14 DAY TRIAL // The latest flavor of Google's Android operating system, Eclair or Android 2.0, brought to the table a brand new feature for mobile phone users, namely Google Maps Navigation (Beta). The feature was announced as being free, yet the problem was that Verizon's Motorola DROID was the only Android 2.0-based mobile phone on the market, thus the only one to support the feature.
However, good news are heading towards Android fans out there, as Google has just announced the launch of Google Maps Navigation for mobile phones running under Android 1.6 (Donut) and higher. Basically, this means that the owners of a T-Mobile myTouch 3G and G1, or other handsets based on Donut are now able to benefit from the same feature as those early adopters of DROID.
“Google Maps Navigation is an internet-connected GPS system with voice guidance and automatic rerouting, all running on your mobile phone. Using Google services over your phone's data connection brings important benefits to GPS navigation users, like using Google search (typed or spoken) to enter your destination; fresh map, business, and traffic data; and satellite and Street View imagery along your route,” Google says.
There are some additional features that users might want to learn about, including a new Layers feature, enabling them to overlay geographical information on the map. At the same time, they can also view My Maps, transit lines, or read Wikipedia articles about certain places. Other features are heading towards Android 1.6 users, waiting to be discovered.
According to Google, the updated version of Google Maps with Navigation can be downloaded from the Android Market. However, it should be noted that the feature is only available in the US at the moment, and that some options present with the Android 2.0 version are unavailable here, such as the lack of the “navigate to” voice command.
“However, you can still create a shortcut that will allow you to launch Navigation and start getting directions to a specific place from your current location with just a single touch from your home screen. For example, you can create a 'Home' shortcut to quickly navigate home, no matter where you are. Just use the 'Add' menu item from the home screen, then choose 'Shortcuts', then 'Directions',” Google also stated.