Google also has a chance to feature maps and location services on other apps, valuable because Google earns ad dollars from the businesses its maps feature, such as whenever a user taps on a featured phone number.
Internet mapping sites feature detailed maps that can pinpoint street locations, churn out road conditions and provide destination routes.
When you purchase an iPhone for example, the unit comes with a Google Maps feature, built-in utilities, a standard Web browser, a stock tracker, a weather app, etc.
This means you can see streets, parks, buildings and every other aspect of the city -- and you can finally use multitouch gestures to rotate the maps (again, this was a Google Maps feature sorely missed on iOS).
Rounding out the feature list, the Maps application also includes pinch-out maps that let you see a globe view, and information cards for businesses and points of interest.
Flyover is Apple's take on the " birds-eye view" feature found on Bing Maps: you get a 3D render depicting an aerial view of large cities as if you were, you know, flying over them.
The magic of Hipmunk hotel search is in the heat maps, a feature it rolled out late last year.
When I asked to use the navigation feature that would show me maps of places I want to go, Mr. Brin said it is prototyped but not in the version he showed me.
Maps are a crucial feature on smartphones, not just so that consumers can get around, but as a revenue source from businesses that want to be featured on the screen whenever we look up a road or landmark.
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Games will likely be designed around the phone's global positioning system and Google Maps "My Location" feature, says Webster.
Maps are a highly useful feature on a mobile device, but Apple is going to fix the issues with its software, and in any case there are plenty of other apps and websites to turn to for directions for those who want another source.
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The Apple maps will include a local search feature, integrated with Yelp, that already has 100 million business listings, Forstall says.
Luckily, you can still access Google Maps from Safari to get the transit feature.
My POI: Also available to UVO eServices owners is My POI, a feature that allows owners to send a destination from Google Maps through their Smartphone to their UVO eServices vehicle.
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To its credit, it provides turn-by-turn directions, a feature that Google has long included in the Android version of Google maps but not on the iOS version that Apple used to offer.
The site comes with integrated maps and a Yahoo Answers-style question-and-advice feature.
When we first reviewed the phones, we admit, this is a feature we'd taken for granted, especially since they ship with stock Google Maps -- and you don't realize just how much you need reliable AGPS until it stops working.
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Enabled by the Send2Car feature, Kia owners can send a POI or destination to their car directly from the Google Maps via their Smartphone1 UVO app.
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With the Eyes Free feature, ask Siri to call people, select and play music, hear and compose text messages, use Maps and get directions, read your notifications, find calendar information, add reminders, and more.
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