An update to Google Maps has brought with it an interesting added bonus for Android smartphone users: access to maps, right there on your wrist.
Android Central reports that, following an update to Google Maps version 9.9 on a corresponding phone, an LG Watch Urbane boasted an icon for the app, too, in its launcher. It’s worth noting that the Urbane also features the latest version of Android Wear, too.
The site reports that the wrist-borne version of Google Maps can be opened by choosing the app or barking “open Maps,” after which a map fills the entire screen. In terms of features, Android Central explains that you can choose true North or device direction views, scroll, pinch-to-zoom and see a list of some suggested nearby places you might choose to visit. When you leave the app for a while, it fades to a simple black and white outline.
All of which sounds great, but Android Central also points out that it “seems rather unstable. Several times in just a few minutes of playing with the app it has failed to respond or open up navigation properly.” Still a little buggy, then.
You — like Android Central — might also question just how useful these kinds of maps are on a watch, with their fiddly on-screen controls. But being able to check a map quickly as you wander down the street may be worth it — and at any rate, a tiny map on your wrist is impressive however you look at it. [Android Central]