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India pushes smartphone makers to use its NavIC system
India is pushing tech giants like Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple to make smartphones compatible with its home-grown NavIC navigation system within months. Read more…
location-based services
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Smartphones are the new speedometers: an experiment
In which our editor in chief drives around the US testing Google Driving’s new speedometer feature and generally saving a lot of money in the process. Result! Read more…
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Selling geolocation data is risky business for telcos
Telcos are monetizing location-based services partly by selling geolocation data to third parties. But are they doing enough to prevent it from being misused? Read more…
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EU consumer groups say Google location tracking violates GDPR
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Consumer agencies in the Netherlands, Poland and five other European Union countries asked privacy regulators on Tuesday to take action against Google for allegedly tracking the movements of millions of users in Read more…
Off the Wire
NTT, Furuno develop GNSS receiver that works in urban canyons
NTT and Furuno Electric say they have developed a receiver for GPS and other global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that dramatically improves time-synchronization accuracy in areas with severe reception conditions such as urban canyons and Read more…
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Google Maps brings Motorbike Mode to Kenyan boda bodas
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Google, said on Monday it would offer Motorbike Mode on Google Maps in Kenya, offering the voice navigation service for bike riders in Africa for the first time. Kenyan roads are full Read more…
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Google faces class-action lawsuit over mobile tracking
(Reuters) – Google has been accused in a lawsuit of illegally tracking the movements of millions of iPhone and Android phone users even when they use a privacy setting to prevent it. According to a Read more…
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Google tracks your location whether you like it or not
Most people know by now that Google can track not only your online activity, but also your physical location via Google Maps. It’s also reasonably well-known that users can opt out of being tracked via Read more…
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Strava chief says they’ve fixed the heat map tracking problem
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Fitness-tracking app Strava said starting on Tuesday it will restrict access to an online map that shows where people run, cycle and swim and remove some data after researchers found it Read more…
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You can now find women-led businesses on Google Maps
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Businesses can now describe themselves in Google Maps listings as being owned, led or founded by women, the Alphabet unit announced Wednesday. The feature would roll out this week in celebration Read more…
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Chinese firms drop plans to invest in HERE due to US opposition
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A Chinese-led group has withdrawn its offer to buy a stake in German carmaker-backed mapping company HERE after it failed to win approval from a US national security oversight board. Chinese mapping Read more…
Off the Wire
SK Telecom adds Nugu AI to T Map to create in-car virtual assistant
SK Telecom has announced that its mobile navigation app T Map is now powered by its artificial intelligence (AI) platform Nugu, effectively transforming the app into an in-car virtual assistant. Named T Map X Nugu, Read more…
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Japan launches second satellite to enhance – and replace – GPS
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan launched a rocket carrying a satellite with a local version of the US global positioning system (GPS) on Thursday, which is expected to increase the precision of location information used in Read more…
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Facebook Messenger now lets you track your friends’ location for an hour
MENLO PARK, Calif. (Reuters) – Facebook added a feature to its Messenger app on Monday to allow users to share their locations continuously for up to an hour, ramping up competition with tools offered by Read more…
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Satnavs are erasing your brain’s ability to navigate your environment, apparently
LONDON (Reuters) – If you have long feared that using a “satnav” navigation system to get to your destination is making you worse at finding the way alone, research now suggests you may be right. Scientists Read more…
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Pokemon NO: China censor bans augmented reality games, cites security risks
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Nintendo’s hit smartphone app, Pokemon Go, and other augmented reality games are unlikely to be rolled out in China any time soon, after the state censor said it would not license Read more…
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HERE is closing the maps gap with Google via Chinese deals and Intel buy-in
HERE is in the process of getting one over on Google by filling the biggest hole in its maps portfolio with the formation of a strategic partnership with NavInfo to provide maps and services into Read more…
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Google must use local servers for South Korean govt mapping data
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea said on Friday it has rejected Google’s latest request for permission to use government mapping data in servers outside the country, citing security issues with North Korea. Google has said Read more…