MapQuest Blog

One of our favorite events of the year is the SXSW Interactive festival. Austin, Texas is a great town to assemble thousands of creative and technical people from all over the world. The conference isn't until March of next year, but already planning has begun. This brings us to the subject of today's post.

Unlike most shows, the public vote weighs heavily on what speaking panels get selected. MapQuest is jazzed to be involved in two of the panels up for voting in the Panel Picker.

Here's the panels we're involved with:

Time + Social + Location. What's Next In Mobile Experiences?

As more devices become location aware, social uses will continue to evolve beyond just who and what, to WHEN. Adding the temporal dimension creates new opportunities for social interaction. Learn about ways to leverage and use technology to add features at the intersection of temporal, social, and location.

We're happy to be collaborating on this panel with some talented experts from innovative companies in the areas of social, temporal, and location. In addition to myself, the panelists for this session will be:

Brady Becker

Founder and EVP of Creative for Brightkite

Tyler Bell

Head of Product for Yahoo! Geo, Geo Technologies

Gregory Cypes

Business Development and Principal Software Engineer for AIM

Ryan Sarver

Product Manager of Platform for Twitter

Andrew Turner

CTO of FortiusOne / GeoCommons

Social Breadcrumbing - Tying Networks Together by Phone

The integration of location-based services, phones and social networks is increasingly common. But how does this enhance the lives of users and improve their actual experiences on sites? Learn about the unique ways that sites are utilizing these services to upgrade their data and promote greater sharing among users.

Organized by our Mobile Technical Manager: Chip Millson, this panel will go deep into the impact and opportunities of data sharing and location-based services.

Vote

We're excited about these discussions almost as much as we're excited to get some Texas BBQ. Please visit the 2010 SXSW PanelPicker and give us a "Thumbs Up" if you're interested in checking out these talks. There are also over 2000 other panels to vote on. Take some time to vote on some other great panel ideas as well.

Thanks and see you in Austin!

Since last Fall, iPhone users have enjoyed a mobile-Safari optimized MapQuest.com. The experience provides seamless interaction to many of the features found on MapQuest.com such as Directions, Maps, Search, Gas Prices, and Local. Once we finished the initial rollout we went back to work and added MapQuest Local on the iPhone in early January.

As soon as we launched MapQuest.com optimized for iPhone, we immediately started receiving requests from Android users voicing their desire to have the same experience on their beloved Android Smartphone devices.

Well Android users, we are happy to announce that Mapquest.com now supports an optimized experience on all Android devices, with draggable maps available in the Android 1.5 "Cupcake" update.

My Name is Larry; I use an iPhone

Since getting an iPhone, I've started leaving the laptop at home when I travel. While visiting family in Indiana for the holidays, I discovered that MapQuest Local was in need of a few enhancements when viewed on the iPhone. One of the great things about being a developer for MapQuest is having the ability to do something about this; I wanted to make MapQuest Local a first class citizen on the iPhone. So now, with the support of both the Mobile and Local teams, you can now see MapQuest Local as part of the MapQuest.com experience.

Local, Wherever You Are

Whenever you type http://local.mapquest.com into the address bar on Mobile Safari, you'll find that you can now view MapQuest Local. Additionally, you can also visit http://www.mapquest.com and find Local as a new item listed in the dropdown menu.

With MapQuest Local, you can find a place to eat, a movie to see afterwards, and check current traffic incidents all while on the go. It seamlessly integrates with MapQuest experience on the iPhone, so you can get directions and view maps of where you're going. Also, we've only included the content and links to our content partners with mobile-friendly sites.

Look for additional content and features on MapQuest Local and our Mobile products in the near future.

For many, the end of the year presents an opportunity to reflect on everything that the year has brought. Let's take a moment to see some of our key accomplishments in 2008.

We completed an amazing amount of work behind the scenes, but it's the services we provide to our users that matter most in the end. So, in expedient fashion in order to move straight to planning for 2009, here's our Top 8 in 2008 review:

#8 – Fuel Cost for Trip Calculation

With gas prices spiking over the summer, many people were forced to evaluate just how much a trip might cost them. By entering your vehicle information in the settings for My MapQuest, we can help you estimate the cost of gas for a trip based on your vehicle's miles per gallon and the local gas prices along your route.

#7 – MapQuest on iPhone

No doubt the iPhone is a popular gadget. You've always been able to access MapQuest.com from your iPhone but, we launched an iPhone-optimized site which automatically loads when you visit MapQuest.com from your iPhone. The site offers the iPhone flick and pinch gestures that so many love.

#6 – Real-Time Traffic

In March, we launched our real-time traffic feature. With coverage now in over 100 metro areas, you can view traffic flow, road closures, incidents, and construction to plan your drive. Traffic is even available on MapQuest for mobile web and our iPhone web version.

#5 – Draggable Routes

Our Draggable Routes feature launched in November and lets you drag your route to get you to your destination the way you want. Draggable routes lets you create directions around that stretch of highway you know is under construction, drive that scenic route along the highway, and drive through other parts of the city/state/country on your trip.

