I know I blogged about the Ask search engine not too long ago, but they've gone and done something pretty cool again (besides getting rid of the butler).
As part of its sleek redesign, Ask has incorporated excellent Search Tools on its start page. Try the Encyclopedia and Weather tools, but I want to talk about the new Maps & Directions feature.
I've long since (in Internet time, so ... last year) abandoned MapQuest for Google Maps, but Ask's new one might give the big G a run for its money ... or at least for my loyalties.
Go ahead and try it. You can drag the map like Google's, but see that green arrow on the map that looks like a play button? It is a play button -- push that little guy and watch as the map "drives" your whole route for you, complete with friendly phrases like "going towards exit 16" and "at ramp's end, take a left."
Why am I so excited about this? Because 8 out of 10 phone calls at the reference desk are people asking for directions - now I can just enter the to & from locations, push that play button, and read the route as it appears on my screen. Oh how I love things that make my multi-tasking worklife easier!
Where do you go for directions? Anybody still calling a business and asking a real person how to get there? I'm convinced librarians have become the only people left who have to give directions over the phone!
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
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2 comments:
Be careful what you read. In the 5 mile route from my home to my work, the "play" button gave 3 directions that could easily be misinterpreted by someone not looking at the map. Mostly this was "road becomes. . . ", when in fact a regular old turn was necessary to get where you're going.
You know... I started to switch to GoogleMaps too... But I realised that 1 out of 3 maps it gave me were WRONG... I mean... BIG TIME wrong. If I didn't know the Twin-Cities better that bloody Google map would have put me off my destination by MILES more than a few times!
MapQuest isn't as pretty... But in general it actually seems to know what it's talking about.
I don't know... I'll take a look at this "Ask" spot, and type in all the weird places that Google's messed up for me, and see if it actually works!
Internet maps are fun, but MAN are they screwed up.
Smiles,
Tucker
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