Make Travelling a Breeze with Google Maps Navigation (Beta)

Making that wrong turn on the road usually happens more often than we like. Fortunately, a convenient solution is now accessible with a touch of a finger. With Google Maps Navigation, you can now find ways to save you time and enjoy a faster trip. Launched recently in beta format, Google defines this new innovation as capable of having “turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance available through Google Maps.”

However, you might end up asking: so what? Detailed visual and voice instruction is common enough in other navigational tools that exist today. Well, Google does one better. Whilst the new tool includes basic navigational components, it has a lot more in its arsenal. For one, the entire system was built from the ground up instead of relying heavily on cloud information. And given the fact that it can be accessed using the Internet, this removes the burden of having to download maps, point of interaction (POI) updates, and even business data. Below is a list of some of its more exciting weaponry.

1. Quick data entry and search with voice command option. If you have ever used a SatNav gadget before, chances are you have made a print out of your route to avoid committing a mistake while imputing data. Although there are some of mobile SatNav applications for mobile phones come with pre-packaged (POIs) component such as famous restaurants or nearby gas stations, it does not about that quaint little cafe that you love. Google Maps Navigation allows you to key in a destination like a residential address, business name or even a kind of enterprise. If the query happens to be too long to encode, you can just say it out loud.

2. Traffic View. This presents an aerial image of your upcoming route. What’s particularly great about is that the traffic conditions that are fed unto your device are updated in real time. This is especially handy when you are looking for alternate routes.

3. Search along route. Make that road trip an even more enjoyable experience by having quick access to your favourite stopovers. The Layers menu on Google Maps Navigation will surely help you find your favourite fast food joint in an instant.

4. Satellite and Street Views. This nifty mobile feature combines the standard satellite imagery, which is present in most navigational systems, with actual street-level photographic feeds. Overlaid with your intended route, it can show you what that actual fork in the road looks like when you traverse past it.

Google does not promise to find you a faster way, but it tries to take you to your location as quickly as possible. In a sea of SatNav apps and even with Apple adapting the technology to their products first, the company’s mobile navigation feature sets itself apart by doing what it does best – give users exactly what they are looking for. As of press time, this mobile feature is currently available in North America and Europe, locations with real-time traffic data. For more information, click on the following links:

http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/03/youve-got-better-things-to-do-than-wait.html
http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/