GOOGLE MAPS
Google's antitrust defeat opens the door to lawsuit from Yelp
On Wednesday, Yelp, the popular online service that lets people find and review local businesses, sued Google in federal court in San Francisco. Yelp claims that Google used its dominance as a general, or all-purpose, search engine to gain an unfair advantage in local search services. Yelp is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an order for Google to stop its anticompetitive practices in a jury trial.
Ather Energy, Google collaborate to give real-time information on 2-wheeler fast charging stations
Ather Energy has teamed up with Google to offer real-time data on fast charging stations for electric two-wheelers, the company announced Wednesday. Users can locate 'Ather Grid' fast chargers via Google Maps with live status updates. This move aims to encourage the broader adoption of electric vehicles in India, with 1,973 chargers already available nationwide.
Google down for users; Search, Gmail among services impacted
After a massive worldwide IT outage, technology major Google's services are down, as per user complaints. Users are unable to access search, email, or calendar. As per Downdetector, a website that tracks outages, complaints surged around 7 pm. While the reason behind the disruption remains unknown, the outage has affected Google Maps, Calendar, Cloud, Drive, Meet, and Hangouts.
Ola drawing up a route map to join quick commerce party
With Ola Electric preparing to list on the bourses later this week, CEO Bhavish Aggarwal is simultaneously sharpening his focus on the cab-hailing business, planning its quick commerce foray. Ola Cabs parent ANI Technologies is planning to set up dark stores amid rising demand for quick deliveries, people in the know told us.
Why Google faces the slice, not the chop
Tech firms like Google have built strong antitrust defences, enabling them to manage US rulings on search efficiently. Legal processes are time-consuming, offering chances for settlements. Google's search dominance remains intact, supported by its broad application suite. While multiple lawsuits could weaken Google's stance, it continues to hold a significant market presence.
Location wars: How a newly liberalised sector in India is hotting up
The liberalised geospatial policy in India has spurred intense competition in the mapping industry, with local firms like Ola and MapMyIndia taking on Google Maps. These changes have unlocked significant market potential, encouraging innovation and price cuts. The policy shift enables Indian companies to operate more freely, promising growth and new opportunities for various sectors.
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MapMyIndia sues Ola Electric for ‘copying’ data
MapMyIndia, homegrown digital mapping services company, is taking Ola Electric to court for allegedly stealing its data to create its recently-launched Ola Maps. MapMyIndia said the Bhavish Aggarwal company has copied its propriety data.
Bhavish Aggarwal on Ola Electric IPO; direct commerce spikes
Happy Tuesday! Ola Electric founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal spoke to us on taking the four-year-old EV startup public. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch.
Ola Electric IPO; Rapido turns unicorn
E-scooter maker Ola Electric’s long-awaited IPO, one of the country’s biggest this year, is set to hit the markets on Friday.
Bengaluru Traffic: Viral Google Map screenshot shows walking is faster than driving 6 km; netizens voice frustration
A viral social media post by Ayush Singh on the platform X has highlighted Bengaluru's severe traffic congestion, revealing that walking can sometimes be faster than driving. Singh shared a Google Maps screenshot showing that a 6-kilometer journey from Brigade Metropolis to KR Puram Railway Station would take 44 minutes by car but only 42 minutes on foot. The post sparked widespread debate, with many users voicing their frustration over Bengaluru’s traffic issues and others pointing out similar situations in other major cities.
Govt’s crackdown on financial fraud; Singapore new visa framework explained
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre has shut illegal loan websites to prevent the increasing number of financial frauds. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Map war intensifies; Google announces new features to woo users in India
Google introduced new features on Google Maps in India, including EV charging station info, flyover callouts, and AI-driven routing to reduce narrow road usage. This follows competition from Ola Maps, which led to Google reducing platform pricing by up to 70%. Enhanced metro ticket booking, incident reporting, and collaboration with EV charging providers were also announced.
Google Maps to roll out 'much requested' flyover callout, narrow roads features in India
Google is collaborating with leading EV charging stations providers in India and data aggregators in India -- ElectricPe, Ather, Kazam, and Statiq, to add information about 8,000 charging stations, covering a major share of available charging stations in India, to Google Maps.
Metro ticket bookings in Google Maps is now going live in Kochi and Chennai
Google announced a collaboration last December with the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and Namma Yatri to streamline the public transport experience on Google Maps
Google cuts Maps prices by 70% after Bhavish Aggarwal's free Ola Maps offering
Google joins the price war over a week after Bhavish Aggarwal announced that Ola was exiting Google Maps, shifting to an in-house navigation system, Ola Maps. He said the move saved the company about Rs 100 crore in costs. Google said it is working with ONDC to offer developers on the platform up to 90% off on select Google Maps APIs.
