But of Course!

So I try to keep up with all things Google and it appears they have added yet another service that seems to poise itself to kick every other competitor's ass. This free service is Maps.Google.com. At first glance it's just another mapping website like Maps.Yahoo.com and MapQuest.com, but when you dig a little further you see it is so much more.

First off, the map it provides is quite large and actually continues to get bigger when you continue to enlarge your viewing window and it can do this without any browser refresh, which is refeshing. You can also drag the map itself to view areas that arenot currently showing. Also, the maps are extremely clear and don't appear overcrowded. I've always been a sucker for clean design.

Secondly, there is a neet "Local Search" option that allows you to type in keywords like "Pizza" and it will then mark and list all the nearest pizza places that are on the portion of the map you are viewing. That's pretty slick if you are trying to find a specific type of restaurant in an area you aren't familiar with.

Thirdly, it's got SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHY! Yes folks, it seems Google purchased a small company by the name of Keyhole who creates a software that allows you to access a database of satellite photos of pretty much everywhere you will ever be in the United States. So Google has taken the next logical step and taken these satellite images and directly laid them on top of the street map drawings and you are able to flip between map view and satellite view with the click of a link. I have found this extremely helpful because it allows me to see the actual terrain and where the houses and buildings are actually located. So now when I show up to my destination, I know exatly what landmarks to look for because I saw them in the satellite photo.

Once again, I bow to thee Google.

How you gonna step to that MapQuest?

Visit Google Maps Now