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Get Ready To Be Bombarded With Ads When Using Google Maps (news.com.au)

Posted by msmash on from the ads,-ads-everywhere dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The chance to squeeze some extra advertising dollars is something rarely missed by Google. This week the company quietly announced changes to two of its most widely used services, offering businesses the chance to pay for featured advertisements in Google.com and Google Maps. In a blog post, Google senior ads vice president Sridhar Ramaswamy outlined the likely changes to Google Maps that will see users met with pop-up ads for local businesses when they use the GPS-based app. The announcement has been facetiously described online as "the Ad-pocalypse" but Google has shown more tact in their use of language, referring to the ads as "promoted pins".

149 comments

  1. My ass is ready by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Thank you google, can I have another?

    1. Re:My ass is ready by Rei · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'd take the incorporated-ads if they'd undo the long span of terrible changes they've made to the service (particularly web, but also mobile) over the years. How is it that one of the most popular products of one of the world's largest corporations has such a mishmash / poorly thought-out interface, a low detail-level which can't be altered by the user, and terribly drawn graphics (their terrain in particular is an embarrassment)? If they'll fix the interface and our penalty as users is to suffer through ads... then bring on the ads.

      Honestly, "promoted pins" could be done in a non-intrusive manner.

      1) Only show things relative to the layers that the user has enabled. If they don't have restaurants on, don't insert pins for promoted restaurants.

      2) Handle them via the culling algorithm. Map details must inherently be culled when zoomed out so that the screen isn't just a giant jumbled mess; as you zoom in and objects on the map move further apart, you have more room to insert more objects, so you cull less. When it comes to "promoted pins", a fair way to deal with them would be to give them a higher priority than unpromoted pins in the culling algorithm, so that they're more likely to show up when zoomed further out.

      --
      Friends! Help! A guinea pig tricked me!
    2. Re:My ass is ready by misosoup7 · · Score: 1

      Google is hiring UX designers, perhaps you should join up? https://www.google.com/about/c...

    3. Re:My ass is ready by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      I'd take the incorporated-ads if they'd undo the long span of terrible changes they've made to the service (particularly web, but also mobile) over the years. How is it that one of the most popular products of one of the world's largest corporations has such a mishmash

      Once upon a time, I could map out routes in Google maps that wre not quicktaketheinterstate two choices.

      Then this year I tried again. Holy hell - it simply does not work at all, unless you walk it through by splitting your trip into 5 or more trips.

      The feedback has been universally and emphatically negative, as in "this friggin thing doesn't work any more". Almost worthless now. And now- just serving ads.

      AdChoices H^H^H^H^H^H^H Google - bite me.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    4. Re:My ass is ready by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      openstreetmap.org
      don't be an idiot please. /. supposed to be home of the skilled nerds.

    5. Re:My ass is ready by Grishnakh · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How is it that one of the most popular products of one of the world's largest corporations has such a mishmash / poorly thought-out interface, a low detail-level which can't be altered by the user, and terribly drawn graphics (their terrain in particular is an embarrassment)? If they'll fix the interface and our penalty as users is to suffer through ads... then bring on the ads.

      You're totally forgetting about the speed.

      On my Galaxy S4, Google Maps still seems to be OK, but for the web version, it's ridiculously slow these days. I don't know WTF happened, but Google Maps used to be snappy on a decent computer, but now it's the slowest web page I use. Panning around, zooming, everything is horribly, horribly slow. It's almost unusable. I'm probably have to start looking more seriously at Bing Maps when I'm on a PC (and I'm a huge MS hater).

      As for this "promoted pins" crap, it's all a bad idea. donowant. I don't care if I'm looking at restaurants; I don't want to see whatever shitty greasy spoons have paid to have themselves promoted. And I really don't want my screen filled with a bunch of stupid icons for shitty businesses I'm not interested in. If Google resorts to this crap, it's going to be time to look at competing mapping apps such as Bing.

      It's pretty sad that I'm having to serious consider Microsoft products because Google is going down the drain so fast. There's a few other navigation apps out there too; I'll have to look at those.

    6. Re:My ass is ready by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      Won't work. He'll propose stuff in the interview that's totally antithetical to their crappy new UX philosophy and won't get hired. They're only going to hire people who've drunk the same Kool-Aid as themselves.

    7. Re: My ass is ready by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's your fault we have all these shitty ads by these shitty companies. I fucking hate Google more than Microsoft. I didn't think it was possible.

    8. Re:My ass is ready by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      They also change flavors too frequently to follow through on any plans to fix things within the current flavor's ideology. You have to have drank the stuff, and also be ready to switch to the new flavor.

    9. Re:My ass is ready by Briareos · · Score: 1

      I think you might be pointing out a part of the problem and not the solution - I'd rather have Google fire all their so-called designers and let the coders build the interfaces...

      --

      "I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole

    10. Re:My ass is ready by epine · · Score: 1

      Google is hiring UX designers, perhaps you should join up?

      Did the job openings begin with an internal conversation including the phrase "well, if you won't do this ..."? Just wondering. Few recent changes to Google Maps these days arrive with the new car smell of employee self-esteem.

    11. Re:My ass is ready by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How is it that one of the most popular products of one of the world's largest corporations has such a mishmash / poorly thought-out interface. . .

      Maps is Google's iTunes.

    12. Re:My ass is ready by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've noticed the speed problem as well -- just a couple years ago Google Maps was quite speedy. Now, it's glacial (and my download bandwidth has increased by 80GB in that time-frame). Maybe the revenue from the pins will fund 100,000 new servers to serve Google Maps and solve the problem?

      Bing maps is much faster and I've been leaning more towards it. Unfortunately, its version of street view covers much less territory and (I find) is more awkward to use. However, Bing seems to be better at finding most addresses I'm looking at -- esp. in rural areas - Google maps is often miles off and I go to Bing and it nails it - I was a bit surprised by that.

    13. Re:My ass is ready by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Something changed, it's extremely frustrating now to draw out motorcycle routes. The route is always adding new points instead of moving existing waypoints, and then accidental waypoints need to cook for like 10 seconds before the "click to delete" becomes available. Add in the constant zoom-out, and it's a big headache.

  2. First by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    This one's for systemd!

  3. It's already begun by LichtSpektren · · Score: 4, Informative

    I got an offer for an Uber coupon while using Google Maps on my phone the other day.

    It was a text ad and wasn't very intrusive. Still, though, unsettling.

