Topic: Google offers easy map customization with Mapplets

[Amker]

Google has released a new tool for Google Maps called Mapplets. Mapplets let users customize their own Google maps, similar to the way users are able to customize their iGoogle pages with Google-provided and third-party applications.
In order to access the Mapplets, you'll need to click a newly added "My Maps" tab, which is placed conveniently next to the "Search Results tab" on the Google Maps web page. From this menu, users can select from over 100 Google Mapplets including featured content from Google like "Google real-estate search" and a distance measurement tool. (There's also a useful YouTube video available that provides an introduction to the maps). For user-created content that's a bit more interesting, clicking "add-content" will bring up over a hundred Mapplets, ranging from useful metropolitan transit maps to a tool that allows users to look up US addresses by selecting specific buildings. The Mapplets could prove to be especially useful for travelers looking for more information on their destinations. Take the New York City Subway system for example: travelers can familiarize themselves with its layout days in advance to their trip to Manhattan, without having to search around the MTA website. Figuring out the closest, and cheapest gas station is easy too, a search in my area with the GasBuddy.com Mapplet showed that the cheapest gas was at a local Wawa for $2.57.

Once a Mapplet is added to your Google Maps page, which you'll need to be logged into, you can select which Mapplets you'd like to activate by clicking a checkbox. Deactivation of certain Mapplets is as easy as unclicking the box.

Those interested in developing Mapplets should choose the "Developers Tools," option which reveals three Mapplets: "Mapplet Scratch Pad," "Developer Mappet," and "API Reference." For examples and more information, developers can also visit Google's Google Mapplets Concepts and Examples web page. 

If you're itching to give Google Mapplets a try today, prepare for a sluggish experience: we found it to be a bit slow during our testing, perhaps due to a high amount of traffic at launch.

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