Google Announces Launch of Google Maps for Mobile With "My Location" Technology

Google today announced the release of version 2.0 of Google Maps for
mobile, its innovative and widely used mobile mapping and local search
application. New in v2.0 is a beta version of Google's "My Location"
technology, which uses cell tower ID information to provide users with
their approximate location, helping them determine where they are,
what's around them, and how to get there.

Google is committed to providing users with quick and easy access to
the information they need, no matter when or where they need it.
Location information makes mobile mapping and search faster and more
convenient, but the most common source of location information to date
-- GPS technology -- is supported on fewer than 15 percent of the
mobile phones expected to be sold in 2007. With Google's new My
Location technology, users who don't have GPS-enabled mobile phones
will now be able to take advantage of the added speed and convenience
afforded by location information. The My Location technology also
complements GPS-enabled devices, as it delivers a location estimate
faster than GPS, provides coverage inside buildings (where GPS signals
can be unreliable), and doesn't drain phone batteries as quickly as
GPS. Whether users are trying to locate a restaurant in an unfamiliar
neighborhood, get directions to the nearest hotel while traveling, or
just find a place to grab some coffee while shopping for the holidays,
Google Maps for mobile with My Location can help them get what they
need quickly and easily.

The My Location technology takes information broadcast from cell towers
and sifts it through Google-developed algorithms to approximate a
user's current location on the map. This approximation is anonymous, as
Google does not gather any personally identifiable information or
associate any location data with personally identifiable information as
part of the My Location feature. The feature can also be easily
disabled by anyone who prefers not to use it. The My Location
technology is available on most smartphones, including all color
BlackBerry devices, all Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition devices, most
Windows Mobile devices, newer Sony Ericsson devices, and some Motorola
devices.

Google Maps for mobile, first launched in the US in November 2005,
enables users to view interactive maps and satellite imagery, find
local businesses, get point-to-point driving directions, and view live
traffic updates, all while on the go. The application is now available
on and optimized for a wide variety of platforms, running on most
J2ME-enabled devices; all color BlackBery devices; Windows Mobile
devices with Windows Mobile 2003, 5.0, and above; Symbian Series 60 3rd
Edition devices; and Palm devices with Palm OS 5 and above. Google Maps
for mobile is being actively used by millions of people in more than 20
different countries around the globe.

To download Google Maps for mobile with My Location, point your mobile
or desktop web browser to www.google.com/mobile/gmm/index.html. To see
the full range of mobile products and services available from Google,
visit mobile.google.com.