    1. Re:It's already begun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've had the Uber promo on Android Maps too and it's quite irritating:
      * Comes up when you select a destination from the search results and click the Car button for a route
      * No obvious way to dismiss it or skip it
      * Swiping left dismisses it but also changes your transport selection from car to bicycle! If you don't notice this (as I didn't) you will be trying to drive a bicycle route.

      It's not showing the ad now so I guess it only happens once in a while, this is the second time I've seen it.

    2. Re:It's already begun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually just figured it out, this is just the Uber integration (taxi directions), we haven't had it here in NZ until now.

  4. Awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    That's all i ever wanted.

  5. lets leave some reviews by nimbius · · Score: 5, Funny

    joes diner: great food, cursed cheese cake provides listeria as advertised.
    mega dental: Excellent, fast service set to the pace of a live speed metal band. understandable you must work the sound board properly.
    Wal Mart: Theme park for the well to do. Got to beat a real human being with a sack of potatoes. set fire to aisle 12 and dispatched my own fire department. Holiday shopping for boiled shrimp and car tires unfortunately interrupted by Aer Lingus flight 8901 coming in from heathrow.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
    1. Re:lets leave some reviews by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FOMHLMAO! Epic, capital suggestion, to be honest.

      This isn't one of the spaces they should be monetizing...at least not in this particular manner. You can bet your bottom dollar that someone WILL come up with an app that Google can't readily block that does the same functionality (since they take lat-long and I can get that from the GPS edge...) and pull up the GUI piece from the main website or via the KML data that the API exposes (and they can't safely take away...because it's being used elsewhere...).

      This is quite fucking stupid on Google's part if they're actually doing it.

    2. Re:lets leave some reviews by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      You can bet your bottom dollar that someone WILL come up with an app that Google can't readily block that does the same functionality (since they take lat-long and I can get that from the GPS edge...)

      Way back when we used this big yellow Garmin GPS that my dad got for Gliding. Basically you put in the lat long of where you want to go and it points at it. It's up to you to figure out what roads to use. Always made trips more interesting without ever getting really lost. Good times. Bring them back.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    3. Re:lets leave some reviews by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

      Ran over someone trying to find theme park at walmart.

      Family will sue Google for it.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    4. Re:lets leave some reviews by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Boaty McBoatFace and Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf approve!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    5. Re:lets leave some reviews by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can bet your bottom dollar that someone WILL come up with an app that Google can't readily block that does the same functionality (since they take lat-long and I can get that from the GPS edge...)

      Way back when we used this big yellow Garmin GPS that my dad got for Gliding. Basically you put in the lat long of where you want to go and it points at it. It's up to you to figure out what roads to use. Always made trips more interesting without ever getting really lost. Good times. Bring them back.

      like these?
      http://radioworld.ca/handheld-c-4_94.html?filter_id=46

  6. Bright future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    And so the humans continued their steady march into the bright future.

  7. Other Map Software by ohnocitizen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It depends on how intrusive or useful this is. Featured ads when I am searching generally (for food for instance) that are appealing would be fine, and fit in with what you see on other search pages (amazon, yelp, other companies do this). If it shows up in a way that it makes my search longer however - less welcome. If I'm searching for an address and have to dismiss an ad to get to it, google maps on my phone will have for many situations become unusable. It already takes ages to load.

    So what other apps are out there worth using? Android Central - Alternatives (Click "view all").

    1. Re:Other Map Software by mlts · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If Google does an occasional text ad here and there, fine. If they are pop-up/slide up, full screen ads which wiggle when you try to close them, then take you to the web page or app store for downloading something, I'll find another map provider. MapQuest and Bing Maps are suitable alternatives, and Apple Maps has gotten past navigating people through wormholes and tessaracts.

    2. Re:Other Map Software by internerdj · · Score: 3, Funny

      The best BLT I've ever had was just one minute into the s plane through a tesseract just outside of Albuquerque.

    3. Re:Other Map Software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Precisely. Well put.

    4. Re:Other Map Software by swb · · Score: 2

      This is the only reason I usually use Google Maps on iOS -- working in an unfamiliar location and wanting to know what restaurants are available, and searching for "food" or something actually finds restaurants.

      iOS Maps has been fine for navigation, but its search results are usually poor.

    5. Re:Other Map Software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Waze is also an alternative. Morgan Freeman giving directions is awesome! Alot less spam too! Win Win!

    6. Re:Other Map Software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Isn't waze just reskinned google maps?

    7. Re:Other Map Software by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      The best BLT I've ever had was just one minute into the s plane through a tesseract just outside of Albuquerque.

      Tesseracts are so winter 2015 - I like to drive by ziggurats.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    8. Re:Other Map Software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Alright Bugs Bunny :) You took that turn again didn't you!

    9. Re: Other Map Software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The openstreetmap geodata are great but every interface I've seen sucks, even in comparison to Googlemaps. When will they realize that sometimes you zoom to be able to read the fucking labels, not to see more irrelevant detail? I zoom in, text gets bigger for fractions of a second, then shrinks back to illegible. Also, how about choosing which labels to display by size of street/town, not uniformly at random?

    10. Re:Other Map Software by evolighting · · Score: 1

      there only PAID AD thats what really matter.

  8. Openstreetmap.org by ickleberry · · Score: 5, Informative

    I am constantly surprised by how good it is. It has paths in there that Google has never heard of, ones up mountains that might not even be 1ft wide, new and old. It doesn't look quite as polished and smartphone-oriented as the Almighty GOOG's version but the maps themselves are more detailed and more accurate

    1. Re:Openstreetmap.org by BenFenner · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Open Street Map was truly an answer to my prayers. Being able to modify the maps based on my personal experiences is nothing short of a miracle. The wiki aspect of maps really works well here, and the end result are maps that the every-person can use well, and those of us who are just geeky as shit about maps and cartography can also get things done that we need to.

      As a general question to all commentators; if you're not using Open Street Maps, what is your reason?

    2. Re:Openstreetmap.org by farlukar · · Score: 3, Informative

      It doesn't look quite as polished and smartphone-oriented as the Almighty GOOG's version

      OsmAnd is quite usable though.

      --
      Ceci n'est pas une .sig
    3. Re:Openstreetmap.org by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      Interesting, and goog to know there are alternatives around. Too bad Street view will only be Google for a good long time.

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    4. Re:Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I use OSM for sports GPS devices (Cycling, running) - It's data is accurate and up to date because it's maintained by volunteers, many of which are in the sports community.

      Garmin's newer cycling devices even ship with maps pulled from OSM. It's cheaper than licensing their usual mapping data and especially in the case of cycle-paths and other non-motorway paths it's far more accurate.

