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Google is rolling out Speed Limit information, and more importantly, Speed Camera alerts to Google Maps widely this week.
Google Maps is also rolling out the ability to see speed cameras on a much larger basis too. For users in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, India, and Indonesia, speed cameras will be marked on the map. An audible alert also plays when users approach these cameras as noted in a smaller rollout earlier this week.
Interestingly, in Alberta this is actually being looked on favorably by government officials
"That camera is only facing one way," Sgt. Gottschling said. "Let's say it's only facing northbound, but you can approach southbound or eastbound ... you are still going to get Google telling you caution.
"So you're going to go slowly and cautiously through there which, lo and behold, is actually what we want."
Sergeant Kerry Bates with the Edmonton Police traffic division agrees.
"If it slows people down and they know it's there, that's good," he said. "It's fine. It does the trick."
Anyone else trying to figure the evil angle?
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Thursday March 07 2019, @08:24PM (1 child)
> FYI: According to Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]: "Google acquired Waze Mobile in 2013."
Heh, fair enough. I did not know that. I used Waze up until 2014 or so, but then switched to here maps, as they started supporting speed camera notifications as well, along with traffic and full offline maps (plus I prefer their interface, less like a childs toy).
(Score: 2) by martyb on Thursday March 07 2019, @10:47PM
So, as others stated, the 'evil' angle is freely providing something that -- as an intended side-effect -- gets them something they want: your real-time location info.
See also: https://www.gwern.net/Complement [gwern.net] which is just as salient, today, as when Joel Spolsky wrote the original back in 2002.
Wit is intellect, dancing.