Look out Mapquest and Yahoo! because Google has just taken the wraps off of a Maps product. GoogleMaps is still in a beta testing phase and Google guru Tara Calishain says it looks like Google right now just has maps and driving directions for the U.S. and Canada.
Still, the Google interface, it seems to me, is superior to either Mapquest and Yahoo. It’s search algorithm produces results much quicker than either Mapquest and Yahoo. And the maps are draggable. You’ll understand what I mean when you try out the service but basically, when you get to an edge of a map you can drag or scroll in near real-time past the edges of your map.
For those looking for Canadian addresses and directions, Google’s entry is a welcome one. Mapquest, in my experience, has a better and more recent database of Canadian addresses than Yahoo. But Mapquest forces you through too many extra steps before you can retrieve a Canadian address while Yahoo — again, this is my experience and yours may be substantially different — is a little easier to use for most Canadian addresses.
I'm in total agreement with you. Google Maps is great (it can even become a time waster).
That said, one thing that MSN Maps has that none of its competitors have is a “paste an address” function that's real easy to use.
Regards.
MS