• Eager Eagle
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    1247 months ago

    Search sucks for some time now. I’d say the best thing google offers today is Gmail - but there are plenty of arguments against that too.

    • @ilmagico@lemmy.world
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      1487 months ago

      Google Maps, their traffic data has no rivals, unlike gmail which has plenty of good competition. It’s the one thing I couldn’t easily replace yet.

      • Eager Eagle
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        177 months ago

        True. I wanted to replace it with OSM or similar, but my main use of Maps after navigation is exploring places, reading reviews, and browsing pictures. They have a database that is tough to replace.

      • @cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de
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        167 months ago

        I prefer OSM since I can use the maps offline. Google maps is useless out in the middle of nowhere without any cell service.

        • growsomethinggood ()
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          647 months ago

          Not to discourage usage of OSM at all, but you can absolutely download offline maps on mobile with Google Maps, they’ve just hidden it a bit. If you tap your account icon in the upper right, a menu pops up that includes offline maps, and it’ll let you select boundaries to download.

        • Nightwatch Admin
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          97 months ago

          Far from any desire to give kudos to Google: Maps does allow offline maps.I had greater London available on my iphone recently, and that worked.

            • Nightwatch Admin
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              7 months ago

              This is a great question.
              The obvious answer is to then go to London.
              But if you are unable to do so AND have no mobile network, you can download the maps via avian carrier.

            • SkaveRat
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              47 months ago

              Sorry, only London available

              If you want to experience offline maps, you gotta go to London

          • @Rolando@lemmy.world
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            17 months ago

            I do the same when I go on vacation. Take an old phone, no cell plan, just use the wireless at the hotel and take the phone as a map and camera. No cell plan means work can’t call me, map still works bc of GPS and bc the data is manually downloaded (under profile menu.)

        • @kambusha@sh.itjust.works
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          77 months ago

          Which makes it good for hiking, and I’ve found it’s better for bike routes too. However, I can’t easily search for places to go, there’s no recommendations, and generally you need to know the address of the place you’re going to (not just a restaurant/bar etc.).

        • tim-clark
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          67 months ago

          I tried OSM and it completely failed. Downloaded the offline region, loaded it up at home fine. Went to the location and the offline map wouldn’t load. Had a connection and tried to load an online map, nothing. Ended up right back using Google maps. I support the concept of OSM, it just doesn’t work.

            • tim-clark
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              17 months ago

              No, I used solely on my phone. It worked fine at home and looked promising. When I went out 2 days later it wouldn’t load anything, was on cell only with excellent 5g data. Tried for about an hour and it just wouldn’t load a map.

              • @toothpaste_sandwich@feddit.nl
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                57 months ago

                Uh, but…OsmAnd is a phone app. So you’re saying you used the website on your phone’s browser, then? I’m not sure if that has an offline function, though I never used it myself. Does it say it has that function? Otherwise I think you will have to install an app, first.

                Maybe you downloaded the offline map files, but had nothing to open them with. Apps use their own versions of the map files, by the way, those files you download from the website are for other use-cases.

                • tim-clark
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                  17 months ago

                  Osmand+ paid for it and it didn’t work when I left my house. Useless product that doesn’t do it basic functions. And no I’m not going to QA it for them.

                  • @toothpaste_sandwich@feddit.nl
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                    37 months ago

                    Shame, it’s worked perfectly for me for many years. No idea what went wrong with you, of course, and it doesn’t sound like you’re up for troubleshooting. Oh well, hope you have a better time with Google or Apple stuff!

                • tim-clark
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                  17 months ago

                  Osmand+ paid for and it doesn’t do it main purpose of loading a map. I will not be providing QA to them since I paid for the product, the product doesn’t work I’m not helping them fix a product they sold me.

        • @ilmagico@lemmy.world
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          17 months ago

          Yes, I also use and highly recommend OsmAnd, great for offline maps, outdoor activities and lots of stuff… but no traffic data.

        • @BastingChemina@slrpnk.net
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          17 months ago

          OSM is great for everything non-commercial. Hiking path, finding a playground, public toilets or even the closest with few benches to eat a sandwich.

          But for everything commercial and car navigation google maps is unfortunately much better.

      • Encrypt-Keeper
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        87 months ago

        I switched away from google maps to Apple Maps a few years ago and I honestly can’t tell any difference. If google maps traffic data is better, it’s not in any noticeable kind of way for regular day to day usage.

        • @QuarterSwede@lemmy.world
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          57 months ago

          Honestly Apple Maps is better in my area by a decent margin. It’s up to date sooner and that matters in a rapidly growing city. Google still beats it in search but even then AM finds things it doesn’t at times. i just wish they’d move on from shitty Yelp. I vastly prefer AMs navigation over GM as well.

        • @ilmagico@lemmy.world
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          16 months ago

          That would require me to buy an iPhone which I won’t do for many many reasons… but ok, maybe Apple Maps is a decent competitor nowadays, good to know.

      • @14th_cylon@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        their traffic data has no rivals

        do you mean the waze traffic data, or does google actually have some of its own?

        • @noodlejetski@lemm.ee
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          317 months ago

          or does google actually have some of its own

          every phone running Google’s version of Android with location enabled.

          • @Stovetop@lemmy.world
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            67 months ago

            And just like their ridiculous chat apps, they have no beneficial feature integration or consolidation between the two.

            Google Maps has the ability to report speed traps and hazards, but none of that data comes from Waze or vice-versa.

      • @dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de
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        17 months ago

        How good can it be? I’ve been driving 35-40 miles to work and the same back for a year now and Apple Maps tells me what minute I’ll arrive and I usually arrive within 3-5 mins either side.

      • @auzas_1337@lemmy.zip
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        17 months ago

        I only use google maps to find bussinesses. It’s pretty awful for navigating, which is kind of what maps are made for.

        I’ll plug Mapy.cz here. I’ve been using it for about 7 years now. It has even the most obscure paths that you wouldn’t believe would be on a map (at least in Europe) and the bussiness search is alright.

        No idea if it’s based on OSM or is its own thing, but if I were to guess, it is.

    • snownyte
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      57 months ago

      ProtonMail is like the best if you can get if you’re a small user that regularly cleans their inbox and keeps things that matter.

      I never use more than a handful of MBs, so I find 15GB of storage that GMail offers me a bit much. It’s been this way for me for years so ProtonMail does it.