Google Maps was quietly updated recently. A couple of small revisions made it even *more* user-friendly. First off, the columns have been flip-flopped - the map "pane" is on the right, and instructions/directions are on the left. Makes perfect sense to me. Also, when you look up driving directions, and those directions would require you to scroll down to view... the scroll is contained in the left-hand "pane", with your map still in view. Makes perfect sense to me, again. Finally, when you access any address you have the option of setting that location as your "starting point". The next time you load up the home page, your starting point will be loaded up.
Google launched a beta version of their upcoming mapping service this morning. It's positioned to be a competitor to services like MapQuest, but I don't think there will be much of a competition. It's freaking awsome. I have a meeting this morning out in Hartland. I looked up the address last night on Mapquest, and it couldn't find the specific building I'm looking for. I was able to find the general area, but Google picked it up exactly. Not only that, the maps are drawn much cleaner - less chartjunk. I think the killer feature is speed - my result came up in a blink. There's also functionality for most browsers that allows you to use the arrow ...