Google Maps

A Microsoft Windows Phone technical evangelist has shared a way for Windows Phone users to access Google Maps despite efforts by Google to block such access.

Google Maps' return to the iPhone and iPad this week may not be permanent, an analyst said today.

Despite its aesthetic achievements, Apple's Maps app in iOS 6 left a lot of users unhappy. Turns out that the years Google spent building out its mapping data were hugely important; Apple's data--which powered its new Maps app--didn't have the real world, real user testing that Google Maps benefited from. That's why Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized to customers over his company's Maps app. And that's why customers are now so excited about Google's new, free mapping app for iPhone. And you know who else is excited about Google's new app? Apple.

Google updated its Maps service for desktop browsers adding floor plans for over 10,000 indoor locations, just in time for Black Friday deal hunters and directionally challenged holiday travelers.

Google Maps recently added a new round of panoramic Street View images from Antarctica including such points of interest as explorer Ernest Shackleton’s hut from the Nimrod expedition and the ceremonial South Pole.

That Apple is working on a substantial update to its Maps app seems a foregone conclusion at this point. But aside from the occasional vague rumor, any features that might be contained in such an update have remained shrouded in shadow.