At this point either you are going to think I’m the biggest nerd on the planet or you’ll be equally floored with some of the recent updates to Google Maps for Mobile.
First a little background: I decided about a year ago that I was sick of paying the ridiculous amount of money it now costs to park in downtown Cleveland. So, I started taking the Rapid (train) in from my neighborhood of Lakewood. After repeatedly (read: daily for the past 6 months) arriving at the station precisely 30 seconds too late for every train I tried to board, I started using Google Maps to pick up my Rapid Schedule. I know they have such things in printed forms but I have an aversion to paper. If I had the time, I’d tell you about a work colleague who finds it necessary to print out emails and attachments and place them on my desk as opposed to forwarding them in email.
Here’s what you do:
- download Google Maps. Go to http://www.google.com/mobile/ and enter your phone number in the form corresponding with your phone model. You’ll get a text message with a link to download and install the app.
- open Google Maps on your phone, or in my case, my Blackberry
- hit “0″ to pick up your current location.
- hit your menu button. On a BB, the BB symbol to the left of the track ball.
- hit search.
- search for whatever your looking for… ad address, coffee shops, etc.
- Choose from the list they give you.
- Under the address tab,choose “Directions to here”.
- You’ll see two tabs, one for driving (or walking, biking, etc.) and one for Transit.
- Select transit, click show trips, and it will give you a list of all upcoming departures from nearby bus stops, subway train stops, etc.
If you’re feeling especially sadistic, you can click on show earlier trips at the bottom of the screen and see what you just missed and by how much!!
Another great new feature, only available on the Blackberry Pearl, is Voice Searching. With it you can just click a button on the side of the BB and speak your search phrase. Another excellent way to aggrevate your neighbor on the bus. If you’re feeling especially fiesty, alternate your searches for Gun Shops and Adult Theaters the whole way in to work.
