Google Maps Update with Live Wallpaper

[ikon]

Check it out in the Market. Adds a couple new features like a Latitude widget but the awesome new feature is a Maps Live Wallpaper that updates on your homescreen and can show traffic and satellite view, I'm sure this will eat some serious battery though.

 

[theartfullodger]

Neat! Thanks..

Cheers!

Lodger

 

[zillah]

Just got it and have been playing with it. Google maps is a lot nicer now for moving through searches and reviews...even though I usually use yelp for reviews for specific places. This instantly made me want to uninstall Sherpa since google's aggregate search is far better and now it has the nice UI to boot.

I am using the live wallpaper right now but it is buggy. REAL buggy. Had it force close on me. Had it just sit with a blank node there after zooming without refresh. Zooming back out with a quick multitouch swipe is usually unresponsive. If your impatient and finicky, you'll get the blank node, which means you have to restart the map program...or open an app to restart it. A lot of it I think is because I am using my wireless location as opposed to GPS. My wireless location at work right now is split three ways between 3g transmitters so my location constantly changes as the phone tries to get a better 3g signal. I don't even want to know how much damage this would do to my battery life since I have it plugged in right now. Makes almost turning on the GPS worthwhile.

Moving with the Nexus One is not as fluid as one would have hoped but if you are stationary in a great 3G area this live wallpaper is soo cool especially with satellite view. I wonder how this wallpaper would run without any services running in the background. I have all my home screens used up by widgets and shortcuts which puts a drain on resources and obviously defeats the purpose of having a map to show my location...I can't even see it!