Posted: 28 May 2010 10:22 PM PDT

The new subway map features call-outs for busier hubs and a deeper blue for water

The NY Times got an advance look at the MTA's latest overhaul of the NYC subway map, which was last refreshed in 1998. The Times, which says the new version is "resized, recolored and simplified," reports, "Manhattan will become taller, bulkier and 30 percent wider, to better display its spaghetti of subway lines. Staten Island, meanwhile, will shrink by half. The spreadsheetlike 'service guide,' along the map's bottom border, will be eliminated, and the other three boroughs will grow to fill the space."

Also: "A separate, stripped-down map will also be produced, to be displayed only inside subway cars. Neighborhood names, parks, ferries and bus connections will not appear on this version, making for a less cluttered composition that may be easier to read over a fellow rider's shoulders." The Times also has a nifty interactive feature that compares the latest version with the 1998 version, the 1979 version that first showed a street grid, Massimo Vignelli's classic 1972 design and the 1968 version, plus the fattening of Manhattan.

Of course, this means there's some subway map trash-talking. Eddie Jabbour, who believes his Kick Map (see it here) is the best way to understand the system, calls it complicated—"You have to read the map rather than scan the map"—and says it's an "artifact of its time, and its time was 1979." But Michael Hertz (check out our interview with him), whose firm has been designing the subway map since 1979, tells the Times, "It continues to be the right balance between information and graphic clarity. We have given the public a good tool to get around the city." What about this 2008 update to Vignelli's design?

The MTA tells us that the expected "launch" of the new maps will be June 27—to coincide with service changes.

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The 10 point guide to Nokia's Ovi Maps - Pocket-lint.com

Posted: 24 May 2010 02:53 AM PDT

With the Nokia smartphones less inspiring than the current darlings of the mobile industry HTC, Apple and BlackBerry as well as the irresistible forces that are Samsung and LG, it's easy to dismiss what the Finnish company has to offer at the top end.

However, back at the beginning of 2010, Nokia made the move to offer its Ovi Maps and route guidance system up for all to use - all who use the right bunch of Nokia phones, that is. Here's a quick guide as to why that's a more interesting proposition than some might have realised - both those happy to pay for TomTom, Mio Navman and Garmin and those who're singing the praises of Google Maps.

1) It works offline

One of the major complaints with a lot of the satnavs on mobile phone systems is that as soon as you go into the countryside and start losing reception, the whole thing comes crashing down. Ovi Maps doesn't suffer from that problem. The reason is that the application downloads the full map information to your handset rather than constantly having to refer and access the map data in the cloud. So, not only does it require no internet connection to get you from A to B, but it also won't cost you a penny in data as well. If you do choose to run the app in online mode, you get access to a few more features and it might be a smidge quicker with assisted GPS, but otherwise it's the same kettle of fish.

2) It's for pedestrians and motorists

Like TomTom on the iPhone or Google Maps for Navigation, one of the good things about Ovi Maps is that it runs on your mobile phone. When you add that in with the fact that it gives route guidance for both pedestrians and motorists, then it means you only have to bother with one device on you at any one time. Certainly beats bulking out an extra pocket with a big-screened dedicated satnav as well as your handset.

3) It's fully featured

For those still convinced that their dedicated PND (Personal Navigation Device) has superior performance than mobile routing, it's worth pointing out that what you get on an Ovi Maps enabled handset is fully featured. There's lane guidance at big junctions, 3D and 2D mapping, 3D landmarks and even speed limit warnings as well. On its own, there's not the same level of POIs but, that's where the cavalry comes in.

4) It has third-party content

One of the benefits of being online is the access to some of the third-party application content that Nokia was so keen to call in when Ovi Maps was first announced. The two main companies offering their metadata to the Nokia experience are Via Michelin and Lonely Planet. Between the two, there are as many places to sleep, eat, fill up your car and stop and take pictures as you'd expect.

5) It talks to you

Everyone loves being told what to do by the voice of their satnav even if it's only to ignore it and prove that your local knowledge is best. Ovi maps has all the voice navigation that you'd expect from all PNDs these days. What's more, you can also download all sorts of different people to give you directions as well as your own voice too. Oh, and just in case you want to show off to your passengers, there are 46 different languages to choose from as well.

6) It's multi-mapped

While there's voice guidance for 74 different countries, there are maps for over 180. You're free to download any of them you like from the Nokia website and, of course, you can use them in offline mode while abroad to avoid roaming charges. Sadly, that means no access to all the POIs from the third parties which is a bit of an oversight, meaning that you lose out on all the rich travel information that both Via Michelin and Lonely Planet would be perfect for when on your hols.

7) It vibrates and bleeps at you

As well as just the talking, you can get Ovi maps to buzz you when a junction that you need to pay attention to is coming up. Why is this important? Well, it's not such a big deal for the motorist but if you're walking about, it means you can keep your expensive smartphone in your pocket and only take it out when you need to rather than holding it out in front of you like a robbery target in some part of town you don't know.

8) It does traffic

Live traffic information is a service that most satnav providers make you pay extra for in the PND world, but that ain't so with Ovi Maps. Naturally, there's a data usage associated with it but there's no added subscription. If your handset calls back to find congestion issues on your designated route, it'll ask you if you want to try going another way. You'd probably be wise to say yes.

9) It's powered by NAVTEQ

Nokia's rise into satnavs has been rapid, if not unexpected. The writing was always on the wall with the inclusion and pushing of the Nokia maps software on almost every phone the company sold in the face of the ubiquitous Google Maps. It was the acquisition of the German route planning software company Gate5 in 2006 and then later the mapping giant NAVTEQ that suddenly gave Nokia all the tools it needed. With NAVTEQ's great rival Tele Atlas now owned by TomTom and Google making waves in the mapping space, it's looking like an interesting battleground for the future.

10) It's free

The most important thing to know about Ovi Maps is that it's completely free. You can download it onto a good clutch of medium and high-end Nokia devices anywhere you like and pick up as many different maps as your handset can hold. Whereas TomTom and Co. will cost you cash and Google Maps for Navigation will only work in the US and UK, Ovi Maps is the only one that's both universal and completely without charge. Now, if only Nokia could make some smartphones we wanted to buy...

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Map search now available from more than 1,000 ... - Tacoma News Tribune

Posted: 28 May 2010 09:37 AM PDT

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Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the Washington Trails Association has added a "Search-by-Map" feature to its popular online hiking guide. The Seattle-based trails advocacy and maintenance group said the free feature will allow hikers to search ...

Maps Guides

Saturday, May 29, 2010

“MTA Revises Subway Map (Shadows! City Island!) - Gothamist.com” plus 2 more