A world map hangs in my office, poked with colorful pins marking the countries of origin of my subjects: the diversity of the Bay Area's melting pot gives my column flavor.

But this does not necessarily apply to all business models: later this year Waze, a mapping app owned by Alphabet, will reportedly launch a service designed to let San Francisco commuters share rides.

I've been testing the new Google Maps on iPhone for a week or so in the San Francisco and Washington metro areas, and I really like it.