      When Garmin of all companies, who has a long an notorious history of wanting to charge you out the ass for mapping data, uses OSM you know something is up.

      You've been able to manually load OSM data on to garmin devices for a while. With a 4 gig SD card I've been able to have an entire street map of the US on my cycling computer. Really handy when you travel to and ride in unfamiliar areas.

    5. Re:Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > goog to know there are alternatives around

      Freudian slip?

    6. Re:Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MapQuest's app used to have an option to use Open Street Map

    7. Re:Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a general question to all commentators; if you're not using Open Street Maps, what is your reason?

      I just put in a US zip code and it took me to Italy.

    8. Re:Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a general question to all commentators; if you're not using Open Street Maps, what is your reason?

      All the navigation apps I've used seem to like to drive me down roads that are actually out of the way for no reason, or just occasionally take me in circles.

      Otherwise, I'd gladly use OSM.

    9. Re: Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's Mapillary with freely licensed crowdsourced photos.

    10. Re:Openstreetmap.org by BenFenner · · Score: 1

      It still does. Well, their web site does. Not sure why you'd use a special application other than a browser to access a web site, but people do strange things...

    11. Re:Openstreetmap.org by BenFenner · · Score: 1

      I see. I plan my trips, and navigate myself. Which is why good maps are AMAZING when you find them. I can see if you're trying to use a map service as a navigation service there would be plenty of things lacking...

    12. Re:Openstreetmap.org by plover · · Score: 1

      As a general question to all commentators; if you're not using Open Street Maps, what is your reason?

      As a contributor to OSM, I really want to use the data more.

      But my primary need is for a real-time traffic-based routing app to help me get to work in the mornings. I don't need a static route planning app, because I know how to get there. Even an ordinary map with traffic data on it is not as useful, because those take brain cells away from driving in order to interpret and replan a route.

      What I use every day are the two functions of traffic-avoidance and navigation, fused into a single interface that answers the question "What is the fastest predicted route, from right here and right now, to get me to X?" And the most effective traffic-negotiating app out there today is Waze, which performs real-time routing based on current and forecast crowd-sourced traffic data.

      Waze originally leveraged Google maps, and was subsequently bought by Google (Alphabet, whatever.) They are not switching to OSM maps any time soon.

      What I'd really like today would be a route planning/navigation app that uses OSM data that takes into account my truck and travel trailer, and takes me to camping sites in state parks by selecting truck routes that are suitable for a larger rig. I want to avoid the two-lane roads as much as practical so I'm inconveniencing other drivers to the minimum extent possible. When I need gas, I want it to find me a station that has pull-through pumps with a high enough canopy. I'm less interested in traffic speeds, although avoiding crashes, standstills, and narrow construction lanes would be a plus. And when I need a dump station or propane tank refills, knowing where they are would also help. I haven't found those features in an OSM-based app yet. But every so often, I look.

      --
      John
    13. Re:Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Propane stations:

      http://www.afdc.energy.gov/data_download

      (Some) Dump Stations:

      http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=293:dump-stations-poi-file&catid=41:waste-systems
      https://poidirectory.com/poifiles/united_states/transportation/Dump_Site-US.html

    14. Re:Openstreetmap.org by ickleberry · · Score: 2

      Maybe you should go to Italy.

    15. Re:Openstreetmap.org by DigitalSorceress · · Score: 1

      The Doctor: You know, since we're talking with mouths, not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, you have never been very reliable.

      Idris: And you have?

      The Doctor: You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.

      Idris: No, but I always took you where you needed to go.

      The Doctor: You did!

      PRECISELY!

      --

      The Digital Sorceress
    16. Re:Openstreetmap.org by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I am constantly surprised by how good it is. It has paths in there that Google has never heard of, ones up mountains that might not even be 1ft wide, new and old. It doesn't look quite as polished and smartphone-oriented as the Almighty GOOG's version but the maps themselves are more detailed and more accurate

      And when it gives up to date traffic predictions with auto-rerouting around obstacles I may consider using it.

      Well that's not fair, I actually already use it, but not for anything requiring getting somewhere by road or public transport. Having a good accurate and complete map is really only a very tiny part of what a modern mapping system needs to offer.

    17. Re:Openstreetmap.org by LunaticTippy · · Score: 1

      As a general question to all commentators; if you're not using Open Street Maps, what is your reason?

      I'm super lazy. Last time I tried OSM there were no good free navigation apps that used it. Has that changed?

      --
      Man, you really need that seminar!
    18. Re:Openstreetmap.org by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      I find that Bing maps is really snappy and has a better street view than GMaps.

      I like the interface better too.

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    19. Re:Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I use the free mapfactor navigator on android with OSM maps and it's really awesome, even on a 5 year old phone it beats the crappy windows phone maps and is usually on par with google.
      Not to mention that my town went from non-existent to more detailed than google in just few years.

    20. Re:Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >>>As a general question to all commentators; if you're not using Open Street Maps, what is your reason?

      I must have missed the point... I went to Open Street Maps based on your post. I see an extremely nice _map_ site. But... there isn't any information about what's availble, indeed, if anything else is available. I _never_ go to google maps, or bing maps just to look at the maps. I use aerial and street views for familiarization. I may sometimes use directions, for ways to go or how long it will take to get there. But a map all by itself, no matter how nice, is nearly useless to me.

      So I guess my reason is that the site is not targeted at my needs. It looks great at what it does, and I don't need that.

    21. Re: Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree that OSM has excellent data, but the website is unusable (try searching for any address: "no results") and the available clients are horrible. Text so tiny that I can barely see, let alone read it. Lots of cryptic symbols that are not clickable/tappable and have no tooltips. Very crowded maps with no sensible culling. OsmAnd likes to initiate navigation to random destinations out of the blue. I would love to have a free alternative to Googlemaps but OSM isn't there yet.

    22. Re: Openstreetmap.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A goog long time, one might say.

    23. Re:Openstreetmap.org by jez9999 · · Score: 1

      As a general question to all commentators; if you're not using Open Street Maps, what is your reason?

      OpenStreetMaps insists on displaying all place names in the local language. Well my language is English so this is completely useless to me. There should be a "display all placenames with X localization" option.

      --
      == Jez ==
      Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
    24. Re:Openstreetmap.org by plover · · Score: 1

      Thank you! It looks like setting up an import task is a ton of work, but possible.

      --
      John
  9. Haven't we learned yet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Repeat it to yourself: "Google is an advertising company."

