Google Maps Android 2.0[edit]
Smartphones are being used for navigation assistance.
Features provided in the application:[20]
Search in plain English
Search by voice
Traffic view
Search along route
Satellite view
Street View
Car dock mode
Use[edit]
re not included in the installed Google Maps for Android file; an Internet connection is required, as for iPhone's Google Maps application.[21] An automatic map caching feature temporarily stores recently viewed areas, reducing the amount of data to be downloaded. There is also a 'Download Map Area' feature in the Labs section of Google Maps which enables the user to download the basic road map and landmark data for an area of 10 square miles (26 km2) around any point; but even after a map of an area is downloaded, a data connection is still needed to "see satellite view and 3D buildings, search for Places and get directions.".[22] The user can download limited areas several times to cover the total area desired. Google suggests that users can make use of this feature to download the map of a foreign city before traveling to visit it, to avoid the need for expensive international roaming data downloading.
Reception[edit]
The application has mostly had favorable reviews from critics. USA Today welcomed the application back to iOS, saying, "The reemergence in the middle of the night of a Google Maps app for the iPhone is like the return of an old friend. Only your friend, who'd gone missing for three months, comes back looking better than ever."[23] CNET, calling it "the king of maps", said, "With its iOS Maps app, Google sets the standard for what mobile navigation should be and more."[24] Bree Fowler of the Associated Press compared Google's and Apple's map applications, saying, "The one clear advantage that Apple has is style. Like Apple devices, the maps are clean and clear and have a fun, pretty element to them, especially in 3-D. But when it comes down to depth and information, Google still reigns superior and will no doubt be welcomed back by its fans."[25] Gizmodo gave it a "gizrank" of 4.5 stars.[26] Google has even admitted that the iPhone and iPod touch version of its mapping software is more advanced than the version found on its own Android mobile phone and tablet operating system.[27]