The Official Google Mobile blog has a sneak peek at the map functionality available of the upcoming T-Mobile G1 Android phone, and it looks damn impressive. It takes full advantage of Android’s platform by integrating GPS, WiFi, and the accelerometer into both mobile Google Maps and Google Street View. The blog uses the example of navigating around an unfamiliar locality to show how you can pinpoint your position using My Location on both Maps and Street View, zoom in and out by using your thumb on the touchscreen, and use Compass mode to move the phone around and get a 360 degree view of the street level panorama.
You can also search for points of interest like businesses and restaurants and save favorites into your contact list so at a later time you can access the relevant location information with one touch of the touchscreen. Another feature that deeply impresses me is the integration of text addresses pasted in emails, instant messages, and even on the web; touch the address with your finger and you’ll have the option of viewing the location on Google Maps or in a web browser.
And as Google points out, with Android’s open APIs 3rd party developers will be able to integrate this incredible depth of functionality into all kinds of location-aware applications. Honestly, this is one of the most exciting areas to watch in the LBS space right now. Dare I say this, even more exciting than the applications popping out of Apple’s iPhone app store. Openness is definitely a virtue in my humble opinion.
