The creators of map software just keep spoiling us. As if we haven’t already seen plenty of helpful advances in this new field (remember when you had to buy a paper map at the gas station to see what was around you?), Apple is now taking the next step by providing a GPS map application on the iPhone that challenges nearly every other piece of software and GPS device currently on the market.
3D Maps is available on the iPhone and iPad, and at first glance you might mistake it for Google Maps. But when you start using it, you’ll find that the similarity is only surface deep. Apple has built its application from the ground up, including mapping the entire globe and adding the 3D content. You thought Google’s Street View feature was cool? Wait until you try out the Flyover feature on this GPS map.
Flyover presents you with a three-dimensional satellite image of any spot on earth that you select. You can change the camera angle, zoom in or out, and enjoy incredibly detailed views of places that you will probably never visit in person. Be careful, though—remind someone to jolt you back to reality if you go a couple of hours without looking up from your iPhone. This feature is incredibly addicting, once your imagination starts realizing the possibilities.
Of course, a GPS navigator is the other central feature of this app, employing Siri’s friendly voice. The format of the turn-by-turn navigator is more user-friendly than most of its competitors, whether in application or stand-alone form. You can switch on the 3D building view to see the footprints of surrounding buildings, and the app shows you the names of crossing streets as you near them. Different view choices during navigation match each person’s preferences.
3D Maps also incorporates a cutting-edge feature, crowd-sourced traffic information. Data gathered from other iOS users gives you an accurate picture of what is going on in the streets, where the jams are, and even how likely they are to clear up soon.
When you take into account the beautiful 3D graphics, voice-recognition capabilities, and detailed navigation, this GPS map software is far more convenient, useful, and fun than most programs of its type. Use it to find your way home around the traffic, then spend the time you saved catching a 3D glimpse of Paris!
