Introducing Maps for Android

The Maps application comes pre-installed on your Android phone. Find it in your app tray and/or on one of your homescreens then tap the app to fire it up. If you have location data enabled on your Android phone, Maps will attempt to find your location on the map. You can also tap the crosshairs in the top right of the Maps screen to force find your location.

Your location is pinpointed with a flashing blue dot or arrow. If you see an arrow, that means your smartphone has a compass in it. Change your phone's physical orientation and you'll see the arrow move with you. This can be very handy if you're navigating on foot in unfamiliar territory.

To zoom in and out on any point on the map, you can use two fingers. Just place a finger and thumb on the screen and spread them apart to zoom in. To zoom out, pinch your thumb and finger together. You can also double-tap with one finger anywhere on the map to zoom in. Tap with two fingers and you'll zoom out. Finally, you can use the + and - magnifying glass icons in the lower right of the screen to zoom.

With one finger you can tap, hold and then drag to pan the view. Tap with two fingers and twist to rotate the map view on the screen.

Tap the Menu key on your phone to bring up some context sensitive options. On the main Maps screen, you'll see options to Search, get Directions, see My Places, if you've got any waypoints or favorites stored, you can Clear the Map, you can see Latitude data or tap More to see a few other options.

Your phone's hard or soft Search key can be used to pull up a search bar. Search for a specific address by typing it into the search bar. You can also search for businesses or offices by typing a company name or locate your contacts on the map by typing a name and then selecting the appropriate entry from the drop-down list.

While in Search mode, you can also tap the microphone icon in the top right to initiate a voice search. Tap. Speak the address, the name of the person or the business you'd like to locate. You may be asked to confirm what you've said but often, you'll be taken straight to your search results on the map.