Google Maps now comes with Labs

Google has come out with the Labs feature for Google Maps, which is represented by the green vial in the top right menu. With the help of Labs you can try out nine new features (which are disabled by default). These features have to be enabled for them to work. Let’s have a look at some of the interesting features:

Drag n Zoom: This eases zooming into the map. You have to draw an area on the map and click Drag n Zoom and

Where in the world game: A very engaging game which will help you brush up your geography skills. It basically shows a zoomed in portion of a map along with four options from which you have to select the correct one.

Aerial Imagery: Aerial imagery gives you rotatable, high-resolution overhead imagery presented in a new perspective. As of now there are only certain areas on the map which have this option enabled.

Rotatable Maps: This lets you rotate the maps such that the southern hemisphere is placed on upper part of the map and vice versa.

Smart Zoom: It prevents you from zooming in only up to the portion where imagery is available, preventing you from getting the message “We don’t have imagery at this zoom level”

The extra options in Google Maps

There are other features also like Latitude and Longitude marker among others. All the features may not work in all areas of Google Maps, as this is relatively new feature. But with the Labs addition to Google Maps, you can look forward to some engaging developments on Maps.