Cool...I just tested it out. For my neighborhood and the surrounding area, it seems to do what it thinks is the fastest route for someone who doesn't know the area well. In other words, it sticks to main roads, even though locals know there are faster ways around using certain side streets.

If I were using it in a strange city, this is what I'd probably want (the well-marked roads), so that's a good thing.

It was also fun to type in stuff like "Sushi Kansas City" and look at the results. A surprisingly large number of sushi bars on there that I never knew existed... (I figured we had, like, three sushi bars in the whole city!)

I use Safari as my main browser. IE only for a few stupid sites that don't work well with Safari. I was using Mozilla before Safari, but since Safari was working fine with 99% of the sites I visit, didn't care to download the newer Mozilla or Firefox.

I did try the maps.google.com at work today, and its interface is indeed pretty cool. Maybe worth downloading Mozilla or Firefox just for that.

It's definitely a lot faster than Mapquest, but not perfect. I tried to get driving directions from it today and the map had both my starting and ending points in the middle of the Puget Sound. Hmm. The written directions were mostly okay except they instructed me to get off the freeway only to immediately get back on it. Strange.

Unbelievable
 

I just downloaded the 7 day trial of Keyhole, the Software these Google maps are based out of. You have to have a good video card/computer to run it, but it has to be one of the MOST impressive pieces of software I have ever seen. Its got to be any Travel Enthusiast/Geography Buffs DREAM.

Anyone else try it? www.keyhole.com

been using it for over a year. i sign up for it back when it was $70 a year. now that google bought and and slashed the price i couldn't be happier.

Better yet, for Europe, try www.viamichelin.com. It rocks. Also, includes, hotel and restaurant information. You do have to register for full service - free.

I gave the google interface a spin this morning.

I really like it. I was looking for somethinbg in boston. You can put in a very general term and it finds all of the locations that might be what you are looking for. Plus it has the google spelling correction. A big must.

Great site!!!

J

Better than Mapquest
 

The search option is extremly helpful to find theaters, cafes, barbers, dog groomers, health clubs, golf courses etc. etc. There are a lot more in my neighborhood than I knew about.

I have never been a big fan of Mapquest but this seems to be a big improvement.

A download to a PDA would be nice -- maybe a future add-in.