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Google has updated its Android Maps application with the ability to store offline mapping and location data:
Google has upgraded its Android Maps app so it can provide directions when not connected to the internet. The software also lets devices find businesses' locations, opening hours and telephone numbers while offline. The firm said tourists visiting places outside their mobile subscription plans and people living in emerging markets, where data can be expensive, would be among those who would benefit most.
But one expert said budget-phone owners would now have to juggle data. "Entry-level Android smartphones sometimes only have four gigabytes of onboard storage, making it a precious resource," commented Ben Wood from CCS Insight. [...] Google said downloading most of Greater London would take up 380 megabytes on a device, while storing the San Francisco Bay area would require about 200MB.
It allows you to define a rectangular area specifying the mapping data you want to have available offline. The article mentions that Nokia Maps, now known as Here Maps, has offered a similar feature for years.
(Score: 2) by Fnord666 on Thursday November 12 2015, @01:24PM
One nice thing about this is that it lets you use phones that don't have cell service as navigation devices anyway. For example I picked up this phone [amazon.com] recently for $20US. You can skip activating it with the carrier and you still have a decent GPS for very cheap. It even has a microSD slot that supports cards up to 32GB.
One question not addressed by the article is whether or not you can save the offline map data onto a microSD card instead of the main memory on the phone.
(Score: 2) by bart9h on Thursday November 12 2015, @01:33PM
whether or not you can save the offline map data onto a microSD card instead of the main memory on the phone
With OpenStreetMap you can.