August 3rd, 2009
Dead-Finger Tech: Google Maps
You may have noticed the term “Dead-Finger Tech” floating around the ZDNet blogs recently. No, we’re not talking about zombies. The term refers to a piece of technology that you can’t live without — the one that if it were to break, or you were to lose it, you would be beside yourself not knowing how to continue living your day-to-day life. DFT is the one object that — god forbid — if you had a heart attack and died, we’d find you clutching it.
Okay, okay; enough with the zombies and morbidness. My chosen DFT is less of an actual gadget, but is still something I’d have a hard time living without: Google Maps. I can’t stress enough how much Google Maps has helped me figure out New York City. I knew nothing about the city when I moved here — and don’t even get me started with the outer boroughs. Luckily, soon after I landed in NYC, Google Maps integrated a public transportation option, which allows you to enter an address and get directions from your starting point via subway and/or bus.
Now, I’ll keep this short because I know most of you already know the greatness that is Google Maps, but I’ll share a few more reasons with you as to why I hold this piece of DFT so dear.
Some of you may think, “This is just a poor man’s MapQuest,” or, “Why doesn’t she just use HopStop.com if she loves the transportation bit so much?” To that I say, nay. Google Maps has combined everything good from direction-giving Web sites and wrapped it up in a nice, clean package. Unlike those other Web sites, Google Maps utilizes the Google search engine right inside of it. So, you don’t have to open a new tab, search for that restaurant’s address that you’re going to, and copy and paste it back into the directions. You can simply type in the name of the place you’re going, and Google will provide you with a list of options. Find the one that you’re looking for, click it, and get your directions.
Besides the transit aspect of it, Google Maps is also handy for finding a specific type of business in a specific area (i.e., bagels, dry cleaners, etc.). It also incorporates Street View, which can be helpful in knowing what an area looks like beforehand. It’s particularly nice during those painful housing searches. Does it look like a nice neighborhood, or are you moving into the middle of an industrial park?
If you’re driving to your destination, Google Maps also has a traffic option. You can select between live traffic, or traffic at a particular time of day and day of the week, which can significantly change the outcome of your trip.
There is a plethora of reasons why Google Maps is my DFT pick, and I could go on forever with all these examples, but I suggest playing around with it if you haven’t. I use Google Maps every single day, and I would be lost without it — no pun intended.
Jennifer R. Bergen is a journalist and blogger living in New York City. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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