The eternal struggle between Google Maps and Yahoo Maps continues!

I used to use Yahoo Maps quite often, it was definitely my online map engine of choice. Then Google Maps came along and stole my traffic away from Yahoo. I really liked the ability to just scroll around the map versus the ‘click and wait’ method that most map programs use. However, a few days ago, Yahoo came out with a feature that has won me over again.

Traffic.

Yahoo Maps now has nearly live traffic reports available as overlays on their Maps. It looks fantastic. it shows where the slow downs are, where construction is, and where accidents are. Simply fantastic. And that’s major enough to make me switch back to Yahoo for now.

However, Google did come out with one other noteworthy feature yesterday. They now have a Ride Finder extension available for Google maps. There isn’t much explantion of how it works, but it appears that some cab companies have GPS units in their cars. Companies can voluntarily provide that information to Google, so you can pull up on a map the locations of where the cabs are at that very moment! In Chicago, there are currently three companies participating. I can see immediately where all their cabs are located, and if I need a ride, I can call the company that has cars closest to my location! While this may not be a feature that I’ll be using on a regular basis (I drive everywhere), it definitely represents yet another innovation by the Google Labs.

It’s funny because I know from using my own GPS unit, that they often get flaky when you drive around tall building downtown or along rodes underneath structures (like Lower Wacker for those of you familiar with Chicago). So I tried to follow a cab as he was driving around near an area like that to see what would happen. As I suspected, s/he disappeared for a few minutes and then reappeared about a mile later.

I love technology. This stuff is so much fun!

• And now for something completely different: Monopoly Live
• How much cooler can one map get?
• Google Maps, meet Keyhole
• What do Google and OSX have in common?
• Google Maps keeps getting cooler

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website