mobile site). Bing
couldn't find anything without an exact address.

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zainny
I arrived in Melbourne, Australia not to long ago and at the time was carrying
around a Nokia Lumia 800. Being new to the city, I was heavily dependent on
Bing Maps and it let me down in so so many ways.

In particular, the complete lack of public transit data (which I used heavily)
and poor turn-by-turn where big factors in driving me to get an Android device
with Google Maps.

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stretchwithme
Dunno, I installed it, popped in an address and it just sits and spins
forever. iOS 5.1 maps comes back immediately.

~~~
guywithabike
I had the same problem. On a cursory run through, the app seemed pre-alpha in
quality. Most things didn't seem to work, and what did work was couched in
awkward and annoying animations and poor image quality (especially maps).

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eshvk
Has any one used Bing Maps in San Francisco? If so, can you comment on how
good it is with public transport?

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johns
It took me about 5 tries for it to actually find the address I kept searching
for and tapping on, but once it 'took' the directions were accurate and easy
to follow (walking to the stop, which bus, how long, etc).

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eshvk
Thanks, maybe I will play with it for a while before I decide whether or not
to do the upgrade.

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rocky1138
Good timing. I was in the car as the navigator two days ago, the driver
handing me his iphone with iOS6. The maps app took a 15 minute trip across
town and made it into an almost two-hour long journey.

I tried using Google Maps through Safari but it was so slow it was unusable.

As a joke I said "I know, let's use Bing maps!"

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chmars
If I search for 'bing' in the iOS 6 App Store app, result #1 is 'Bing Get Me
There' – a travel app for London … sidewards scrolling in the new App Store
app is horrible but I made it to result #20 without any sign of a real Bing
map app …

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adib
Bing app not available in Singapore store.

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sajidnizami
Always find maps.nokia.com better on my iPhone. Best part is it works even in
places others fail. e.g. UAE.

~~~
bruceboughton
Just looked at Nokia maps around my work in Central London. The business
listings are all wrong and the icons are placed on top of the road names
making it very hard to use.

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Raticide
I can't find the app on the app store.

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vaultboy21
Bing Maps have been rapidly improving over the past year and no one seems to
have picked-up on it. via their deal with Nokia, Microsoft is slowly updating
the backend data, incorporating Navteq's over 20+ years of mapping tech. its
not quite up to parity with Nokia Maps (or Google) internationally yet, but
it's come a long way and (i'm guessing) easily beats-out Apple's quickly-built
homegrown implementation.

for those who don't know, Nokia owns Navteq (purchased a few years ago) which
powers over 85%+ of automotive navigation systems (as well as Garmin,
Mapquest, and many other popular mapping services)..

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junto
My major problem with Bing is that it defaults the interface language based on
your location. This is stupid. If I'm travelling in China, then having the
entire interface in Chinese is completely useless.

Bing like many other major sites, make the poor assumption that the user's
location == preferred language.

From a usability perspective, the interface language should primarily be based
on the browser user agent Accept Language, and THEN an ip-to-geo database
lookup can OFFER the user the location based user interface language.

Finally there should always be a way to change language.

Bing, as in the entirety of Bing, does not have a way to change language. I am
currently in Germany, and there isn't a way for me to use the maps in English.

It is a schoolboy mistake from a major player. Idiotic if you ask me.

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ccozan
Use the "gear" on the top right, go to Worldwide ( last option) and use the US
or UK. The experience will be as if in the respective countries.

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junto
Awesome. I've spent months being annoyed by that!

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kevingibbon
I would rather be lost via Apple Maps than have to use the Bing iPhone app.
awful

