My Google Map

Technology has advanced at such a pace that our planet is now covered in a layer of satellites that make most wireless communication methods possible today. Moreover, navigation also benefits from this metal layer, with GPS devices helping us safely travel between two points anywhere around the world. Specialized applications are used to create maps and keep them updated, with My Google Map letting you define your own.

In terms of design, the application is pretty simple but tends to feel a little rough around the edges. Your workspace is split into several customizable sections to provide quick navigation through your project elements, creation tools, as well as a map powered by the Google engine, which is best used with an active Internet connection.

At its core, the application is designed to offer you the possibility to create custom points of interest anywhere on the map. Sadly, there are no options whatsoever to define routes, or link markers together.

Before anything can be defined, you need to add a marker on the map. This is done with a single mouse click, but it is always created in the same location, regardless of where you navigate on the map. This cuts a great deal of practicality because it can take some time to manually drag the marker to the desired location, especially because of missing options to input location parameters.

All markers you create are stored in a side panel to quickly access them. Further adding details gets a little difficult, because sections are not defined and you get pretty confused about the purpose. One of the biggest disappointments is the lack of options to take a snapshot of the map location.

This is because you need to import several images, such as icons or bitmaps that appear when you select the marker on the map. On the other hand, you can generate thumbnails for markers, but these are only based on an image you need to have on your computer.

Saving your project generates a few files, amongst which there is the MGM, which is supported by several GPS devices. You can also generate a preview of the map to view in offline mode. You can set parameters, to have markers uploaded to your FTP server, which comes in handy for creating maps for your business.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that My Google Map is far from being a pro of its kind, with flexibility cut out by the lack of options to get snapshots of the map or the difficult process of accurately adding markers. In the end, you don't get a sense of accomplishment, with the rough interface constantly keeping you wondering what and how to do next.