Google Takes Mobile Maps to the Next Level

November 29th, 2007

On Wednesday, Google released the second iteration of its Google Maps for mobile phones, a mobile mapping and local search application that sports several new bells and whistles. The new version features Google’s “My Location” technology, which uses cell tower information to provide users with their approximate location to help them determine where they are and what’s around them.The most common source of location information to date — GPS technology — is supported on fewer than 15 percent of the mobile phones sold in 2007. With Google’s My Location technology, users who don’t have GPS-enabled mobile phones still can have Google Maps position their location on the map.

According to Google, the My Location technology will complement GPS-enabled devices by delivering a location estimate more quickly than GPS can and providing coverage inside buildings where GPS signals can be unreliable. Google promises its technique doesn’t drain phone batteries as quickly as GPS does.

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