  10. Two words: uBlock Origin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Why would "ads" be a problem for ANYONE in this day and age? Block'em. All of them. My computer, my rules. No pop-ups, pop-ins, pop-unders allowed. No banners. No Flash. No Javascript. Just what I choose and allow to be downloaded and displayed.

    1. Re:Two words: uBlock Origin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can use uBlock on google maps app ?

      What if the ad is IN the app ? or even IN the web content ?

    2. Re:Two words: uBlock Origin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      1: uBlock Origin doesn't work on iOS. Hell, the "blockers" on iOS are completely worthless anyway.
      2: You can block ads on Android, but you need to root and drop in a host file, or modify the iptables entries to block outgoing traffic.
      3: Sites are starting to use EME or big Flash/HTML5 blobs with the ads built in them.
      4: Sites like Forbes just give you the middle finger, and if you allow ads, you might get stung by malvertising, as reported by /. a few weeks ago.

    3. Re:Two words: uBlock Origin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THIS. Google can be relied on to do the ads in a way that can't be blocked without blocking the maps.

    4. Re:Two words: uBlock Origin by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      You block individual HTML elements. So no problem. They can't style the ads differently to disclose that they are ads, and work in a web browser without a special plugin (like flash), and still stop ad blocking. They can have two of those at a time, but that's not good enough.

      On a mobile device using an app, they're winning the arms race.

    5. Re:Two words: uBlock Origin by ncc74656 · · Score: 1

      Sites are starting to use EME or big Flash/HTML5 blobs with the ads built in them.

      I've even seen pages that use the data URI scheme for ad images (try the Daily Caller as an example). This enables them to evade most ad blockers. If they were injected server-side, they would be practically unblockable; you'd need a block rule for each one, and I could see the server-side code tacking on some random garbage at the end to effectively make each image unique.. So far, however, they're still using client-side JavaScript to inject them, so you can use something like uMatrix or NoScript to block them.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
    6. Re:Two words: uBlock Origin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This doesn't solve the problem, just covers up a symptom.

  11. Distracted Driving? by JimMcc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I use the Google Maps on my iPhone for navigating when I'm driving someplace unfamiliar. Does this mean that I'll have to be dismissing ads in order to see continue to have a useable navigation tool? I'm also not wild about the idea of pop up ads drawing my attention away from the road. Time will tell.

    1. Re:Distracted Driving? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Informative

      No, the summary is bullshit. There are no pop-up ads here. All that is happening is that when you search for something the search results can contain promoted items. So if you search for "restaurant" the local branch of McBurger can pay to be listed above the real results, just like they can when you do a web search for the same.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Distracted Driving? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      I use the Google Maps on my iPhone for navigating when I'm driving someplace unfamiliar. Does this mean that I'll have to be dismissing ads in order to see continue to have a useable navigation tool? I'm also not wild about the idea of pop up ads drawing my attention away from the road. Time will tell.

      I usually use [the Google-owned] Waze app, which started doing pop-up ads a while back. It's annoying, but they typically only pop-up when stopped, and disappear once you start driving again. They also do sponsored "pins" for stores and restaurants, which aren't intrusive. It's not enough to get me to stop using the app (yet), but i will start to feel a bit more annoyed if I start getting the same stuff in Google Maps as well.

    3. Re:Distracted Driving? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Thanks for that, AmiMoJo. Once again /. and their now owners create shit news like the gutter press as they scrape the gutter for clicks.

    4. Re:Distracted Driving? by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      Waze (also owned by Google) has transparent popups, but they only popup when you're stopped and disappear as soon as you move. I never had a problem with them.

    5. Re:Distracted Driving? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Thanks for that, AmiMoJo. Once again /. and their now owners create shit news like the gutter press as they scrape the gutter for clicks.

      To be fair, it isn't "shit news" it is "gossip and lies" that aren't news.

      It isn't news if it isn't believed to have actually happened or be happening.

    6. Re:Distracted Driving? by chihowa · · Score: 1

      Seriously? Thank you Waze for encouraging people to look at the map when they're moving instead of being able to study it when they are stopped. Advertising is a cancer on our society.

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
  12. Use OpenStreetMap - problem solved. by ffkom · · Score: 5, Informative

    You keep your data. You are not SPAMed. You help the community if you annotate or fix mistakes in the map if you find some.

    1. Re:Use OpenStreetMap - problem solved. by King_TJ · · Score: 1

      I never even knew that existed before. Will check it out. But does OpenStreetMap have an iOS app like Google Maps does? That's kind of important, IMO -- as I"m usually out and about already when I need to look up a location.

    2. Re:Use OpenStreetMap - problem solved. by BenFenner · · Score: 1

      I can't get enough of Open Street Map! I love contributing to it, and I love using it. I guess I'm more into cartography than most...

    3. Re:Use OpenStreetMap - problem solved. by ffkom · · Score: 1

      But does OpenStreetMap have an iOS app like Google Maps does?

      Yes, see for example http://osmand.net/

    4. Re:Use OpenStreetMap - problem solved. by ffkom · · Score: 4, Informative

      Or refer to the much more comprehensive list of OpenStreetMap-using iOS Apps at http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/...

    5. Re:Use OpenStreetMap - problem solved. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just looked at OSM and it seems to want me to provide a street address. I often go places where I have the name and the city and Google Maps finds it and directs me there. I keep pushing GOOG by giving it fewer and fewer clues. Doesn't everyone navigate like this? People individually inputting new places manually (eg my parking garage, a new restaurant etc) will never keep up with Google Maps.

    6. Re:Use OpenStreetMap - problem solved. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, just like a few people editing wikipedia pages will never be able to keep up with Britanica.

  13. Paying to Opt Out? by pz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Please, please, please, Google, allow me to pay you the revenues you generate from advertisers directly in the form of a subscription fee, and then DO NOT SERVE ME ADS, DO NOT TRACK ME, AND STOP BEING EVIL.

    --

    Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
    1. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 4, Informative

      That's what we thought we were getting with cable TV subscriptions, and then we started getting ads there too. Even companies from whom I purchase products (like Amazon) still can't seem to stop themselves from *also* putting ads on their sites, which irritates me to no end. The temptation for just a bit of extra revenue from ads is apparently irresistible.

      It would be nice to have that choice, but the cynic in me says that what you'll probably see is *fewer* ads, or perhaps *less intrusive* ads, rather than no ads.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by friedmud · · Score: 1

      Possibly - but Google already has a way to pay to opt-out of ads across the internet: https://www.google.com/contrib...