#4 – MapQuest 4 Mobile

Getting maps and directions is easy from your computer. But,often times, you need to find places and get directions when you are out and about. MapQuest 4 Mobile, our new, free mobile application, makes that a snap on many BlackBerry devices and carriers.

#3 – Saving Your Maps and Routes with My MapQuest

How often do you plan your trip or route in advance? With the introduction of My MapQuest this November, you can now save your maps and directions and retrieve them anytime. You can even save the directions you've customized with draggable routes (see feature #5) for later use.

#2 – MapQuest Local

MapQuest Local released with accolades in September. With loads of locally relevant content including news, movies, reviews, and much more bundled into a single page for a single location, Local is a great new online destination for finding what's going on in your destination location.

#1 – Brand Refresh

Last but not least, we refreshed the MapQuest identity as a reflection of our site's evolution. The logo was redrawn from scratch, to make it fresh & modern, yet familiar and instantly recognizable. The colors are sharper, the layout of MapQuest.com is cleaner and the brand is more vibrant and proud. It's a design that stays true to what you said MapQuest means to you.

We also re-introduced "Mark the Star," a fun and friendly character who marks the locations you find on MapQuest. He's been with us from the beginning, but he finally got a little polish, personality and an elevated status across the site.

And of course, we can't forget you. You've sent us your stories, your suggestions, your questions and corrections. A small group of you even worked closely with us weekly-sometimes daily- to provide your feedback and direction on our projects and concepts. Your feedback was crucial to the successful launch of all 8 products listed above. A heartfelt "thank you" from all of us at MapQuest.

And now, onward to 2009!

While we've been making a lot of enhancements on MapQuest.com, our mobile services and products certainly aren't being left out! Today we're announcing our MapQuest Navigator 5.0 service is available on your AT&T mobile phone- and billable directly to your AT&T phone plan. Starting today you can get our popular voice-guided navigation service on select AT&T phones and try it out for a FREE trial period!

We've had great feedback on our navigation service and people enjoy the convenience of not having to buy another device when their GPS-enabled mobile phone can get them where they need to go. With MapQuest Navigator on your phone, your maps and directions data is always current - you don't have to worry about updating the data on your PND or in-car navigation system. What's even better is it doesn't just provide turn-by-turn voice-guided directions, you can also see where you're going with 3D moving maps. And, there's live traffic, walking directions, gas prices, AOL City's Best restaurants/nightlight ratings, and more.

Initially, we're launching with the following phones including: BlackBerry Curve 8210, BlackBerry Pearl 8110, BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry 8800, MOTO Z9, MOTO Q Global, AT&T Tilt, and Blackjack II – but look for many new devices by the end of the year.

See more information and sign up for the free trial at our MapQuest Navigator AT&T page.

MapQuest users have come to rely on the quality and accuracy of MapQuest results no matter where they are -- which is why we are delighted to introduce MapQuest optimized for the iPhone. We have served millions of requests for MapQuest from iPhone and iPod browsers and now those results will be presented in a fast, easy-to-use way specifically for the iPhone.



Now you can pinch, flick, and tap your way to your destination on MapQuest.com! Our new iPhone interface includes the same features that MapQuest provides on the full-browser experience. Driving Directions, Maps, Local Search, Traffic, Recent Locations, and Cheapest Gas Prices, with more enhancements showing up automatically in the near future. No downloads needed!

How do I get there?

Easy. Just type mapquest.com into your iPhone or iPod Touch Safari Browser. We'll detect that you are coming from an iPhone and know to send you directly to our iPhone web interface.

Once there, you can tap the "+" at the bottom of your screen and select "Add to Home Screen" to place a shortcut icon on your iPhone's main menu screen. You'll then see the MapQuest Star icon on your screen for easy access back to MapQuest.

We hope you enjoy the user experience of MapQuest for iPhone. Remember to look for more features coming soon!

The launches keep coming this week at MapQuest! We're adding to our announcements with the launch of MapQuest 4 Mobile Beta.

We're excited to show off our new free mobile product that offers maps, directions, local business search and more for BlackBerry devices. One quick look at the interface and you'll see how intuitive it is -- you'll go from a new user to a pro in a single use. Try out the scrolling carousel across the top and you'll see how easy it is to use.


Those that have tried this new mobile app out immediately found it engaging and very practical. Not only does it get you where you need to go with street and hybrid (aerial imagery with street names) map views, we have handy features such as live traffic conditions and MapQuest's database of over 16 million points of interest to search from.



One of the really cool features is the GPS Find Me feature. Your GPS chip helps locate you and you can quickly get directions from your current location and track your progress as you get to your destination.



MapQuest 4 Mobile is currently available for download for the BlackBerry 8830 on Sprint, and the 8310, 8800, and 8820 models for AT&T. Many more devices will be supported in the coming months.

Get more information and download the product at our product page.

That's all 4 now. Keep checking back 4 updates.

