Google is “graduating” the Google Maps API v3 from Labs to being the standard, recommended version of the Google Maps API. They’ve also enabled v3 for enterprise clients as well.
The biggest news for v3 is that now – as the standard version – it includes a new version of Google Street View, which is built entirely in HTML so that it works across all of the mobile devices that v3 supports. Also new in the API are markers, info windows, and custom imagery.
On the enterprise side (called Google Maps Premier), the API now allows clients to build Maps applications on the iPhone and Android phones simply using the JavaScript commands used for Maps apps for desktop browsers (i.e. no more Java, Objective C, etc). Also, Google has added optimal routing for clients that need to figure out truck routes, etc. Finally, as with the standard API, they’ve added custom imagery.
At Where 2.0 in March, a Google rep pointed out that the Google Maps API is far and away the leader for third-party developers, and these upgrades will certainly be welcome additions to this already vibrant API.
In other geolocation news, we also expect that Google will launch an API for Latitude at Google I/O.
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