      I suspect that Contributor will also disable ads on Google Maps... we'll have to wait and see.

      BTW: I've been using Contributor for over a year now... it's a great way to support the sites I hit often (like Slashdot) while removing ads. It currently shows that I've contributed nearly $30 to Slashdot over the last year... which sounds just about right for what I would want to pay for Slashdot...

    3. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by shawn2772 · · Score: 1

      Please, please, please, Google, allow me to pay you the revenues you generate from advertisers directly in the form of a subscription fee, and then DO NOT SERVE ME ADS, DO NOT TRACK ME, AND STOP BEING EVIL.

      https://www.google.com/contributor

    4. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by pz · · Score: 2

      From the Contributor page ---

      "With Contributor you'll see fewer ads on millions of sites and on all of your devices."

      Fewer, not none, and they still gather all of the same information about you. From the example, it looks like it works much like an ad blocker.

      --

      Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
    5. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Please, please, please, pz, read the article before posting. There's nothing new here except that companies can pay to top the search results of generic terms. Calling this evil is just completely ignorant of what the term evil actually means.

    6. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by iampiti · · Score: 1

      I'd extend this request to the makers of every service that's promoted with spying and/or ads.
      That includes Windows 10. Hey Microsoft! I'll pay good money if you give me Windows 7 with the internals of 10. Of course all data-gathering and promoting of Ms services must be removed

    7. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by chihowa · · Score: 1

      It may say "fewer" because not all ads are served by Google and they can't promise that you'll see no ads. It works like an ad blocker except that you must be logged into Google and tracked in order for it to work. That's way too intrusive for my tastes, even if I had logged into Google in the last few years.

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    8. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by shawn2772 · · Score: 1

      It may say "fewer" because not all ads are served by Google and they can't promise that you'll see no ads. It works like an ad blocker except that you must be logged into Google and tracked in order for it to work. That's way too intrusive for my tastes, even if I had logged into Google in the last few years.

      "Logged in" does not necessarily imply "tracked". The login can be taken as an explicit signal not to record any information about the request. I don't know if Contributor does that but if it were clear that there were sufficient demand for it, it could.

    9. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by chihowa · · Score: 1

      True, but it's a matter of "leaving money on the table" (from the company's perspective) and trust (from the users'). In the absence of an airtight, unqualified (eg, no "to improve user experience" type language), and legally binding statement that users will not be tracked, it's naïve to assume that any situation that makes it easy to track users will not be used to track users. I know that you have a strong allegiance to Google, but this applies doubly in their case since user profiling is such a core part of the business model.

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    10. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by shawn2772 · · Score: 1

      Do you really believe that if Google accepts your money in exchange for not tracking you, that it will violate that contract? Of course, "not tracking" would have to be spelled out precisely, but I think it's reasonable to expect that any major corporation will abide by the terms it signs up to, even those that aren't as high-minded as Google. The consequences of violating contracts are too severe.

      this applies doubly in their case since user profiling is such a core part of the business model.

      It's actually not. It's a core part of the business model for some services, and those are Google's largest services, but it's not in any way core to the company's overall business model. Advertising is just one monetization approach. My perception is that the leadership has never been very happy with the approach, actually. I know that Page and Brin refused to consider advertising as a business model for some time, until they hit on the idea that if it was both relevant and unobtrusive that perhaps it could actually provide value to users. Many, many employees are also a little uncomfortable with it, including me -- and what the employees think does matter in Google, quite a bit.

      If Contributor were to become sufficiently popular that it provided a real alternative revenue stream, I think Google would be more than happy to embrace it wholeheartedly, and would be completely untroubled by the potential for leaving money on the table. I'm less certain that contract language could be written that would both make the lawyers comfortable and would convince skeptical readers, but it's not completely impossible.

      What I honestly expect, though, is that Contributor will never attract enough subscribers to justify much effort, because while there are a small number of people who feel very strongly about the issue, the vast majority don't care.

    11. Re:Paying to Opt Out? by chihowa · · Score: 1

      Do you really believe that if Google accepts your money in exchange for not tracking you, that it will violate that contract?

      No, which is why I specifically stated that you'd be naïve to assume that you'd not be tracked if the terms of use allowed in any way for you being tracked.

      I'm not invited to tea with the Google leadership as you appear to be, so my impressions are colored more by their actions, public statements, and financial filings than their personal convictions, at odds as those may be with all of the available evidence. You can probably rest assured that they've made note of your loyalty, though.

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
  14. It's about time! by Anubis+IV · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was using Google Maps a few days ago and came to the startling realization that the information was presented too clearly, the results were simply too useful, and my satisfaction with the product was simply too high. Thank goodness Google is listening to their customers and doing something to reverse this worrying trend!

    1. Re:It's about time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One MUST work on their Customer DIssatisfaction. It's crucial to business...or at least so Despair, Inc.says...

  15. Slippery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The first time I see an ad obstructing the view of my map, or my GPS says "In 500 feet, turn left for Nissan's Memorial Day Sales Event at Bob's Auto" I'm done. Full stop. I have never been disappointed enough with Google Maps to seek out alternatives, but there's a map in the glove box that is a pretty low bar to beat regarding convenience. If Google can't keep above that bar, I'm sure someone else does.

  16. Gave up on Maps years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    I gave up on Google Maps years ago. I've been using OpenStreetMap for a long time, with better results.

    1. Re:Gave up on Maps years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I gave up on Google Maps years ago. I've been using OpenStreetMap for a long time, with better results.

      The only time I use maps is on my phone. What are you using to actually navigate on your phone?

      If you say OSMAnd, then I know you're lying, because it likes to drive me in circles and randomly just gets lost.

    2. Re:Gave up on Maps years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm not the grandparent, but OsmAnd's navigation has drastically improved for me since maybe 2 years ago. It used to be annoyingly awful (wanted me to go in circles or take very suboptimal roads like exit the highway, go out of my way, then get back on the same highway when it would have been much faster and a shorter distance to just stay on in the first place--wtf?) but for me I haven't had bad routing in over a year.

      Some tips:
      - Use OsmAnd (offline) -- obviously useful if your data connection goes out but the routing itself has been consistently better than the online options for some reason (for the past year at least--it used to be a crapshoot).
      - In Navigation preferences enable "Fastest route". If you don't, it calculates the shortest route by distance, which in my experience is absolutely not what you want--it can drastically lengthen your trip by taking you down slow roads.
      - Plan in advance where appropriate! Cartography and route planning can be a lot of fun and it doesn't have to take long. OsmAnd has excellent support for GPX tracks, so you can create your custom route in advance either within OsmAnd or other software and use it to audibly provide directions when you take the trip.
      - Use Offline vector maps as your map source. They're good quality and quick and aren't reliant on a data connection.
      - For satellite images (to help find places you don't know the address of like poorly marked trailheads, or to just look around) I find the Microsoft hybrid maps to be excellent and fast.