Have you ever been heading across town, and wish you had access to those traffic helicopters to see where the jams are? Now you can check the hotspots with a quick glance to your cell phone. MapQuest for Mobile Web, one of the most popular mobile internet sites,¹ now has Traffic Reports to go along with a new look and feel. We've also simplified the address and search fields to make it easier to enter your quest. And for those of you that take the 'greener' path, our Find Gas Prices feature now has a full slate of Alternative fuels including E-85, Natural Gas and Biodiesel.

MapQuest for Mobile Web



Traffic


Gas Prices


Best of all - even with all these helpful, comprehensive features; MapQuest for Mobile Web is still a free service.² To check it out on your device, you can either type in www.mapquest.com on your mobile web browser, or you can plan on MapQuest.com from your home computer and click on "Send to Cell" within any of your search results.³

1. m:metrics December 2007

2. MapQuest provides the MapQuest for Mobile Web service free of charge; however, your wireless phone carrier may charge data fees to access the mobile web.

3. MapQuest provides the Send to Cell service free of charge; however, your wireless phone carrier may charge data fees to access the mobile web or for text messages. Some carriers block access to URL links within text messages; if you cannot click the link or you do not receive the text message, please check with your carrier.
m:metrics December 2007

I'm happy to announce that the MapQuest Wireless team launched the latest version of MapQuest Navigator 5.0, an application that provides voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation right on your mobile phone. There are some handy new features such as 3D views, a gas price finder and traffic alerts. And, we've included AOL's CityGuide info to give you listings of the best restaurants, bars and live music venues- basically all the locals' favorites.

The other day I was meeting a friend for dinner in Denver and we searched for City's Best 'Burgers' through Navigator's CityGuide search screen. We landed at a joint called "The Cherry Cricket". My kind of place - a bar menu with humongous burgers. When I was on my way to the airport the next day, Navigator popped up an alert that steered me around a jam on I-70 - which was key since I was running late yet again...

Anyone who's been in an electronics store lately has seen that standalone GPS units can cost hundreds of dollars, and putting one in the dash of your car costs a boatload. Why buy another gadget when your BlackBerry® or other GPS smartphone can get you the same results? Personally, I'd rather carry one do-it-all device in my pocket. With MapQuest Navigator I can get my monthly service for less than the cost of my jamocha double half-whip every morning.

So here's the kicker - we want folks to check out Navigator 5.0, and we wanted to give a great incentive to try it out - we made it cheap! Right now, MapQuest Navigator 5.0 is only $4.99 per month- which is about half of the ten bucks a month your carrier might charge you for similar services. Anyone that signs up before the end of the year can get the great price, and there's no obligation for a long contract - it's a month to month service.

Check out more details here, and let us know what you think. We're very interested in what you think.

Cheers- and happy travelin' over Turkey Day!

On the heels of our launch of MapQuest Beta, we're following it up with some exciting enhancements to MapQuest for Mobile Web, a.k.a. our 'WAP' site. If you haven't tried MapQuest on your web-enabled cell phone, I'll give you an overview and then introduce the new enhancements to our service.

Almost all mobile phones sold in the last few years can give you access to the mobile web, so it's not like you have to have the latest gadget! Just go to www.mapquest.com on your phone's mobile web browser and you'll be able to find places, get maps and directions - 'right-sized' for your mobile phone. Millions of people are already using MapQuest for Mobile Web every month, and we're helping them get where they need to go, while they're on the go.

Here are the basics. In "Find a Place" you can search 16 million Points of Interest and find restaurants, hotels, parks, and more; just by putting in a name, zip, intersection or city. On most carriers you'll also enjoy our Click to Call feature; where you can simply click the phone number within the searched location and immediately call the business. Use Map a Location to get maps of the US and Canada that you can pan and zoom. And, in "Get Directions" you'll find reliable turn by turn directions just like online - only right on your phone. You can also choose advanced route options to avoid highways or toll roads.



And now we're introducing additional valuable features to our mobile-web service.

Gas Prices
OK, we're all shocked at the price of gas these days, but perhaps MapQuest can help ease your pain a bit. Now you can find the lowest priced gas on MapQuest for Mobile Web. Simply click on the 'Find Gas Prices', and you can find local stations by price, distance or the station name. So, whether you're running on "E", or just looking to save a buck, MapQuest Gas Prices can help you out.


Multi-point directions
Making more than one stop along your way?We've upgraded our 'Get Directions' link, to make multiple stops on a trip or while running errands. You can now add up to six locations to your route and get turn-by-turn directions from point A to B to C, etc, displayed right on your phone's screen.



Walking Directions
Taking on the city on foot? MapQuest for Mobile Web now has a Walking Directions option that displays the most direct route for pedestrians. Our walking routes ignore one-way streets and provide you with the shortest distance available.


So there you have it, enhanced features to make your on the go experience even better. Type in www.mapquest.com into your mobile browser and you're on your way.

Note: Check with your carrier about mobile web access – sometimes it's included with your service, but they may charge a small additional fee for web browsing or it may count toward your minutes.