Google Maps Gets “Labs” Button, Enhanced Local Ads
The newly added “Labs” button (green vial in upper right) opens a dialog box where you can try out several current Lab enhancements to Google Maps. But, don’t get wedded to them, they may never make to the final product, may break or may just disappear. Goodies now available which are by default “off”:
Drag ‘n’ Zoom – lets you zoom in on a specific part of the map by drawing a box.
Aerial Imagery – gives you rotatable, high-resolution overhead imagery, but it’s only available in certain areas. Google plans to add more over time, though.
Back to Beta – OK, this one is a little weird. It lets you have a beta tag on Maps (just like Gmail). Only for hardcore Google users.
Where in the World Game – test your geography knowledge by guessing the names of countries from satellite imagery. I lost days playing a similar game on Facebook, and I forgot everything I’ve learned. Sigh.
Rotatable Maps – North facing up is just one way to look at a map. Now you can rotate it any way you like.
What’s Around Here? – Adds a second search button that searches for “*”, returning the top results in the current view. I’ve actually been waiting for this for a long time; it makes searching for certain POIs within some area a lot easier.
LatLng Tooltip – See the exact latitude and longitude next to your cursor.
LatLng Marker – Drop a marker anywhere on the map, showing the latitude and longitude of that location.
Smart Zoom – stops you from zooming into an area if imagery is not available.
- Mashable
Oh and if you missed it Google is testing out another way to make money from advertising from local businesses a new tool to allow them to highlight images, a video or coupons in listings or on the map using a yellow highlight. For now it’s only available in two test markets, San Jose and Houston.
