Regulating Navigation and Mapping Apps?
http://gpsworld.com/regulating-navig...-mapping-apps/

Steven Spriggs was pulled over by a motorcycle cop for using his
iPhone while driving. He immediately held it up to show the officer
that he was using Apple Maps, and not talking or texting. More about
Mr. Spriggs later. With approval of the pending transportation bill
in Congress, smartphone maps and navigation will be regulated. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would receive
the power to regulate apps like Google Maps or Apple Maps. NHTSA’s
job would be to review navigation apps and order changes to decrease
driver distractibility.

Guess who is in favor of this new regulation for smartphone apps?
Automakers. Embedded navigation systems, those found in the dashboard
of vehicles, are already regulated by NHTSA. Smartphone navigation
apps are a much cheaper option than the systems offered by
automakers, who are looking for a more level playing field and a way
to slow down the smartphone navigation juggernaut.



So what happened to Steven Spriggs? The police officer went ahead and
wrote a $165 ticket for using a cell phone while driving, despite
Spriggs argument that the law didn’t apply to navigation apps.
Spriggs challenged his ticket in California’s state appeal court and
won. The $165 went back into Spriggs’ pocket and map users everywhere
sighed with relief.

On 2014.06.26, 17:10 , Sam Wormley wrote:
Regulating Navigation and Mapping Apps?
http://gpsworld.com/regulating-navig...-mapping-apps/

Steven Spriggs was pulled over by a motorcycle cop for using his
iPhone while driving. He immediately held it up to show the officer
that he was using Apple Maps, and not talking or texting. More about
Mr. Spriggs later. With approval of the pending transportation bill
in Congress, smartphone maps and navigation will be regulated. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would receive
the power to regulate apps like Google Maps or Apple Maps. NHTSA’s
job would be to review navigation apps and order changes to decrease
driver distractibility.

Guess who is in favor of this new regulation for smartphone apps?
Automakers. Embedded navigation systems, those found in the dashboard
of vehicles, are already regulated by NHTSA. Smartphone navigation
apps are a much cheaper option than the systems offered by
automakers, who are looking for a more level playing field and a way
to slow down the smartphone navigation juggernaut.

Smartphones are a horrible way to navigate when driving. From the
clunky holders (hopefully people are using them) to the
not-designed-for-drivers interfaces and small screens (many, not all),
they suck.

I prefer my piece-of-**** TomTom over using my iPhone (4) for driving.
And even if Apple smarten up and put out a larger screen, it will still
be crap for driving.

Garmin next...

If there is to be regulation it should be on the ACCURACY and
COMPLETENESS of maps as well as their suitability to driving an ordinary
car over ordinary roads.


So what happened to Steven Spriggs? The police officer went ahead and
wrote a $165 ticket for using a cell phone while driving, despite
Spriggs argument that the law didn’t apply to navigation apps.
Spriggs challenged his ticket in California’s state appeal court and
won. The $165 went back into Spriggs’ pocket and map users everywhere
sighed with relief.

Good for him




--
I was born a 1%er - I'm just more equal than the rest.

On Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:29:57 -0400, Alan Browne wrote:

Smartphones are a horrible way to navigate when driving. From the
clunky holders (hopefully people are using them) to the
not-designed-for-drivers interfaces and small screens (many, not all),
they suck.

My experience is just the opposite. Smartphones are an excellent
way to navigate when driving. Of course you need a good holder,
but various good ones are available.

The user interface of Google Navigation, to name just one
example, is perfect for driving.

Of course the smartphone should not be too small, but from
approximately a 5 inch diagonal they are well big enough for use
in a car.

I should know, I use my phone in the car with very good success
practically all the time. I even use it on my short way from
home to work and back, because it shows me which of the possible
routes is faster at the time.

Hans-Georg

Hans-Georg Michna wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:29:57 -0400, Alan Browne wrote:

Smartphones are a horrible way to navigate when driving. From the
clunky holders (hopefully people are using them) to the
not-designed-for-drivers interfaces and small screens (many, not all),
they suck.

My experience is just the opposite. Smartphones are an excellent
way to navigate when driving. Of course you need a good holder,
but various good ones are available.

The user interface of Google Navigation, to name just one
example, is perfect for driving.

It is getting to be pretty good but I still prefer my Garmin with its
fixed mount just underneath my backview mirror.

Of course the smartphone should not be too small, but from
approximately a 5 inch diagonal they are well big enough for use
in a car.

I should know, I use my phone in the car with very good success
practically all the time. I even use it on my short way from
home to work and back, because it shows me which of the possible
routes is faster at the time.

This is a crucial point: Even when using Garmin for navigation I like to
have the same target on Google Maps, where I'll use the re-routing
suggestions to avoid localized traffic slowdowns.

Terje

--
- Terje.Mathisen at tmsw.no
"almost all programming can be viewed as an exercise in caching"