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Everyone has Google Maps. Okay, so maybe not everyone has it, but I don’t really know anyone that doesn’t have this feature on their phone, and in my small existence this means everyone has it. Google Maps is quite innovative. For example, this is the concept you might use to get from point A to point B. You might do what I do and pull up the app on my phone and let it direct me where I need to go through the Bluetooth in my car rather than doing something time-consuming like providing the destination address to OnStar and letting them provide me with a route. That would be tedious. Since so many people have this super cool feature, we thought we might share with you a few interesting things that you did not know about Google Maps.
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Time Saved
Did you know that Google Maps saves approximately 2 years every single day? How is that even possible? Well, the map prevents enough people in the world from becoming lost that it actually works out to be about 2 years worth of time saved on a daily basis. That’s pretty good stuff, since you think that some people really do need to get where they are going faster than they are actually getting there.
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Osama bin Laden’s Compound is There
If you want to visit the place in which Osama bin Laden was killed, you can find it on Google Maps. That’s right, friends, you can find just about anything you ever wanted to find on Google Maps, and it’s because they are really good at their jobs. And that means tracking down famous compounds in which the world’s most awful people were shot and killed. It’s their way of making it a tourist attraction if you happen to be touring areas off the beaten path.
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Phone Permission
Did you know that Google has permission to use your phone to collect information about traffic near you? This is how they are able to update people about real time traffic, and it’s something that they have asked you for permission to do, even if you didn’t know that they provided you with the information at any point in time. It really shows how much attention we pay to certain things.
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It’s Not Google’s Only Map
Google also has something called Google Earth, which is a cool feature for anyone interested in checking out a more in-depth look at things in the real world. For example, you can even check out the moon and the stars and things of that nature. Not that you’re probably traveling there any time in the near future, but you get what the point is. It’s just cool, and people like to buy things that are cool.
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Get Up to the Second Traffic
In many places, particularly in the United Kingdom, it’s entirely possible for users to get up-to-date traffic information with the app. In other places, of course, this is not possible. However, it’s nice to have when you are traveling somewhere with it so that you can see where you are, what you are doing and what is for you to consider to make your drive more amazing or less stressful; whichever applies.
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Some Places are not Detailed
There are some places in other countries that do not have detailed maps. North Korea, for instance, features several places in which you will not find a detailed map. These are places in which the world is not so friendly and things are not allowed in there to get the most detailed information, so you can just assume that you probably want to steer clear of that area of the world in the first place and not let this little factor bother you at all.
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It’s 3D
You can hit the 3 on your Google Maps and make the entire thing a 3D experience. It’s a little bit confusing at first, but you should try it at least once. Don’t get too distracted by it, though, if you are doing something fairly important such as driving a vehicle or something of that nature. But feel free to use it to check things out at home and have a good old time in the process.
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Zoom Level
There are a few places across the world in which you can zoom in to something called a level 23. The rest of the world only allows you to zoom in as much as 20 on certain areas. I guess this means you’re not going to get the detailed information you really wanted in certain areas, unless you stick to the places you know will show you a 23 at all times. That’s about the best you’re going to do around here.
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It’s Usable Offline on Android Devices
Many people are aware of the fact that Google Maps is something they can use with their Android devices, but they are not aware of the fact that they can use these things without actually having to be online. That is one of the nice things about this particular feature, and it’s something that makes the app more usable and friendlier for those looking for something like this to use as navigation.
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There’s Underground Awesomeness
Did you know you can use Google Maps to check out some underground locations, too? There are some underground areas in places such as Japan that feature underground mapping you can use. This might or might not be something you can use to make your own life a bit easier, but it is something you can use to have a bit of fun when you’re feeling the need.
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Business Lookup
This is a great feature for people looking to locate a hotel or business without actually knowing the address. You can just enter the name of the business or location and Google Maps will pull it up for you without you doing any additional work. This is what makes life so much easier for so many people, and we really do love the concept of being able to quickly find what you need without actually performing an address search first.
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Transit Updates
When you use live public transit, you might want to know about delays and things that might affect your route ahead of time. Now you can use Google Maps to make this happen. Live transit updates are completely possible when it comes to using this form of mapping, and that makes it easier for people all around the world to be able to get where they need to go so much faster and more efficiently and with less stress than ever before.
