Mobile GMaps

Featured regularly on the front page of the java.com portal, Mobile GMap was the first application of its kind, combining the coolness factor of Google Maps with the ubiquity and portability of your java-enabled mobile phone.

Although in the meantime Google has created its own version of a mobile Google maps application, Cristian Streng (a recent friend of mine) was nonetheless the first who put the globe at your fingertips. The official website, MGMaps.com lets you download freely this magnificent piece of software, and incorporates a forum with tips, tricks and bug reports as well. So.. what does this app have so special? Why is it cooler than Google’s recent equivalent?

First of all, it was the first. It was tested by hundreds of thousands, if not millions of mobile users around the globe, so it’s pretty bug-free and feature-rich.

There are plenty of reviews out there, (just take a peek at the official website’s dedicated page) so we won’t repeat what they said. We’ll just quote, briefly, some of the extra features that differentiate it from similar apps:

• Local Search
• GPS location (for GPS-enabled Symbian phones) or cell-based location (for Navizon users)
• Subway Maps
• View KML
• Joystick mode
• Bookmarks

Above all, the app is guaranteed to minimize GPRS transfer, by transferring only updated/new tiles, thus making it easier on the pocket (and on the operator costs).