{"id":13356,"date":"2013-05-28T18:33:21","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T23:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/?p=13356"},"modified":"2021-11-30T07:48:48","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T12:48:48","slug":"new-google-maps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/new-google-maps\/","title":{"rendered":"Initial Thoughts on the New Google Maps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s like going to a fancy new restaurant with a months-long reservation list. You finally get through the portal, anticipating a remarkable culinary experience from a renowned celebrity chef. The waiter carries an enormous plate across the dining room, removes the cover from the dish with a flourish, and presents a tiny two-bite morsel plated exquisitely. “Where’s the rest of it?” you ask in bewilderment. “That is<\/em> the rest of it, Sir,” responds the waiter with disdain since you obviously can’t appreciate the gift he just been bestowed upon you. Right. That’s my initial impression of the new Google Maps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s my nicer description. I’ve warmed up to it slightly over the last couple of days. It’s a step forward in some regards and a step backwards in others. I do enjoy the redesigned street map layer and the stripped-down screen that offers wider coverage. Directions between points provided new options including airline directions, with a link to low-priced airfares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also found Street View easier to navigate and the recent imagery is stunning. Thankfully I weeded the flower bed in front of my home before the Street View car drove through the neighborhood a few months ago. It offers amazing resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Too Simplistic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Is it possible to strip something down too much? Couldn’t Google add a vertical pop-up menu bar on the left or right side of the screen, like its new Explore bar along the bottom of the page, with a selection of common functions? Beyond that though, there were functions and features from the previous version of Maps that I couldn’t find anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fairness, and before I gripe too much, I recognize that my operating system and software configuration supported only “Lite Mode.” Perhaps the features I missed so dearly will reveal themselves in the full-blown version or maybe they’ll roll out with the final release, or maybe they’re all right there today and hidden in some odd way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n