      There are two major things that could be improved:
      - Better point of interest searching. I usually end up finding the address or coordinates for e.g. a restaurant through other means and then inputting that into OsmAnd. This needs to be improved for usability.
      - Real time traffic and rerouting based on it. This is the killer feature of a navigation app. I don't know the status of it. Many state departments of transportation feed Google their live traffic information (mostly interstate data) and many cities feed Google their bus route information. These at least should be publicly accessible through APIs but at least in my area they weren't in the past. That would be a great start, but adding crowd-sourced traffic information is clearly doable and would be a great feature to add to OsmAnd (or OpenStreetMap in general, although in general they don't handle live information so perhaps storing traffic trends like Google Maps used to do would be a good way to incorporate the data into OSM).

      Sorry if that's too much information but OsmAnd is such an awesome app--probably the most useful one on my phone outside of the web browser and communication apps (email, chat). It's really improved over the years and I completely switched away from Google Maps a year ago to using OsmAnd. I use it for driving directions in cities and while hiking in remote locations, and I've used it for bicycling directions when biking in new areas (phone in backpack, audible directions through bluetooth earpiece). I've also used it while hiking, both pre-loading a GPX track of where I want to go as well as recording a GPX track of where I ended up going.

      I highly recommend you try it out again.

    3. Re:Gave up on Maps years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Scout Maps and Magic Earth come to mind.

  17. maps.here.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Use maps.here.com and the associated offline navigation apps. They are far far better than Google maps, the navigation is light years ahead and the location search actually finds the correct location, not a spammers fake promotional location.

    The apps can download their maps offline, FREE, and they're comprehensive worldwide maps too.

  18. Waze already has this by SmSlDoo · · Score: 4, Informative

    Waze, now owned by Google, has already had popup ads and promoted pins for awhile.
    While the ads are a bit annoying, they only show when you are stopped.
    The pins really do not make much of a difference.

    1. Re:Waze already has this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you pay attention to the display ads absolutely will popup for 4-5s and then go away on their own. I don't see all that many of them, but they will pop up at least once or twice a route.

  19. Google maps had already begun to suck by Kludge · · Score: 2

    A few months ago Google must have made some change to their maps, because Firefox on all my boxen goes crazy and chews up oodles of CPU. Here, mapquest, and openstreetmap still work well.

    1. Re: Google maps had already begun to suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Disabling webgl support via about:config fixed this issue for me.

    2. Re:Google maps had already begun to suck by es330td · · Score: 1

      oodles of CPU

      I am not familiar with this unit of measurement. Is it derived or a base unit?

    3. Re:Google maps had already begun to suck by balbeir · · Score: 1

      oodles of CPU

      I am not familiar with this unit of measurement. Is it derived or a base unit?

      There are 1000 oodles in a googolplex. Duh

    4. Re:Google maps had already begun to suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I share your message title, but not the specifics. Google Maps have been doing everything in their power to make me hate them.

      Their new (relatively) layout is atrocious. It's become impossible to know where the %#$ the little street view man icon is going to land when you drop him. I hate having to fight all the 'features' that I have no use for.

      The ONLY thing that has gone to the positive side of my experience with Google Maps lately is that they finally made a distance measurement tool available, even though it's still tricky to find, and is not as good as some earlier implementations.

      Oh well, the good news is, there is still some competition in the space.

  20. Considering it's accuracy has dropped.... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    The LAST 5 times I tried to use google maps for routing it was wrong. I gave up using them and switched to tomtom GO.

    Just yesterday went to drop off a package at the DHL hub. Google maps had me go one more street past and told me the empty field was my destination.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:Considering it's accuracy has dropped.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So contribute a correction to the map. Anyone can do that.

  21. Okay I'm ready by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 2

    Adblock on, sunglasses set to "Max", cynicism set to "11"....and I'm ready.

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  22. CORRECTION by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Get Ready To Be Bombarded With Ads When Using Google Maps

    Correction: more like get read to use a different app. Those EVIL Google Assholes seem to have somehow forgotten they aren't the only fucking game in town.

    Google joins the ranks of Microsoft, AT&T, Sprint, and many others, with whom I will never willingly and intentionally do business again.

    In short, Fuck Google!

  23. And you BELIEVED "Don't be evil"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fooled you, then.

  24. How dare they... by sirwired · · Score: 0

    How dare Google try and make a profit off this product that they provide to the public without charge. The nerve!

    1. Re:How dare they... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How dare Google try and make a profit off this product that they provide to the public without charge. The nerve!

      I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I paid them actual real money for my phone. If it suddenly couldn't navigate properly (as in, Maps has ads, which is the same thing as far as I'm concerned) then I'd be pretty pissed off.

      Maybe I should upgrade to a cheap BLU phone and just use OSMAnd.

    2. Re: How dare they... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But don't you know showing ads is EEEVVVIIILLLLL

    3. Re:How dare they... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google has *never* provided a service without making a profit. NEVER. Google profits from the sale of advertisements and the collection and profiling (and reselling) of information about you and millions of people. They crunch the data and sell predictive type information.

      I think Google search is a fair trade. I give Google info on what I'm thinking about and searching for, and Google gives me info about search results. Email is not a fair trade. I give Google access to the contents of my email (yikes!) and my contact list (yikes!) and they give me a half-assed IMAP-incompatible email service. Maybe you decide different. Is Google Maps with ads a fair trade? I don't think so. I give Google info on what I'm thinking and where I am and where I want to go, and Google gives me maps. Now Google wants to display ads?! No thanks.

  25. Loss of functionality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, that will likely make Google Maps less functional. If I have to struggle an extra 30 seconds per session removing popups just to get directions, I'll probably move to a different product.

  26. oh good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because it already loads so quickly...

  27. Suggested alternatives, please? by kheldan · · Score: 1

    Google Maps has become increasingly bloated nonsense and this is the last straw. Please suggest alternatives? Not Microsoft!

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    1. Re:Suggested alternatives, please? by Carewolf · · Score: 1

      Google Maps has become increasingly bloated nonsense and this is the last straw. Please suggest alternatives? Not Microsoft!

      On the phone: HERE maps.

      On the desktop: Openstreetmaps usually works if you live a place a lot of other people using openstreetmaps live.

