Google Maps is a great app and it’s always been one of my favorites. However, there are times when I want to get extra features from the app. For example, I might want to be able to see the current location of a certain landmark or I might just want to see the latest traffic conditions. One way to get these extra features is by using Google Maps Labs. Google Maps Labs is a feature that allows you to test out new features for Google Maps before they’re released to the public. You can also use Google Maps Labs to test out new ways of displaying information on your map such as adding overlays of different types of data or adding 3D effects. If you’re interested in using Google Maps Labs on your Android phone, there are a few things that you need to do first. First, you need to create an account on GoogleMapsLabs.com. Once you’ve created an account, you’ll need to add your phone number and email address so that we can send you access codes for testing purposes. Once your account has been created, you’ll need to open up GoogleMapsLabs and sign in with your account information. Once signed in, you’ll be able to access all of the features that are available in Google Maps Labs including creating new maps, testing out new features, and more!
You’ll want to make sure that you’ve got the latest version of Google Maps—head into the Market and check under Downloads to make sure you’re running the latest release. Note: this article is based on a Droid phone running Android 2.2 Froyo. These features are probably not available for previous versions.
Enable the Google Maps Labs Features
Just open up Google Maps, hit the Menu button, then go to More –> Labs.
Once you’re in here, you can simply click on any of the items to enable them. There’s a Scale Bar, Traffic with Labels, Bubble Buttons, and Measure.
Taking a Quick Look at the Extra Labs Features
The Bubble Buttons feature is extremely useful—whenever you see a listing and click the bubble, you’ll be able to directly call or navigate to an item right there, without having to go into detail for that location.
You’ll also see the Scale Bar in the lower left of the screen, which gives you an idea of distance as you’re glancing at the map.
The Measure feature can actually really come in handy—just push the Measure button in the lower right, then press in two different places on the map. You can actually continue to press more places to get a distance between multiple points.
Note: you’ll see a little message telling you the distance, which isn’t showing up in this screenshot.
The Traffic with Labels feature is useful as well, basically continues to show all the labels even while viewing traffic.
