Interviews, buzz, rants, serious articles and questionable opinions

Google Nexus One gets pinch-to-zoom and mobile Maps syncing

by Julian Prokaza on Wednesday 03 February 2010 Comment

Google has released a couple of updates for its Nexus One Android smartphone. Perhaps the most significant is an operating system update that adds pinch-to-zoom in the smartphone’s web browser, Gallery and Maps applications.

Despite possessing a capacitive multi-touch screen that works in the same way as that on the Apple iPhone, the Nexus One (along with other similarly equipped Android smartphones) lacks a similar set of multi-touch gestures. Google has yet to explain why multi-touch was disabled and Google reps dodged the question both at the Nexus One’s launch and subsequent Q&A sessions.

Whatever was causing the multi-touch hold up seems to have been resolved though, and Nexus One owners should get a notification of the operating system update any time now — Android updates are over-the-air.

The Android update also adds the Google Goggles application for image-based searching and some tweaks to improve 3G connectivity. Google Maps has also been updated to add a night-driving display to its turn-by-turn Navigation mode and Google has also added desktop synchronisation for starred locations.

This latter feature was first added to the Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 Maps apps back in December and its addition to Android means that you can now perform Google Maps searches using from the relative comfort of a desktop web browser. Apply a star to a particular location and that location will be synced to the Android app via your Google Account.

There’s no news yet on when the Nexus One will be available from a UK supplier and, on a related note, nor do we know when iPhone owners will be seeing the same sync feature in its Maps app — Apple released iPhone OS 3.1.3 yesterday, but this only contained some minor fixes.

Here’s the full breakdown of the update from Google:

New Software Update for Nexus One phones

Starting today, Nexus One users will begin to receive an over-the-air software update on their phones. This update provides some great new features, and fixes a few problems that some users might have experienced, including:

Google Goggles: this mobile application will now be available directly on your device by launching it from your All Apps menu. Just use your Nexus One camera to start searching the web

Google Maps: the Maps application with be updated to a new version, Google Maps 3.4, which will include:

  • Starred items synchronized with maps.google.com - access your favorite places from your phone or computer
  • Search suggestions from your personal maps.google.com history - makes it easy to search for places you've searched for before
  • Night mode in Google Maps Navigation - automatically changes your screen at night for easier viewing and driving
  • Pinch-to-zoom functionality: devices will now include a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone's Browser, Gallery and Maps applications

3G connectivity: we will provide a general fix to help improve 3G connectivity on some Nexus One phones

In order to access the update, you will receive a message on your phone's notification bar. Just download the update, wait for it to install, and you should be all set. This update will be rolled out gradually to phones - and most users might not receive the notification until the end of the week. We hope you enjoy these new features and look forward to your feedback.

[ Nexus One News | Official Google Mobile Blog]

Originally published on www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk, now incorporated into Broadband Genie

 

Comments

Add your comment now

Post a reply to this thread

 

 

Please describe your emotions in making this comment:


Powered by reCAPTCHA

Unless you are a verified user, comments will be moderated before they appear. Comments submitted entirely in capital letters, containing advertising or excessive swearing will be rejected; please try to be polite. The best comments are relevant, factual and balanced; think about all aspects of the package, such as speed, connection quality and customer service. We reserve the right to edit comments.