San Francisco — Mobile users have long back had access to a Google Maps feature called MyLocation that functions precisely as you would think: shows images in universal search results for location queries. But just recently, Google unveiled MyLocation features for the desktop. Now, users of desktop based Google Maps can now find the approximate location of the PC any user happens to be browsing from.
Now, using the W3C Geolocation API standard, when you start Google Maps, a tiny new box between the zoom in/out bar and the compass circle becomes visible. Click that box and you will be prompted to give permission to share your location.
Google in a post explains:“When you activate the MyLocation feature, Google Maps asks your web browser for your location. Typically, your browser uses information about the Wi-Fi access points around you to estimate your location. If no Wi-Fi access points are in range, or your computer does not have Wi-Fi, it may resort to using your computer’s IP address to get an approximate location. As you would expect, the accuracy of MyLocation varies with your location, and in some cases, Google Maps may not be able to provide a location at all.”
In fact I gave it a few test runs, and amazingly MyLocation seemed to determine that I was in the greater metropolitan area of Raleigh, NC, but there was no indication via the famous blue circle that the feature had worked to find my general location. This lapse may be due to my desktop computer does not have Wi-Fi at all. So when I clicked on the “blue dot,” Google Maps must have selected my IP address to locate me.
Later in the day, I took my laptop to a local Starbucks and connected to the Internet via the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. There were two other hotspots nearby, including one located at a Panera Bread Company around the corner. I once again loaded the Google Maps and tried again. This time the results were far more accurate. It was able to pinpoint my location to within about a half mile, said Steve Block, Software Engineer and Noam Ben Haim, Product Manager, on the company’s blog.
MyLocation offers a great way to explore the map around you, and is absolutely ideal for checking out where you are when you are away from home. For example, if you have just arrived in an unfamiliar city, MyLocation would prove to be handy to view the map around you, even if you are not aware of the street address. You can find things to do nearby or work out the best way to get where you need to go.
The application is free, so visit Google Maps, click the MyLocation button, and start exploring the map around you!
(Note, the browser in both instance was Firefox 3.5 on both computers.)