World News: Vodafone Live! to offer Google™ Maps for mobile

Sharon

Sharon Gill

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13th February 2007

Vodafone and Google plan to develop a location-based version of Google Maps for mobile.

Google Maps for mobile, a downloadable java application, is expected to offer customers in selected markets easy-to-use maps and local listings, as well as local search and navigation capabilities.

Google and Vodafone are working together to provide automatic user-location capability on selected handsets.

The announcement comes as Vodafone introduces functionality in various markets to enable customers to search for information while on the move, with the integration of Google search technology into its mobile service.

The search service launched in Hungary in December 2006, and is scheduled for roll-out in other key European markets throughout the rest of the year.

Google’s search technology will enable customers to access both on- and off-portal sites in the wider mobile Internet.

The integration of Google technology also means that off-portal pages will be more accessible and relevant for handset screen sizes.