Get the most out of Google Maps for Android

(cross-posted at His and Hers Android)

As any smartphone guru will tell you, Google Maps is one of Android's greatest features. There are Google Maps applications for other platforms, of course, but Android's version has some major exclusives that make it stand out. I've spoken to several iPhone users who say that Maps is one of the features they're most jealous of.

With all the features it has, though, it's easy for the app to seem overwhelming and some of the coolest features to go unnoticed. So let's take a look at some of the useful stuff hiding under the surface and how to get the most out of Maps on Android.

The stupidity of analog money transfers

(photo by lincolnblues)

The current state of digital currency is somewhat maddening. We have services like online banking, of course, that are getting more powerful all the time. We can pay bills, manage accounts, etc. all from home. Services like PayPal are trying to digitize things like payments to and from individuals, too.

But we're not there yet...and money transfers is a perfect example of why. Transferring money from one bank to another has been possible for decades. It's traditionally taken 3-5 business days for a transfer to process, and until recently that made sense. Banks all operated on different systems, and moving money required several steps.

Today, however, that's not the the way it works. Case in point: ATMs. You can walk up to any ATM and immediately withdraw money, or check account balances in any bank. The computer in the ATM owned by Bank A can immediately connect to the servers of Bank B to find out if there's enough money in the account to allow a withdraw.