Let's get this out of the way now. Down to
Apple's insistence to ditch Google in favour of its own mapping application,
Google Maps still isn't available as a stand-alone app for iOS devices. You can
download mobile mapping applications for BlackBerry and Android devices, but
not for iOS anymore. It's also not available for Windows Phone either, and it's
worth noting that the full functionality (including free turn by turn GPS, 3D Maps
and offline reliability) only comes on Android phones.
The
divisive StreetView tool is a powerful feature
With the mobile side of things covered, the
browser based Google Maps remains one of the very best around. If you want to
experience a more visual version, you can try MapsGL, a beta version of
Google's mapping technology, which offers flyover views, 3D photo tours of
landmarks and better 3D views generally. Essentially, this is what Apple has
tried to recreate in its own service and while Google Maps is quick, I found
little to choose between this and Apple Maps in performance terms on image-rich
features such as the flyover views and photo tours (a particular highlight of
Google Maps, taking advantage of consumer photos uploaded from Panaromio and
Picasa, blending several shots into one tour to give the impression of a
panoramic view of the landmark).
The
clarity of approach makes for a user friendly experience
Google Maps has been around for long enough
now to be accurate, and the wealth of information delivered for a simple coffee
shop search was overwhelming. It also led to some search results outside of
what I'd consider as straight coffee shops restaurants and bars, for example
but the inclusion of phone numbers, addresses and photos (plus StreetView where
available) was welcome.
The much discussed StreetView service
divides opinion, but it's hard to deny that the execution of the feature,
whatever your thoughts on it are, is superb. Those Google cars have covered a
lot of ground in the UK. Offline maps for Android devices, allowing smartphone
users to save and use some maps without internet connection, plus GPS
capability meaning that offline maps have genuine usefulness beyond just being
a gimmick is fantastic feature.
Google
has updated 250,000 miles of roads around the world with new Street View
footage.
The visuals themselves are presented to a
high standard and live traffic reports, webcam imagery, web links and more are
all available from a small expandable banner to the right of the screen. I did
notice that the flyover view seemed rather limited, however, with none of the
great landmarks I searched for available here, unlike in Apple Maps. Perhaps I
was unlucky with the locations I searched, but I would expect North American
landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the CN Tower and New York to use this
capability. In flyover and 3D mapping terms, then, I actually think Apple Maps
wins out. It's a gimmick, sure, but it's one that Apple's nailed.
Aside from that, Google Maps is pretty much
perfect in every way. It's the most comprehensive of any mapping service when
it comes to listings, it's the most accurate when it comes to directions and
location finding, the integration with Google's other services and listings is
hard to match and it's all so user-friendly to boot, with all the available
functionality clearly labelled and easy to find. The mobile support, iOS aside,
is the icing on the cake.
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Details
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Developer: Google
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Website: maps.google.co.uk
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Required spec: Web access, mobile access on
Android, BlackBerry
Ratings
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Quality: 9
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Value: 8
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Overall: 9
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