Android users with Nexus S should watch this video for sure and those who are planning to get a new phone, Nexus S is recommended if not anything else, because of this 3d maps feature only.
Google maps has also enabled turn by turn navigation directions in its already popular Google-Maps-Mobile. Google maps is a free application that you can download on your smart-phone. Only thing you need it to work is a working data-connection on your smart-phone. You can use Google maps on smart-phones with or without GPS. Using this new feature you can give source and destination of your journey and the software will display a suggested path that you should follow.
The software is free to use and poses serious threat to other paid navigation solutions available in the country. Google maps available for Pakistan are based on data provided by its users on Google map-maker and once ample data is available and is reliable to a certain degree, it is ported onto Google maps. Google maps has grown at a high speed both in terms of users as well as contributors on map-maker.
Here is a sample walk through of the app where I requested directions from Main Market to Liberty Market in Lahore.
1. Get Directions
Launch Google maps on your phone and wait for a few seconds so that the application initializes the data connection and GPS. Then select “Get Directions” from the menu.
2. Select Start-Point and End-Point
You can select the start point by:
- Choosing your current location (detected automatically by Google-Maps).
- Enter an address
- Select a point on map
- Select from the recent searches
You can select the End-Point by:
- Entering an address
- Select a point on the map
- Select from recent searches
As an example, I entered the address by typing it:
3. Choose a travel mode
You can choose to travel by car, on foot or by public transport. Public transport mode is not not available in Pakistan yet.
4. View Results
You can either view the suggested path on the map or a step by step instruction is given on-screen that you can follow to reach your destination. See following screenshots for the result output:
Turn by turn instructions:
Path shown on map:
This was interesting to see that the software gave different paths for the same source and destination when different mode of travel was selected. Following are two different paths given by Google Maps when traveling mode was different.
Directions for Walking
It is also interesting to note that the behavior of the application is slightly different on different devices. For example, above walk through does not show any “Favorite Locations” when it comes to Google maps. Some devices like Nokia smart phones support “Favorite Locations” as a native feature and Google Maps also support that list of favorite locations as possible Start or End-Points in a navigation request discussed above.
If your phone has a feature different from the walk through above, please don’t forget to leave a comment.
Last but not least, google maps on your browser obviously has this feature enabled too for Pakistan now. See a sample directions result for a path from Gawalmandi to Kalma chowk in Lahore.
Ufone has jumped into the location based services with their navigation system named UTrack Maps. This is a welcome addition to the available location based services in the local market. This launch is pretty much in time because other mobile based navigation services, in which Google Maps is one of the popular ones, are still in their infancy and Ufone has a chance to take over the market. From its description, it looks like a wap-only solution, though I yet have to try out the system. If you get a chance to try it out, do give us your feedback.
The main features of the service as described by the service web-site are:
- Locate a position (Point of interest) on map.
- Radius search (Search nearby)
- Routing and Distance
Please note, that routing and distance services (point 3 above) is not part of the Google-Maps-Mobile’s local offerings as yet which can be Ufone’s unique selling point here. On the other hand, the use of this service will be very heavy on the user’s pocket. As opposed to Google-Maps-Mobile’s free search and location information, Ufone will charge you Re. 1 to view a location on map, Rs. 2 to view a route, Rs. 1 for searching for a location nearby and if you want to view a large image that will again charge you Re. 1. Standard GPRS charges will also apply in addition to all above. This is really expensive, is’nt it?
The details of the package are available on Ufone website. You can simply start off by visiting http://wap.ufone.com from your mobile phone (obviously using ufone).
I will try out the service and will possibly post a review.
I have been waiting for this moment for long. Google maps mobile have finally added detailed maps for Pakistan. Now i can search for a nihari shop or a fower shop or any other business and Google maps will show me the marker. The navigation part is still missing. Google is still not offering turn by turn directions nor it gives the details like traffic, street view or driving distances, but it is a big welcome change. Moreover, I still cant see the detailed maps on PC version. I’m sure PC maps are following its mobile counterpart but there is an obvious reason why mobile maps have come first.
Pakistan is a big market for mobile Google maps. Pakistan has more than 90 million mobile users, vast data network over GSM/GPRS/EDGE and absolutely no other street navigation system at all. Does it get any better than that?
Actually it is a community effort using Google map maker on PC. Map maker allows users to add roads, streets, businesses, crossings and everything else for areas for which there are no maps defined yet. Then other users approve or disapprove there additions and changes. Eventually a map comes into being that is eventually supposed to be posted to Google maps and Google maps mobile. So the Google maps mobile we see today for Pakistan, has all the maps that were made on map maker and have been moved to main Google maps for mobile and I’m sure Google maps for web will be updated soon.
This move by Google will not only increase the usage of their product in Pakistan but a big number of software and hardware solutions will now spring up for the local market soon. A lot of people already using GPS enabled phone will put their GPS to use now with this free service. I think it will boost the sales of GPS enabled handsets as well.
Do try it out at http://maps.google.com from your mobile.
*** UPDATE ****
Google maps for Pakistan are still not available on web as well on wap (google locals). Lets see when they show up there.
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*** UPDATE 2 ***
Screenshots for your interest 🙂
