Google Maps Mobile adds Location Support for Non-GPS Phones
I just learned that the Birthday present that arrived 2 days ago has just become obsolete. My mum bought me a Bluetooth GPS unit for use with my BlackBerry 8100 which doesn't have it's own GPS device. According to Engadget, 80% of the phones currently out there don't have GPS enabled so GPS mapping apps for your mobile/cell phones were hitting a small market.
Google just turned that on it's head by introducing Google Maps Mobile 2.0 featuring location detection based on a signal most phones are capable of using - triangulating your position based on local radio towers. I've used the previous version of Google Maps Mobile for some time and was frustrated to see that it offers a BlueTooth GPS option but my phone doesn't have one. I unwrapped my Bluetooth GPS device, turned it on, paired it with the phone and was delighted to see that by pressing zero on my phone, it would now jump to my present location on the map making it a doddle to get driving directions anywhere in the world.
The update to Google Maps Mobile I downloaded today instantly took me to within about 50 yards of my actual location and adds new features:
- Search - type sushi to see a list of sushi restaurants near your current location ordered by distance and as you roll over each it gives you the address. Click on the entry to see directions and a new menu with the options to call the restaurant, directions to and from or save as a favorite. Switch to the second tab and see the business info from Google Maps regular including restaurant reviews, payment types, hours etc. No more first available restaurant stops on road trips!
- Location tracking - hit '0' to jump to your current location and as you follow directions you'll see your position updated as you move.
- Favorites - add locations and routes as favorites to save typing the same destinations in over and over.
- Traffic - see traffic hotspots ahead so you can try a different route
Privacy issues
Google goes to great pains to note that Google doesn't know where you are - the data comes from it's cell towers but I'm sure that at some anonmyous level they are monitoring usage of the service to check adoption and could in the future filter the results to give you the option to sort restaurant searches by "most frequently revisited restaurants".
I'll confess, I'm a big nerd when it comes to maps - it's been my dirty little secret since I was a scout and would spend hours scouring an Ordinance Survey map. I built WalkJogRun to marry three of my favorite things - running, maps and technology so this is right up my alley. I'd like to see Google release a Google Maps Mobile API so I can add the ability to take your phone running with you and upload your routes to WalkJogRun. There is already a service on the Verizon network that works similar to this but they have made the data a closed system for now so you don't have a choice of mapping provider.
You can view Google's announcement and get the update here.
Road Test Update!
I just drove my wife crazy as I drove her to the train this morning and gave the non-GPS version a shot. The range in my neighborhood for a fairly densely populated near-north of Chicago was within 1700 metres of my home (1 mile or so). I thought this might be okay since the actual place it put me on the map was less than 50m from my location. When I started driving it became clear that the location tracking code was nowhere near as accurate as my GPS device which boasts accuracy to within 20m. When I switched from non-GPS mode to GPS mode my route went from a vague location to the actual street I was on at the right junction travelling in the direction I was actually going and the updates were faster.
I'm certain that this beta isn't the last we've heard of this idea and of course I'm sure the performance improves as you move into areas with more cell towers but for my first test, I'd go with the GPS unit for driving directions. That said, this is still a killer app for the "what is in my general vicinity" type searches!