14 DAY TRIAL // Google Maps Navigation (beta) is now available for Android phone users in UK and Ireland. All Android-based devices running under the 1.6 or higher flavor of Google's mobile platform can access the extended functionality Google Maps Navigation 4.1.1 Beta brings to them for free. The feature was launched last year on the US market, but arrived in Europe much later due to some legal issues with Tele Atlas, some of the latest reports on the matter suggest.
Android-phone users in the UK and Ireland will find it much easier to travel by car with Google Maps Navigation, that's for sure. Some of the features the service brings into the mix include 3D views, turn-by-turn voice guidance, or automatic rerouting, something that most satnav devices offer today. However, Google Maps Navigation adds Internet connectivity to all of these, enabling a series of functionalities that are not available with other offerings, such as up to date maps, business and traffic data, satellite and street views, or search.
“With Google Maps Navigation, you can search by voice, and in plain English -- just press the voice search button on your Android phone, say “navigate to Sainsbury’s,” and Navigation will open automatically and guide you to the supermarket. Running out of petrol? You can search along your route for nearby petrol stations, cash points, restaurants, and car parks, without exiting the navigation path,” as Google announced via a post on its Google Mobile Blog.
Mobile phone users in the US, UK, and Ireland owning a handset running under Android 1.6 or higher can tap into the capabilities of Google Maps Navigation. Available for free, just like other Google Maps features, it can be downloaded from the Android Market (users will have to search for Google Maps in the storefront to get the latest update). Additional details on what Google Maps Navigation is all about can be found on the service's web page.