Goodbye mapquest, hello Google Maps!
 

You gotta check out Google Maps!

A *phenomenal* interface!!!!!

Decent sized maps that allow you to get your bearings easily!

You can pan and zoom maps in real time!

Click on the map and drag it where you want it!

Zoom out, then double click on a city to centre in on it!

So long Mapquest and your postcard sized maps!

Arthur

I just test drove Google's route-planning feature was unimpressed. I put in several of my frequent long-distance routes and got some crazy routings that led me through some small towns instead of staying on interstates....

however, it's in beta testing, so it might be improved, and their interface is quite pleasing.

Probably it is finding the shortest possible route, instead of the preferred hwy routes. Being that it is in beta form, I'm sure they are working on it, IPO money is hard at work! ;)

Map looks suspiciously similar to the Navtech DVD-based one in my car. If so, "that's a good thing." Agree the UI is worlds better than Mapquest.

Ah, shame it's US only :(

The interface does seem rather similar to Mappy, but (albeit not to such a fine scale).

For Europe, try www.map24.com as long as you have a decent connection. They seem to have a google.co.uk tie-up.

Edited to add: And the do North America too now!

All I can say is.... Awesome!

UAL_Rulez - You are right, the new Google Maps is based on Navtech. (Look in the lower right hand corner when you pull up a map on Google, it says Navtech right there)

Not yet available for MAC :(

Obscure2k - I'm confused by your statement..

If you mean that Google Maps is not available for the MAC computer platform, that is incorrect. According to Google Maps help file: "It should work for all Internet Explorer browsers 5.5 and later. You can also use Google Maps on a Mac, Windows or Linux computer with the Mozilla browser."

If you mean that it doesn't map the airport MAC (which is Macon, Georgia), it does. Just click here: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=macon%...384%2C0.174810

Doesn't work with IE for the Mac OSX either.

And good riddance...

Ever since Mapquest crippled their product by removing map sizing option and messing up the display of directions I've been ticked off. If Google can keep improving their mapping product I'll be hooked long term.

this topic is already being discussed in the travel tech forum: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=398054

It should work with Mozilla or Firefox (and maybe Camino) on the Mac, since it works in Moz/Firefox on the other platforms (Linux, W32).

Being a diehard Mac person myself (I have 5 Macs in my household), it works perfectly fine in Firefox for Mac OS X!! IE for OSX is a dead end product for the Mac platform (MS is no longer updating it), the sooner you retire it, the happier you'll be, trust me! I was an IE holdout, but once I got my hands on Firefox, I was kicking myself for staying with IE for so long. It is *that* much better, faster, and more stable! Safari is a close second for me. ;)

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.