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Indoor Maps

It occurred to me last week that I haven't written about what I'm working on these days. It was secret for so long that I forgot that when we launched in November that it wasn't, you know, a secret anymore.

So: Google indoor maps and location. That's what I work on now. The basic idea is that you can see super-detailed maps of certain places, like major airports, big malls, museums, and stores, on your Android.

We've only just begun to map the world, so coverage isn't so great yet. But we're adding more places all the time! The easiest place to see maps is probably a Home Depot or an Ikea--- we've basically mapped every single one in the U.S. Our grand hope is that, eventually, you'll have these maps everywhere.

Way more crazy than the maps is that we show you your location as well, often to within just a meter or two. Next time you're in SFO or SJC or Atlanta International or the Smithsonian, pull your phone and look at the blue dot. It's pretty spot-on, even without GPS.

How do we do it? Magic.

Personally, I'm really enjoying working on Google Maps. The Geo team at Google has some amazing people, and I'm very proud to be part of them. And the Maps For Android team is especially gifted--- they move fast and they make a fantastic product. It's basically the best thing on Android, and probably my second favorite product across all of Google, after Search itself.

(Right now our stuff only works on Android, which is entirely Apple's fault. If you wish location worked better on your iPhone, call Apple and tell them not to be so evil.)

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