Sunday morning, while watching the winter olympics I was examining Canada using Google maps on my Nexus One. I found an interesting spot and Google didn't have an address. I tapped menu and discovered that there is an option I didn't notice until today.

The mapping application an Android has a labs section. The labs section is for pre beta software to be tested in the real world. There are several projects. I enabled them all and began using them. What I found immediately useful was the measure tool. I use it in the pictures attached to it measure an iceberg.

Sunday morning, while watching the winter olympics I was examining Canada using Google maps on my Nexus One. I found an interesting spot and Google didn't have an address. I tapped menu and discovered that there is an option I didn't notice until today.

The mapping application an Android has a labs section. The labs section is for pre beta software to be tested in the real world. There are several projects. I enabled them all and began using them. What I found immediately useful was the measure tool. I use it in the pictures attached to it measure an iceberg.

As you can see from the pictures it's easy to turn labs on and of and also easy to measure an iceberg. The only place it failed was at measuring a long distance. I use WolframAlpha to cross reference the distance information above. 

Measurement is by far the best lab to date for mobile maps. It provided me with additional functionality and I didn't have to sign up for a new service from Google like latitude or buzz. From an iceberg in Canada to Ayers Rock in Australia the measurement tool is valuable and has utility to now.

So, with the addition lately of pinch-zoom multi touch, turn by turn navigation and Google labs for maps I can finally, after a year of suffering, say we have reached the day that Google maps for Android meets or exceeds the capabilities of Google maps on iPhone in both ease of use as well as accessibility of information.

Now the only thing keeping this iPhone in my pocket is the Sonos App that controls the multi-room system in my house.

Posted via email from The Sid Gabriel Post