Google Maps Adds Mario to Navigation, Presumably Avoids Bowser

Mario is good for more than jumping on turtles and saving Princess Peach. He can also help you navigate to your next meeting, assuming you use Google Maps on your iPhone or Android phone. Google added Mario as a navigation option to its Maps app to celebrate MAR10 Day on March 10th (apparently that’s a thing). Just make sure you have the latest version of Google Maps installed, and then tap the yellow question mark button at the bottom of the directions screen to enable Mario mode. The navigation arrow changes to Mario in his little cart, zipping along your route to show you where to go. The feature is rolling out this weekend and will be available for about a week. Google Maps is a free download at Apple’s App Store.

A List of Apple Changes that Were Mocked, Then Copied, Then Made Standard

Dave Mark put together a great list of changes Apple made that were first mocked, then copied, then made standard by the industry. You know, like we’re seeing with the iPhone X notch. Or ditching the floppy drive. Or making a phone without a physical keyboard. These are all things Apple was skewered for doing, and yet now it’s hard to imagine how it could have gone any other way. Head over to The Loop for Dave Mark’s full list. It’s a surprisingly long list!

5 More Videos Showing ARKit 1.5 in Action

Developers are hard at work exploring ARKit 1.5 in the iOS 11.3 beta and more of their demo videos are showing up online. We found some more on YouTube highlighting vertical plane detection and object recognition for a more immersive augmented reality experience.