  28. No Problem With This by friedmud · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Been using Google Maps since the beginning... it's an awesome product that I've never paid a dime for (other than having Google scrape my geo-search related data). I don't mind seeing a few "sponsored pins" here and there.

    Google has always done a good job with unintrusive ads... and I will give them the benefit of the doubt here.

    1. Re:No Problem With This by Endloser · · Score: 1

      Good for you but I'd rather pay than have ads cluttering my GPS. That's why I don't use the otherwise superior app, Waze. Neither allow premium subscriptions that circumvent ads, so neither will see revenue from me. It's almost like their owned by the same company...

    2. Re:No Problem With This by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure google got a slice of the pie when you bought that android phone, plus they mine your info. You've put plenty in their pocket.

    3. Re:No Problem With This by friedmud · · Score: 1

      Pretty funny considering most people would call me an "Apple Fanboy"...

      For the record I have an Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad Pro, Mac Pro and Macbook Pro...

      No: I just recognize that services cost money... and they are either going to get that money through advertising or subscriptions and its up to the company to decide which way they're going to go (and then, it's up to the consumers to decide if the service is still worth it).

    4. Re:No Problem With This by friedmud · · Score: 1

      Google does have a way to to pay to circumvent ads: http://contributor.google.com/

      It remains to be seen whether or not it will remove adds from Google Maps...

    5. Re:No Problem With This by Endloser · · Score: 1

      While I appreciate the link very much it is actually more than money they're after. If you read the terms it is very apparent you are paying them to enhance their data mining. I'm looking for a product from a company that's being a bit less evil and more forthright with what they're selling me. So thanks for the link. It will likely help someone. Unfortunately it's way off the mark for me.

    6. Re:No Problem With This by friedmud · · Score: 1

      I've been using it for about a year and I really like it.

      But I'm one of those weirdos that _likes_ targeted advertising... if I'm going to see ads all over my internet I want them to be about stuff I want to buy!

  29. Ad publishers are scammers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I used to think it was just the spammers and other shady types, but I've realized they're all just scamming gullible businesses.
    Companies pay Google megabucks to run these ads, and they have no effect on the companies' sales.

  30. man causes chain reaction accident by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    Distracted by popups ads in Google Maps, man causes chain reaction accident killing dozens. news at 11.

  31. You're only getting it now? by BLToday · · Score: 1

    My Google Map on iOS has been doing ads on and off for at least 18 months now. Usually it's a slightly larger dot that you think it's a search result but it's a sponsored location. One time I searched for a donut shop and selected the first result without looking. It routed me to a hotel. When I looked more carefully it was a sponsored result. Sometimes when I search for a business and I know the exact name, the first few results aren't that business it's a competitor. I think a couple months ago it routed me to a location of a competitor of a business in the same category without showing me an indication that it was sponsored pin. Couple of times Google Maps move the business I was looking for down very low on the list even when I was really close to the location (less than 3 blocks away) and pushed me to businesses much further away. I think I was looking for a Japanese BBQ place that time. I knew the name but forgot where it was. I was in the complex next door. The dot for the business was there just smaller than the other (probably sponsored) business.

    It works very similar to the initial ads on Bing Maps for iOS when that first came out back 2009(?).

  32. Google; get ready for people to stop using Maps! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just like map quest, I will stop using Google Maps the second a single ad gets in the way of the product functioning properly. And just like Mapquest, once I'm gone I'll never be back. Ever. I expect many others feel the same.

  33. Not in a million years by stevez67 · · Score: 1

    I don't Google, just like I was never a Yahooligan. Problem solved.

  34. Junkies by Livius · · Score: 1

    Google and their like sound more and more like addicts. They keep escalating the intensity and obnoxiousness of adverts but getting less and less satisfaction from them. And unable to even conceive that the problem might be their own behaviour.

  35. You didn't pay for Maps by sirwired · · Score: 1

    You didn't pay for Google Maps (either on a one-time basis or an ongoing charge.) Yep, you bought an Android phone, but navigation is hardly a core part of Android.

  36. False. Google loses money on lots of services. by sirwired · · Score: 1

    Google has a great number of money-losing products and services. Google Maps is one of them (especially without these ads.) Compared with how much it costs to collect and maintain the mapping data (not to mention the development and infrastructure cost for the application), they most certainly lose money on it. (Google tracks and uses your location to serve you search ads with or without the use of Google Maps if you have an Android phone or use any Google product or browse to any site serving Google ads on your computer.)

    Google is making precisely bupkis on self-driving cars, Google Voice, Google Docs (at least the non-commercial version), etc.

  37. Wat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People still use google maps? I switched to bing...works better..and doesn't blank out every single time I drag a direction.

  38. Re:False. Google loses money on lots of services. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Google does not have money-losing or break-even products for any length of time. They have ventures that may or may not be profitable and as soon as they determine any given product won't make money, the product is gone. The cost to collect and maintain mapping data is...well, I guess we could ask OpenStreetMap. Or any of the many companies that have or use satellites. It is quickly becoming a commodity. All other Google products you list are mined to death by Google. They get to collect and crunch vast amounts of data and sell info on that data. That's hardly making no money. Google didn't make billions by providing products that don't make money!

  39. Just download it by buck-yar · · Score: 1

    There's a program called Missionplanner for autonomous drone waypoint planning. It uses google maps, and can precache the maps (aka download google maps). Just select your area, select prefetch, and you'll have the maps at whatever zoom level you choose to go to.

  40. AdBlock+ = inferior & 'souled-out' vs. hosts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can adblock+ do 16 things hosts do 4 speed, security & reliability:

    1.) Protect vs. bad sites (past ads)
    2.) Protect vs. fastflux botnets + stop C&C talk
    3.) Protect vs. dynamic dns botnets + stop C&C talk
    4.) Protect vs. DGA botnets + stop C&C talk
    5.) Protect vs. downed DNS (4 reliability)
    6.) Protect vs. DNS redirect poisoning
    7.) Protect vs. trackers
    8.) Protect vs. spam
    9.) Protect vs. phish
    10.) Protect vs. caps
    11.) Get past dns blocks
    12.) Keep off dns request logs
    13.) Speed up surfing (adblock & hardcoded favs)
    14.) Works on anything webbound multiplatform.
    15.) EZ data control
    16.) Block ads better vs. addons more efficiently

    * ANSWER ="NO" on ab+ doing it as well or @ ALL + hosts = on devices natively.

