Google announced updates to two of its most popular mobile products, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to making the mobile phone a more convenient platform for accessing information while on the go.
Web search leader Google Inc. has enhanced its Google Maps Mobile application by adding “live” traffic information and the ability to save routes.
The latest version of Google Maps for mobile, a downloadable Java application, now features live traffic updates and the ability to save favorite locations and driving directions. Mobile phone users will now also be able to customize the content that appears on the mobile version of their Google Personalized Homepage.
Google Maps, which can be downloaded for free to mobile devices will update itself automatically for existing users, said Gummi Hafsteinsson, a Google product manager.
The service, offered in more than 30 major metropolitan cities, and some information in many others, sends traffic reports and other information as it happens directly to mobile devices. Google aggregates data on changing traffic conditions in real time from several unnamed sources, said Hafsteinsson.
The Mountain View, California-based company said that Google Maps for Mobile would allow mobile phone users to get information on traffic conditions in a particular area — including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and New York City — users simply move to the desired location within the application and select "show traffic" in the menu. The most up-to-date traffic information will be sent directly to the users’ mobile device, and will highlight the conditions on the covered commuter routes using red, yellow, and green overlays.
“If you are looking at the handset you can actually see the data change in real-time,” Hafsteinsson said. When users enter a route, Google Maps will now indicate traffic flow along the way by tracing segments in green, yellow or red. A green segment indicates a normal free flowing traffic; yellow indicates some congestion and red signals heavy traffic. Based on the traffic condition, the application also estimates driving time.
In addition, when mobile phone users search for driving directions, they will now see the expected drive time as well as any unexpected traffic delays, making travel planning much easier and more effective.
Google Maps for Mobile Gets Real
Google has also introduced a new favorites feature in Google Maps for mobile that lets users save their favorite locations and frequently used driving directions they take on a regular basis, like their commute to work, allowing them to call them up more easily, Hafsteinsson said. Once saved, favorites can be accessed at any time by pressing the "*" key on the mobile device. Unlike the traffic information, which is US-only, this feature is also available in Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Although Google gives the application away, mobile carriers may apply charges related to its use and data transfers.
The PC version of Google Maps does not offer the traffic-flow feature yet, although it will be added later on, he said.
The service can be found on mobile phone Web browsers at http://google.com/gmm.
Some frequent business travelers say they find the service useful. Paul Chang lives in the Washington, D.C. area, but does most of his business travels for IBM Corp. elsewhere in the United States, says he had find an application that streams live traffic data to the user’s cellular phone very useful.
Others agree with Chang. "The notion of real-time streaming traffic information is critical to any traveling professional," said Rob Murphy, a salesman for a technology speech-recognition software company in Connecticut. "A traffic advisory Web site like Map Quest is valuable, but having traffic information available on the mobile phone is extremely handy."
Personalized Home for Mobile Devices Gets Personal
Google Personalized Home now makes it even easier for mobile phone users to quickly get the information they need when they are away from their desks. When users log in to Personalized Home on their desktop and click on the "mobile" link at the bottom of the page, they will be able to customize the content they see the next time they log on to their Personalized Home on their mobile device. Not only can they customize content, but users can also specify the order in which that content appears on their mobile devices.
Google already makes available on the cellular phone Gmail, from their phone’s web browser, Google Maps, Google SMS, Google News, Google Personalized Home, and several search features.
This feature, along with the Google Maps for mobile enhancements, is the direct result of user feedback. Google is committed to developing products and services that improve the overall mobile experience, while helping people access more information in more ways.
Rival Yahoo Inc. offers live traffic conditions on its computer-based map service, but it does not yet provide a mobile phone version for Yahoo maps.
To learn more about this announcement, or to see the full range of mobile products and services available from Google, visit ttp://mobile.google.com.
A list of mobile devices that support Google Maps is here.