MapQuest Launches New Mobile Web Experience

[Maura]

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MapQuest today launched its all-new mobile browser experience, which was built with HTML5. MapQuest says that its new mobile site is designed to be more like its free iPhone app, and is now easier than ever to use from your iPhone, whether for exploring your immediate vicinity, checking out a future destination, or investigating how best to get to a future destination. [/FONT]

“Nearly half of all Mobile Web map users visited MapQuest in November,” said Michael Iams, Principal Product Manager for Mobile at MapQuest. “Since the largest and fastest growing segments of that group are iPhone and Android users, our aim with this release is to leverage the touch, display, and GPS capabilities of these advanced devices to give our users the best possible mobile web mapping experience.”

[FONT=&amp]According to MapQuest, the new mobile web experience has the following main features:[/FONT]

• [FONT=&amp]Quickly determine your location: You can access MapQuest.com in your mobile browser to quickly find out your location, and have it updated as you move around.[/FONT]
• [FONT=&amp]Discover places to go: Use MapQuest to find hotels, food, gas stations and much more with just a single tap. You can pick a place using ratings and reviews for hotels and restaurants, and you will also be able to see current gas prices at participating stations. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&amp]Get directions: Aside from basic directions, the new mobile web experience provides “landmark routing,” which enables users to navigate by including places of interest along the way. Landmark routing is also included in walking directions. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&amp]Easy to use: The new mobile experience has a new layout and organizes components in an easier to find and use format, including common functions such as toggling to satellite view in the dropdown. There’s also a new “you are here” icon, which enables users to show their location on a map with a customizable icon. [/FONT]

“Our popular iPhone and Android apps inspired our new mobile web experience,” said Vijay Bangaru, MapQuest’s Vice President of Product. “Millions of users love the advanced functionality of our native mobile apps and we’re thrilled to make those features available on our mobile web offering.”

[FONT=&amp]Source: MapQuest[/FONT]