Tech for Luddites

News, Views, and How-Tos for a Digital World

Which Player Is Right for You?

Get this FREE PDF comparing the most popular streaming media players: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast.

Around the Interwebs

Related Products at Amazon

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Streaming Media Players

Note: Amazon no longer carries the Apple TV or Google Chromecast.

Accessories

The Basics

This series of posts will walk you through the process of figuring out whether or not you can cancel your cable or satellite subscription.

Introduction

Watching Live Broadcast TV with an Antenna

Watching TV On Demand with a Streaming Media Player

Casting Videos from the Web to Your TV Using PlayOn Software

Mirroring Your Computer or Mobile Device Screen on Your TV

Cutting the Cable Cord: Putting It All Together

TV Programming Options

TV ProgramsAs much as cable and satellite providers would like you to think they're the only ones with the good content, you do have other options.

Where Can You Find Your Favorite TV Shows Without Cable?

Comparing Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Streaming Content Providers

Sling TV: A Streaming-Only Service for Cord Cutters

More About Streaming Media Players

These devices take content from the Internet to display on your TV.

Introduction to Streaming Media

Which Streaming Media Player Is Right for You?

Streaming Media Players: In Canada

Do You Need a Streaming Media Player for Each TV?

Frequently Asked Questions about Streaming Media

The Bring Back Classic Google Maps Campaign

Tell Google: Bring Back Classic Google MapsWe're not giving up the fight! These links take you to resources supporting the campaign to get Google to bring back Classic Maps.

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Maps Updates General T4L Newsletter


Online Petition at Change.org
Sign and share the petition to Larry Page, CEO of Google.

Campaign Page on Tech for Luddites
Here you'll find news and updates about the campaign as well as messages, images, and videos you can share via email and social media to help get more people involved in the campaign.

Discussion Sites
Here are some more places people are talking about Google Maps.

Google Maps and Earth Help Forum Main Page

Reddit: Google Maps

Alternative Mapping Sites

Maps PinWhile none of these alternative sites are perfect replacements for Classic Maps, they're what we've got for now. I haven't checked most of these out personally yet, but I'm linking to them anyway in case you find them helpful for your purposes.

General Maps Based on Classic Maps

Note: Google has recently changed their API so that all maps now have the new-style controls. However, this doesn't affect most of the underlying features.

Google MapMaker
This site is designed to let people make additions and corrections to Google Maps. However, it uses Classic Maps as its base map and provides some of its features including Directions (under the Edit menu), a variation of Street View/Maps split screen, and 2D satellite view.

Classy GMap

An excellent alternative to Classic Maps with some of its most popular features, this mapping solution has undergone some changes since first developed. Check out this post for the most recent update (01/18/16).

Google Maps Streetview Player of Brian Folts
A reader emailed me this link with some detailed instructions about how to use it. There's not enough room for me to write them up here, so I've copied them into a comment on the original Google Maps post.

Instant Street View
Thanks to reader Sappy for sharing this find that has a lot of Classic Maps' features (searchable, zoom, 2D satellite view). However, it doesn't have a full split-screen Street View or directions.

Meteomodel
Thanks to reader Szymon for sending along this link for a Polish site. The map has Street View (not split-screen) but doesn't have search or Directions.

Falk
Thanks to reader Dave for sharing this German site.

Wareko Map
T4L reader Wareko is also developing a map based on Google Classic, available in Japanese and English!

Specialty Maps Based on Classic Maps

TennisMaps
Thanks to reader James for sharing this website that he maintains to help people find tennis courts around the world.

SolarGIS
Thanks to reader S.H. for sharing this Google-based map that includes solar radiation and temperature data.

Thanks to reader John for sharing a whole slew of URLs that incorporate Classic Maps.

www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp
shipspotting.com/ais/index.php
www.sunearthtools.com/dp/tools/pos_earth.php?lang=en
www.heywhatsthat.com/
www.westernhvdclink.co.uk/map-of-route.aspx

Maps Based on Other Platforms

MapQuest
One of the original mapping applications.

Bing Maps
Microsoft's mapping site.

Yahoo Maps Directions
While Yahoo! has shut down its main Maps site, this implementation is currently still working.

OpenStreetMap
Open-source mapping software. A reader adds, "OSM is just the database: It's up to someone to read the data and build actual maps, and possibly provide a router such as OSRM for directions."

Wikimapia
Thanks to reader Metal for sharing this site, which describes itself as "a multilingual open-content collaborative map, where anyone can create place tags and share their knowledge." Has both map and satellite views, but does not include a street view or directions feature.

Cycling-Focused Maps

Thanks to reader Frederic for sending me these links. Descriptions in quotations are taken directly from the site.

Ride with GPS
"Ride with GPS makes it easy to drag and draw your own custom routes with lightning fast elevation profiles to help you anticipate (or avoid) those big climbs."

Bike Route Toaster
"BikeRouteToaster.com is a course creation application primarily aimed at Garmin Edge/Forerunner owners although other users without a GPS may also find it useful for planning rides."

Cycle.Travel
Pretty straightforward-looking route planner built with OpenStreetMap.

Ride with GPS
From their About page: "Ride with GPS was founded by two guys that love writing cool software and riding their bikes: Zack Ham and Cullen King."

New Google Maps How-Tos

Google Maps LiteYeah, I hate 'em too... But if we're going to be stuck with them at least for the foreseeable future, I'll be working on some tutorial posts to try to make them a little less painful.

Google Maps Timeline: How to Use It, How to Lose It
A new feature from Google has privacy advocates worried and I think rightly so.

Measuring Distances in New Google Maps
This popular feature from Classic Google Maps still exists in the new version, but you find and use it a little differently.

Google Is Getting Rid of Classic Maps for Good (Ugh.)
The original sad-news post, it includes basic info on the Full vs. Lite version of the maps.

Amazon Fire Tablets: Which One Is Right for You?

Amazon has released a lot of versions of their Fire tablet since it was first introduced in 2011. This post looks at the main differentiators to help you determine which model will work best for you.

Amazon Fire Tablets: Pros and Cons

Fire tablets provide a lot of great features at affordable prices, but there are some drawbacks to them that you should know about before deciding to buy one.

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