Good news for cyclists everywhere: Google Maps for mobile now provides you with an elevation chart of its routes, so you can choose to avoid the hills — or take them on.
The update plots elevation against distance, allowing you to compare the amount of climbing you’ll have to do. It shows multiple routes in the same search display, so you really can judge one against the others. Any committed cyclist will be acutely aware that the feature was one of the main things missing from Google’s cycling navigation, so it’s great that it’s now here.
There’s also an update to voice activation in the new release of Maps. It now understands sentences like “how long until I arrive?” and “what’s my next turn?” According to Android Police, though, the new additions are very sensitive. “You have to hit the phrasing exactly or you get nothing,” they explain. But, hey, at least you won’t be panting and out of breath because of a hill. [Google, Android Police]
Picture: kaveman743/Flickr