The revamped Google Maps that made its first appearance at Google’s I/O conference is now available for the public.
Back in May at its I/O conference, Google showed off its redesigned Maps interface. Formerly available on an invite basis for a privileged few the new interface was made available to the public on Tuesday.
As the Google Maps information page demonstrates, the new Google Maps takes cues from Google’s Now’s cards interface.
Aside from a handful of user interface tweaks, the biggest technical change is that the app now uses vector data as opposed to graphical image titles. This allows for smoother transitions between zoom levels. If you are running Firefox or Chrome and have a solid GPU, you should be able to zoom out all the way to outer space from street level.
For those who live in cities where Google has access to public transit information, the refreshed version of maps has some new useful features. Any route plotted out will automatically display public transport alternatives alongside driving routes. When the user selects public transit, a quick comparison chart opens to allow the user to compare options (ie. bus vs. train).
Go check out the new version of Google Maps now at maps.google.com
Below is a video from Google introducing the new maps app:
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