Mobile Map Devices
Mobile map technology appears to have grown at the same rate as the smart phone industry and this has meant that users are inundated with options. It would be fair to say that the mobile application market is one that is expanding at a phenomenal rate and due to this, developers have made it their primary aim to release their applications across as many platforms as possible. For this reason, any individual purchasing a new handset will most certainly have access to the latest mobile map applications.
This article will aim to highlight just how accessible mobile maps are on all major mobile devices.
Android
Android users probably have the most options when it comes to mobile maps. Even though the platform is relatively young, Google made it their aim to make application creation exceptionally easy for developers. This has resulted in the Android marketplace containing many mobile map applications; from software released by major developers to applications that have been developed by sole coders. Due to Google being the primary company behind the Android device, the system already contains a copy of Google Maps upon purchase. This means that all Android users will have at least one piece of mobile map software available on their device.
Blackberry
Just like the Android device, Blackberry users are also provided with a map application that comes pre-installed. Blackberry retail their products with their own mobile map software installed and while this application is quite basic, it will still be suitable for a lot of users. For those individuals who wish to get more from their mobile map experience, the Blackberry platform offers many third party options. Their marketplace contains many third party applications, with most of the major developers releasing their application to be compatible with this device.
iPhone
Even though the iPhone was recently overtaken by the Android in terms of popularity, the device still supports practically every major mobile map application. Developers have seemingly made it their priority to target this system and just like the previous platforms discussed, users will find many applications available in the device’s marketplace. What’s more, even though Google is a massive competitor to Apple, the companies have come to an arrangement which means that Google Maps is pre-installed on every iPhone device.
Java Enabled Devices
Those individuals who have a basic Java enabled phone may struggle for options in the mobile map industry. In terms of applications, very few developers support this platform and many users will simply have to turn to mobile websites. However, with Google Maps and Bing holding excellent WAP sites, this will not be a huge hindrance and users will still be able to gain a lot from the technology.
Windows Mobile
While the Windows Mobile device is not as popular as the Android or iPhone, there are still a lot of mobile map applications that function on the platform. Practically every major application is compatible, while some of the premium packages make Windows Mobile their primary system. This could be because of the similarities with the Windows PC operating system, which allows desktop developers to easily adapt and release a mobile version.
