The online map game is getting competitive. As is the case with most online firsts, Google presents a beta product only to have Yahoo! follow suit shortly thereafter. When Google Maps debuted last year it was very exciting. Coupled with Google Earth, I quickly became a daily visitor. However, Yahoo! recently introduced their beta version of a map product and I must admit I’m impressed. If not only for the easy to use interface, I find myself visiting this site more and more.
Basically, Yahoo! took a few of the features that Google Earth offered and implemented them into their web service. That is, you don’t have to download and install the Earth product to sort by categories, for example. And the category listings are very helpful. After entering “Sacramento, CA” into the “Get Map & Directions” field I am able to search by categories such as Restaurants > Italian or Entertainment > Movie Theaters (it’s a beta remember so maybe they’ll remove the listing for the Pussycat Theater?). The real bonus for me being that each listing offers up the address and phone number along with directions to and from without doing more searching. And in a crazed phone number search that is very handy.
And with their API product your very own Sac Rag might be coming at you with some cool new features in ’06!
The Sac Rag 