    APK

    P.S.=> Ab+ does less vs. hosts less efficiently - hosts do MORE w/ less + Hosts start w/ kernelmode IP stack before REDUNDANT slow usermode inefficient addons BEGIN operation (as 1st resolver).

  41. For the best possible hosts file by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-4 32/64-bit http://www.bing.com/search?q=%...

    Less power/cpu/ram + IO use vs. DNS/routers/addons/antivirus (slows you) + less security issues/complexity. Compliments firewalls (w/ layered drivers blocking less used IP addys vs. hosts blocking more used domains) & DNS (lightens dns load). Gets data via 10 security sites.

    Ads rob bandwidth/speed, security (malvertising), privacy (tracking) + anonymity.

    Hosts add speed (hardcodes/adblocks), security (bad sites/poisoned dns), reliability (dns down), & anonymity (dns requestlogs/trackers) natively. Hosts != ClarityRay blockable (vs. souled-out to admen inferior wasteful redundant slow usermode addons)

    Works vs. caps & HTTP PUSH ads w/ firewalls.

    Avg. webpage = big as Doom http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... & ads = 40% of the size.

    APK

    P.S. - Safe https://www.virustotal.com/en/... (Verified by Malwarebytes' S. Burn "I've seen the code & it's safe" http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi... )

  42. Best possible adblocker (& more vs. threats) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-4 32/64-bit http://www.bing.com/search?q=%...

    Less power/cpu/ram + IO use vs. DNS/routers/addons/antivirus (slows you) + less security issues/complexity. Compliments firewalls (w/ layered drivers blocking less used IP addys vs. hosts blocking more used domains) & DNS (lightens dns load). Gets data via 10 security sites.

    Ads rob bandwidth/speed, security (malvertising), privacy (tracking) + anonymity.

    Hosts add speed (hardcodes/adblocks), security (bad sites/poisoned dns), reliability (dns down), & anonymity (dns requestlogs/trackers) natively. Hosts != ClarityRay blockable (vs. souled-out to admen inferior wasteful redundant slow usermode addons)

    Works vs. caps & HTTP PUSH ads w/ firewalls.

    Avg. webpage = big as Doom http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... & ads = 40% of the size.

    APK

    P.S. - Safe https://www.virustotal.com/en/... (Verified by Malwarebytes' S. Burn "I've seen the code & it's safe" http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi... )

  43. UBlock = inferior + inefficient vs. hosts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can UBlock do 17 items hosts do 4 speed, security, & reliability:

    1.) Protect vs. bad sites (past ads)
    2.) Protect vs. fastflux botnets
    3.) Protect vs. dyndns botnets
    4.) Protect vs. DGA botnets
    5.) Protect vs. downed DNS
    6.) Protect vs. poisoned dns
    7.) Protect vs. trackers
    8.) Protect vs. spam bad links
    9.) Protect vs. phish bad links
    10.) Protect vs. caps
    11.) Get by dns blocks
    12.) Avoid dns request logs
    13.) Speed up 2 ways (adblocks + hardcodes)
    14.) Work on anything webbound multiplatform.
    15.) Ez data control
    16.) Block ads more efficiently
    17.) UBlock now uses hosts (no DNS benefits vs. tracker or dns poisoning) - poor imitation = "sincerest form of flattery"

    ?

    Hosts = native vs. illogically "Bolting on 'MoAr'" & not ClarityRay blockable like addons.

    APK

    P.S.=> Hosts do MORE w/ less in fast kernelmode & start before REDUNDANT inefficient slow usermode addons (as 1st resolver)

    Hosts ~3mb (current data) vs. threats/ads. UBlock = 63++ MB -> http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte...

  44. For the best ad & threat blocker? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-4 32/64-bit http://www.bing.com/search?q=%...

    Less power/cpu/ram + IO use vs. DNS/routers/addons/antivirus (slows you) + less security issues/complexity. Compliments firewalls (w/ layered drivers blocking less used IP addys vs. hosts blocking more used domains) & DNS (lightens dns load). Gets data via 10 security sites.

    Ads rob bandwidth/speed, security (malvertising), privacy (tracking) + anonymity.

    Hosts add speed (hardcodes/adblocks), security (bad sites/poisoned dns), reliability (dns down), & anonymity (dns requestlogs/trackers) natively. Hosts != ClarityRay blockable (vs. souled-out to admen inferior wasteful redundant slow usermode addons)

    Works vs. caps & HTTP PUSH ads w/ firewalls.

    Avg. webpage = big as Doom http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... & ads = 40% of the size.

    APK

    P.S. - Safe https://www.virustotal.com/en/... (Verified by Malwarebytes' S. Burn "I've seen the code & it's safe" http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi... )

  45. For the best ad & threat blocker? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-4 32/64-bit http://www.bing.com/search?q=%...

    Less power/cpu/ram + IO use vs. DNS/routers/addons/antivirus (slows you) + less security issues/complexity. Compliments firewalls (w/ layered drivers blocking less used IP addys vs. hosts blocking more used domains) & DNS (lightens dns load). Gets data via 10 security sites.

    Ads rob bandwidth/speed, security (malvertising), privacy (tracking) + anonymity.

    Hosts add speed (hardcodes/adblocks), security (bad sites/poisoned dns), reliability (dns down), & anonymity (dns requestlogs/trackers) natively. Hosts != ClarityRay blockable (vs. souled-out to admen inferior wasteful redundant slow usermode addons)

    Works vs. caps & HTTP PUSH ads w/ firewalls.

    Avg. webpage = big as Doom http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... & ads = 40% of the size.

    APK

    P.S. - Safe https://www.virustotal.com/en/... (Verified by Malwarebytes' S. Burn "I've seen the code & it's safe" http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi... )

  46. Google already does this by cstacy · · Score: 1

    Google owns Waze, which does these sponsored pop-up ads. I tried using Waze as an in-vehicle navigator, but it constantly pops-up nearly-full-screen ads for every imaginable thing along the route. They totally obscure the map and are very difficult to dismiss (must pick up the phone and carefully click just-so to get rid of the ad; basically impossible to do safely while driving). This is why I don't use Waze, and have stuck with Google Maps.

    1. Looks like it's time to buy (a) Garmin device that might not be as smart, but doesn't spam me. (b) NTS - buy GRMN
    2. No longer need anything like my Note 5 (primary app was Google Maps and GasBuddy), maybe a tiny iPhone is better?

    Since my flirtation with Waze, I have been wondering, "When will Google push this horrible lossage into Maps?"
    Wait no more, the future is here.
    And it is crap-tastic!