Smart phone users love Google maps, as they should. It wasn’t too long ago when Google added turn-by-turn navigation, resulting in the anti-climactic killing of GPS manufacturers around the world. But now it is about to get even more interesting when Google releases Google Maps 5 for Android. On top of the feature list: we’re going to get 3D buildings!
Initially, it doesn’t sound that mind blowing, until you realize the potential: people can potentially stare at the smart phones while walking with the GPS enabled and avoid running into mammoth-sized buildings, drive without ever taking their eyes off their smart phone (who wants to drive while looking at the road any more, anyways?), and walk into a specific building without ever looking at it.
Dangerous, you say? Well, I say it’s freakin’ awesome! And a few Android phones are slated to get the phone first.
I guess we should mention that there is also a few other features like offline map caching and increased speed. Yawn. But I’m still waiting for the update that plots manholes and underground sewage lines. Walking directly into a manhole is still a definite risk, at least at this point in time. There’s always 6.0, right?
3D buildings? Pfth! What’s so exciting about that? That ain’t mind blowing. It’s ‘neat’ at best.
Offline map caching and increased speed sounds good though!