There are a number of applications that will allow you to display maps on your phone. In this post I am going to talk about two of them: Google Maps for Mobile and Windows Live Search for Mobile.
Both of these free applications allow you to view maps, get directions, and search for local businesses.
Up until recently, Google Maps on the BlackJack was in the form a Java midlet (a java mobile application) and the Java interpreter on the phone did not play nice with it. Many found ways to get around the issues, but it usually involved installing a different interpreter.
Well, there is now a Windows Mobile version of Google Maps and it works great. You can either point your BlackJack Internet Explorer at www.google.com/gmm or you can click here to download the CAB file to your PC and then use ActiveSync to transfer it to your phone.
The other application is from Microsoft. Windows Live Search for Mobile. I have been running this application for a while now and I like it as well. To get Windows live either point your BlackJack Internet Explorer at wls.live.com/download/wm/LiveSearch.cab or click on it from your desktop and transfer it to your phone through ActiveSync.
With both of these mapping applications, you can ask them to find all the businesses of a particular type or all the locations of a specific store. For example if you are walking downtown and want to find all the pizza joints - these mapping programs will display a map and show you where you can pick up a hot slice of pizza. Same goes for finding the nearest Wal-Marts when you are driving on the highway.
Here are the links again:
- The main Google Maps for Mobile site
- The Google Maps CAB file
- Microsoft's Windows Live Search for Mobile