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Discoveries are Possible
The world’s largest natural bridge was not well-known to many people in the world until someone discovered it on Google Maps. That’s a pretty cool thing that most people cannot say that they are able to do, which is locate and discover things that they need to see and that will change the course of the earth. Google Maps is actually changing the world and making us smarter in a way.
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Street View
Did you know that there is something that Google Maps uses called Street View, and it’s really cool? Most people don’t realize this because they don’t look beyond their destination, but you can look at the street view and see that there are plenty of cool features, such as what the street looks like before you ever get to it. That’s a great way to do things such as check out the area surrounding a hotel or a house you’re interested in looking to buy before you visit.
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Indoor Maps
Okay, so say you want to hit up a seriously big mall (the Mall of America, anyone?) and you want to plan a route that ensures you are able to make the best use of your time in the area. How about using the indoor maps feature to do just that. You can plan indoor routes and maps that will help you navigate places like this, which will make your life so much easier all the way around.
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Compass Mode
You know how when you look at a map and you need to figure out which way to go, but you have no idea which way you are facing? Well, now you can use the compass mode in Google Maps to show you exactly where you are so that you can see which direction you are facing so that you know which way you need to go. If that is not completely awesome and amazing, nothing on this earth really is.
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See Nearby Photos
Social media is a cool thing, and it really does make life easier. So if you are nearby a location someone else has already been to, there is an option for you to see photos of those nearby locations that have been taken by others. This is such a cool feature that allows you a bit of a cheat sheet when it comes to finding places that are near where you want to go so that you can see them before you get there and decide whether or not it is worth your time.
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Report a Bad Location
Since people are not perfect, businesses move and things change in life, it’s nice that there is an option for reporting a bad location. For example, if you type in an address correctly and it does not take you where you need to go, you can report that so that Google Maps can get the issue fixed and it will not happen again in the future. It’s nice to be able to communicate so easily with the company so that you can make sure your maps are as seamless as possible.
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You can Make Changes
With the Google Map Maker, you can help the company make the maps more complete. You can fill in missing details, such as a new house or business on a street and submit those changes to Google. Once they are correctly verified, updates will be made. It’s like you officially work free of charge for Google Maps, isn’t it?
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Text Directions
You can use Google Maps to send SMS directions to others, which makes your life so much easier. You no longer have to copy and paste a route or try to explain it to someone in a text. You can just have it sent right to them so that your job is over and they have to do the rest of the work to find you or the location in which they are interested in finding. It’s a cool feature that is definitely going to help a lot of people in the future.
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Walking Itineraries
We love the idea of being able to create walking maps, especially when you are somewhere in which you will do a lot of walking. My husband and I frequent New York City and walk a lot in the area in which we stay, which is the Park Avenue/Fifth Avenue locations we love most. And we could have used a feature like this a decade ago when we first started visiting frequently before we were so familiar with the area and no longer required a map.
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My Maps
If you have a great way to get home that no one knows about, you can create your own map and you can even share it with friends and family. This is a great way to show people where you need to go and what you need to do so that you can get where you need to go the fastest possible way, or create a custom map for people all going the same direction but maybe not able to keep up.
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Nearby Locations
So you know you can use your map to see where you are. Now you can use that pinpoint location to find other things. For example, let the map pinpoint your current location and then click on it to search for something nearby such as nearby steak houses, hotels, car rental facilities or whatever else it is that you need. This is a great feature that allows you to do what you need to do to make your own life that much simpler.
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The Star Helps
When you look up an address and you choose to click on the little star icon next to it, it’s going to save you a lot of time and effort. What this does is pull up starred items so that you have a list of places to go that might be temporary. For example, if you’re looking up numerous addresses to keep on file when you go on a vacation and want to have those available when it’s time to head to those specific destinations, you’re going to appreciate this a lot.
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Bike Directions
What’s even cooler about Google Maps these days is that the active and the avid bikers in the world can get some great directions of their own. Instead of looking only at streets and things of that nature, you are going to be able to look up things like the bike trails and areas of that nature in your area so that you can take the best route and do the best things for your exercise, and be a bit more adventurous than usual.
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