Technology
The AR directions on Google Maps will soon reveal the landmarks to help guide you.
Google introduces several notable new functionality to Live View, the augmented reality mode of Google Maps that lets you keep your phone up and see visual overlays around the real world as captured by the viewfinder of your smartphone camera. The greatest improvement is the opportunity to see visual cues referring to the impressive landmarks in your field of view, as well as information about how far a landmark could be and directions to walk there.
These landmarks can include emblematic locations, such as the Empire State Building in New York and the Pantheon in Rome, and easily recognizable locations, such as local parks and tourist attractions, explains Mirko Ranieri, Product Manager at the Google Maps team. The function will soon be live on Android and iOS, Google says, with support in 25 cities, including Berlin, London , New York, Rome, San Francisco, and Tokyo. (Google has a complete list at the bottom of his blog post.)
Another nice feature that comes to View Live is the ability to pop straight into the mode from the transit directions, so you can see more quickly how you're focused when, say, you exit a subway station and find yourself at a busy and potentially confusing intersection.
Google has a few more add-ons to Live Display. This include location sharing, seeing overlaid distance from and directions to a friend who's shared where they're on Google Maps, and more precise pins to make famous streets, landmarks, and other locations that include changes in elevation appear more accurately in Live View when set as destinations. Both of these functions, along with Live View in the transit tab, will arrive in the coming weeks, Google says.
