Yahoo Maps beta
Visit the manufacturer's Web site to access this free service.
CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Troy Dreier
- Released on:
- Reviewed on:
The good: Yahoo Maps provides smooth satellite views for every corner of the globe; builds multipoint routes; offers live traffic data; integrates Local directory service.
The bad: The Yahoo Maps beta couldn't remember our addresses; crashed during testing; Flash interface is slower than other map sites'; traffic information doesn't explain delays well.
The bottom line: With plenty of useful features wrapped in a simple and attractive interface, the Yahoo Maps beta is the online mapping tool to beat.
Yahoo Maps packs in features without looking cluttered. You can create a map or a route, view satellite images, and find local businesses. We're impressed with this service, though it's still in public beta testing (you can access Yahoo's old map site here, but why?). By comparison, Google Maps, now a final product, suddenly looks so 2005 and vulnerable.
It's easy within Yahoo Maps to chart a route with multiple destinations, find local attractions, discover traffic trouble spots, and drag new addresses into your search. Yahoo Maps beta uses a simple two-window layout similar to that of Google Maps, with search options and driving directions in the left pane and a map on the right. To display a map, type an address into text box A, then add point B to the second text box if you need driving directions. Additional text boxes appear as needed to easily create multipoint directions. You can also click any step in a set of directions to view a small inset map of just that step.
The Yahoo Maps beta is coded in Flash, so it takes a moment to load, and actions such as zooming in suffer a slight lag. The delay didn't bother us, even though Google Maps is faster. You can display a map as a standard line drawing, a satellite image, or a hybrid of the two and view or hide a tiny map-within-the-map. Icons above the map let you print it, e-mail it, send it to a cell phone, or show live traffic conditions.
While Yahoo's satellite views don't zoom in as closely as those on Google Maps or the Windows Live Local beta, there are no blank spots, so you can find any location in the world. Also, Yahoo beautifully smoothes its map images from different satellites better than Google does.
User Reviews
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Showing 3 of 11 reviews
"Stopped Working!!" By IKTHUSRJD
Pros: Great At First
Cons: Suddenly ceased to function
Summary: When this came on line I was very impressed with all that it provided, but then a couple of days ago, it just ceased to work at all. I've written to Yahoo, but have heard nothing back. Would love to use it again.
"Yahoo and google have quirks" By psedog
Pros: Quick easy to use, one line input
Cons: Still in Beta
Summary: Of all the points and lack of points I've heard of, for using one map from the other, I have yet to see one that talks about the dates of the images used.
In my area of the world (San Diego) Yahoo maps has newer images than google maps. ... Expand full review
Where to Buy
Visit the manufacturer's Web site to access this free service.
