Google I/O 2013: Google Maps gets a slick new interface

At its I/O conference in San Francisco, Google announced a series of updates for Google Maps. The new Google Maps as its being called will be rolled out in a slow phase and is currently available on invite. To get an invite to the new Google Maps, click here. Some of the features include: A customised map for users: Each click will draw new maps highlighting the key recommendations that you have chosen. Google is hoping for users to give more data on their home, work, favourite restaurants, etc to highlight a map that suits you. A new floating search box is the highlight of the main map view, and it incorporates a new suggestion engine that will help you find relevant places nearby and more. Social Rating system: Google Maps users will also be able to rate restaurants/other places and pull up ratings by friends.  So you get social reviews on the fly. Focus on local places: Search results will be labeled directly on the map with brief place descriptions and icons that highlight business categories. Of course, its all linked to your Google Plus circles as well and recommendations from your friends about restaurants etc will be visible. [caption id=“attachment_788991” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A screengrab of Google Maps.[/caption] Better imagery: Google Maps also gets some better imagery and will offer give users 3D access on the Chrome browser. The new carousel gathers all Google Maps imagery in one spot enabling you to fly through cities, walk canyon trails, climb mountains, and even swim the oceans. And on Google Chrome, the carousel is also where you’ll find the Earth view with the 3D experience. Google also announced some APIs for developers. The first is called, “Fused Location Provider” which uses sensors to find location with a new low-power location mode that uses less than one percent of battery per hour. The second is called Geo fencing – which allows developers to build virtual fences around geographic locations – you can have up to 100 geo services per app. The third is activity recognition – helps users track their physical activities. It automatically figures out if users are working or driving.