Microsoft is seeking, and now very likely to obtain, a German patent injunction against the Google Maps service, the Google Maps Android client app, and web browsers providing access to Google Maps.
The phone runs Android 2.1 without any of the Google applications (such as Gmail, Google maps, or the Android Market), and feels like it's powered by a circa 600MHz processor.
ENGADGET: Aigo A8 / Leo 14 megapixel cameraphone hands-on (video)
To its credit, it provides turn-by-turn directions, a feature that Google has long included in the Android version of Google maps but not on the iOS version that Apple used to offer.
Buy an additional cheap Android phone for Google Maps or replace your iLost device with a top of the line Android device.
Google Maps on Android has gained more and more features than what was on the iPhone.
FORBES: Could An Exclusive Google Maps Be Android's Killer App?
Google Maps on Android phones is great, but the iPhone version is lacking.
The problem is that it was distinctly inferior to Google Maps for Android.
FORBES: Is Google's New Maps App Actually a Big Triumph for Apple?
But for those who want an experience and information that rivals those provided by a vehicle GPS system, Google Maps for Android is the way to go.
Still, even in iOS 5, the app only offered a fraction of the functionality provided by Google Maps for Android -- lacking voice guidance and 3D views, for example.
ENGADGET: The Engadget Interview: Daniel Graf talks Google Maps for iOS (video)
However, indoor Google Maps only works on Android leaving Apple (WiFiSLAM), Microsoft (Bing Venue Maps), Nokia (In-Location alliance) and Blackberry looking for alternatives.
FORBES: Pole Star Unveils Indoor Location Cloud For iPhone, Android (video)
We had two iPhones and two Android phones between us, allowing me to test Google Maps on both the iPhone and Android and Apple's own mapping app for the iPhone. (There's no Apple app on Android.) These apps all have turn-by-turn voice navigation and will nag you with new directions if you make a wrong turn or try to go off-course.
The Android version of Google Maps has the most toys and the most beautiful graphics.
In other words, Apple had been stuck with a second-rate Google Maps app while Android had a far better one.
FORBES: Is Google's New Maps App Actually a Big Triumph for Apple?
Despite being more polished than its Android counterpart, Google Maps for iOS lacks some features, such as Latitude (it's a separate app).
ENGADGET: The Engadget Interview: Daniel Graf talks Google Maps for iOS (video)
At Google Schmidt has used the Web's openness to create an even bigger and harder-to-attack network of online developers who build software for products like Google Maps and now Android.
Google Maps 5.0 for Android might seem similarly earth shattering, but it marks a significant change to the basic technology of Google Maps.
ENGADGET: Google Maps 5.0 hits Android, includes new 3D map view and offline Navigation
Google Maps with voice navigation has been on Android phones since 2009.
From our experience, Google Maps on iOS has trace similarities to its Android counterpart, but it's unmistakably built for Apple's platform.
There, he ran the mobile apps lab before taking the role of director of Google Maps for mobile, where he oversees the Android and iOS versions of the iconic mapping app.
ENGADGET: The Engadget Interview: Daniel Graf talks Google Maps for iOS (video)
Forbes commentator Roger Kay has already suggested that removing Google Maps from the iPhone could turn more people towards Android.
FORBES: The Silver Lining To Google Maps Being Kicked Off The iPhone - Money
Android is designed to ensure that Google's Internet search, maps and other services will be a mainstay on mobile devices.
Acer already sells a lot of Android-based phones and relies on Google services such as Google Maps (hence, the leverage Google can apply to get Acer to hold back).
These are automatically synced with places you've saved and shared via Google Maps on other devices, such as PCs and Macs, or Android phones.
WSJ: Google Maps for iPhone Returns With Redesign That Makes It Easier to Use
Among the facilities Google's iPhone app lacks that are present in its Android equivalent are indoor maps, the ability to download maps for offline viewing, and voice search.
And mobile numbers will include not just Android but also the similar deal that Google has with Apple to provide search, Maps and so on.
FORBES: Google Makes More From iPhones Than it Does From Android
We were able to jump quickly from Google Maps to a game just as easily as you would on any standard Android device, albeit on the big screen.
The reigning king of Web search, Google has expanded its empire in the past few years, adding its Android mobile operating system and Google Plus networking site to already popular features like Google Maps and Gmail.
But Android devices, which often use email, maps and other features from Apple rival Google, pose a growing threat to the Cupertino, Calif.
The app wouldn't appear to pose a direct threat to Google because it could potentially help phone makers and wireless carriers sell more Android devices, which include Google's revenue-generating search service, YouTube, Google Maps and other services, rather than those made by rival Apple.
After Maps, Google Play, Google Search, Gmail and YouTube were the top apps on Android and iOS devices in December.
应用推荐