Google-backed Cropin Sage’s grid-based agricultural map launched to help seed manufacturers, food processors, govts
As the global population rapidly increases and concerns over food security grow, generative AI and large language models hold the promise of revolutionising contemporary agriculture in a world affected by climate change. Cropin technology integrates generative AI with four decades of climate data, environmental data, and knowledge graphs to analyse each crop on a country-specific basis.
How Bengaluru drivers are outsmarting traffic police using Google Maps
In Bengaluru, residents are using Google Maps to avoid traffic fines by pinpointing locations where police are likely to monitor violations. This grassroots strategy, sparked by social media posts sharing police presence alerts on the app, has gained popularity. Drivers search for keywords like "Police irt" to plan routes that bypass these areas, enhancing their chances of navigating the city without penalties. Despite its widespread use, authorities and Google have yet to officially respond, highlighting residents' resourcefulness in using technology to navigate urban challenges.
Use Ola Maps: Bhavish Aggarwal urges developers to exit Google maps
Bhavish Aggarwal, founder of Ola, has urged developers to transition to Ola Maps in a bold move aimed at challenging Google maps dominance. Aggarwal emphasised the benefits of using Ola Maps over Google maps, highlighting its innovative features and seamless integration capabilities.
Supreme Court says courts can't ask accused to share Google Maps location as bail condition
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that requiring accused individuals to share their Google Maps location as a bail condition violates privacy rights. Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan emphasized that bail conditions should not allow constant tracking by police or infringe on personal privacy. The decision overturned a Delhi High Court order demanding location sharing for bail in a drug case.
Ola has exited Google maps, moved to in-house navigation system: Bhavish Aggarwal
Bhavish Aggarwal, cofounder of Ola Cabs, said the company will now use its in-house navigation system, exiting Google Maps. This comes a month after Ola took its IT workload off Microsoft Azure. The ride-hailing company will add features, including street view, neural radiance fields, indoor images, 3D maps and drone maps to Ola Maps, Aggarwal said in a post on X.
JM Financial initiates coverage on MapmyIndia, sees upside potential of 28%
MapmyIndia, backed by JM Financial, aims for substantial revenue growth driven by new geospatial policies and diverse revenue streams.
Manta Ray: US Navy's secret undersea drone spotted, then disappeared from Google Maps
The US Navy's Manta Ray submarine, a prototype underwater drone developed by Northrop Grumman, was recently spotted at the Port Hueneme naval base in California. Named after the sea creature, the Manta Ray can operate deep underwater in low-power mode for extended periods without refueling. This advanced submarine, designed with modular features for easy transport, is part of the US's strategic efforts to counter submarine threats from Russia and China. Its recent sighting and disappearance have sparked widespread interest and speculation.
Was a top-secret US naval submarine spotted on Google Maps? What is Manta Ray and why is it significant?
A top secret US naval submarine was spotted on Google Maps before it was removed. The US has been conducting sea trials and this undersea drone is multi-purpose and may be deployed soon.
Noida man scammed of Rs 20.54 lakh, alleges death threat
A man from Greater Noida, Sandeep Kumar, was scammed of Rs 20.54 lakh in a work-from-home job scam involving rating hotels on Google Maps. An FIR was filed against an unidentified persons under IPC sections 420 and 506, along with IT Act provisions. Kumar fell victim to a scheme where he invested money but couldn't withdraw it, facing death threats when questioning the fraudsters.
Google says tech infrastructure investment in Singapore reaches $5 billion
The company said its data centres in Singapore employ over 500 people and are used to power services such as Google Search and Maps.
Google outage affects millions: Issues reported with search, maps, and more
Google services experienced a significant global outage affecting platforms like Search, Maps, YouTube, News, and Gmail. Users reported issues starting at 6:00 PM IST, with disruptions peaking around 7:00 PM. Google acknowledged the problem with Search and is working on a fix, while users expressed their frustrations on social media. The outage impacted both mobile and desktop users across various regions.
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370: Mystery unraveled? Is debris scattered in Cambodian forests?
Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 was on its regular path from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to the Chinese city of Beijing in March 2014, when it lost all contacts and disappeared from the radar. What happened?
Tourists from Hyderabad drove into a stream in Kerala while using Google maps
Tourists from Hyderabad drove into a flooded stream near Kuruppanthara in Kerala while using Google Maps for navigation. Locals and police rescued them unharmed.
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