For anyone that has ever rooted their device and flashed the popular Paranoid Android ROM, the PIE menu is probably a very familiar thing. It allowed users to get rid of the navigation keys down at the bottom of the device and place a new hidden menu along either the left, right, or bottom edges of the screen that when tapped in a certain spot would display an arc shaped menu with navigation keys and other various shortcut options. The latest update to the HERE Maps application (stable version) introduces something that feels quite similar allowing the user to get access to various shortcuts for the app’s features.
The big difference with HERE’s implementation is that the menu isn’t really a menu at all, but rather a series of shortcut buttons displayed in arc formation, and this arc shows up pretty much anywhere onscreen as long as the user “long taps” on the display. This makes it so the shortcut buttons aren’t limited to being placed alongside any given edge. Long tap the screen and they appear. As for what’s included, after long tapping shortcuts for sharing location, getting drive guidance, seeing location info and getting directions. Beta users of HERE Maps from as far back as July have been accustomed to this menu already, and now it’s available for anyone who uses the app.
While this is arguably going to be the most useful new functionality for most users of HERE Maps, there has also been a function added where the maps for transit routes show intermediate stops. This is aimed at those who take public transit for their basic transportation. Those who take it consistently might find it the most useful of all as it can help them stay on top of transit times and trips so they know as close as possible to how long a trip from one place to another might take. This new function could be especially useful to those in larger cities that have a bustling transit system and it certainly should make planning trips via the public transit system that much easier before you leave for your destination.