Where2 - Extensibility and Customization - Google Maps For Mobile

Google Maps For Mobile

In October 2005, Google introduced a Java application called Google Maps for Mobile, intended to run on any Java-based phone or mobile device. Many of the web-based site's features are provided in the application.

On November 28, 2007, Google Maps for Mobile 2.0 was released. Its location service can work with or without a GPS receiver. The "my location" feature uses the GPS / Assisted GPS location of the mobile device, if available, supplemented by determining the nearest wireless networks and cell sites. The software looks up the location of the cell site using a database of known wireless networks and sites. By triangulating the different signal strengths from different cell transmitters and then using their location property (retrieved from the online cell site database), My Location determines the user's current location. Wireless network location method is calculated by discovering the nearby WiFi hotspots and using their location property (retrieved from the online WiFi database, in the same way as the cell site database) to further discover the user's location. The order in which these take precedence is:

• GPS-based services
• WLAN-, WiFi-based services
• Cell transmitter-based services

The software plots the streets in blue that are available with a yellow icon and a green circle around the estimated range of the cell site based on the transmitter's rated power (among other variables). The estimate is refined using the strength of the cell phone signal to estimate how close to the cell site the mobile device is.

As of December 15, 2008 (2008-12-15), this service was available for the following platforms:

• Android
• iOS
• PlayStation Vita system software
• Windows Mobile
• Symbian OS
• BlackBerry OS
• Palm OS
• Palm webOS

On November 4, 2009, Google Maps Navigation was released in conjunction with Google Android OS 2.0 Eclair on the Motorola Droid, adding voice commands, traffic reports, and street view support. The initial release was limited to the United States. The service was launched in the UK on 20 April 2010 and in large parts of continental Europe on June 9, 2010 (including Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland).

In March 2011 Google Vice President of Location Service, Marissa Mayer said that Google provided map services to 150 million users.

It provided voice guidance and live traffic information in the Indian cities of Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad from September 5, 2012.

In June 2012, Apple announced that they would replace Google Maps with their own maps service from iOS 6. The application software and maps that replaced Google Maps came under fierce criticism for several problems and errors. However, on December 13, 2012, Google announced the availability of Google Maps in the Apple App Store, starting with the iPhone version. Just hours after the Google Maps iOS app was released, it became the top free app in the App Store. While Google maps as an app no longer enjoys the tight integration into the iOS as it had as a system service, the new version offers some features said to be easier to use and more intuitive than even the Android service.

It was announced on December 6, 2012 that Google Maps would make its way to the Wii U, Nintendo's new gaming system. Accessibility to Google Maps on the Wii U would come via a downloadable app.