Marcus Hamaker is The Sleepy Geek

Google has released a new feature today for their Maps app which will allow you to search for multiple locations along your route. This is something that my TomTom GPS has been able to do in the car for quite some time so I think it’s a really good addition to Google Maps.

Their post about the feature is quite simple and has very little detail except to explain a couple of scenarios that would apply. Don’t miss out on it due to the lack of a features list because even though this is a simple feature, it’s a really useful one (I love that combo!).

From their post:

Suppose you would like to drive the famous Road to Hana while you are on vacation on Maui. You search for directions to Hana from where you are staying in Wailea. Since it’s a long drive, you also search for gas stations, so you know where you can fuel up on the way, and supermarkets, so you can pick up snacks for the trip. After the second search, you’ll notice a blue bar at the bottom of the left panel. Click on it to expand the widget, which allows you to turn on both searches as well as your route to Hana. The markers are color-coded, so you can tell which search is which.

If you don’t have a GPS and you rely on Maps for a trip then this is something you should look at using. Map gas stations at the very least. It doesn’t take much time but can save you for fuel or even a pee break!

Geek on!

I didn’t do much that was geeky this weekend. I spent it taking a trip to Toronto to visit some family, which was nice. However I did use my GPS a lot over the 2 days.

I know how to get to my wife’s uncle and aunt’s house without the GPS but it offers so much more than just turn by turn directions. If you don’t know where you are going that can be the most important feature but it’s also very nice for giving you the exact speed at which you’re rolling, a pretty good estimated time of arrival and when you need to find a point of interest there is no better tool.

I have known for a while that my speedometer is not quite 100% accurate so I use the TomTom to set my cruise control almost every time on a long trip. It’s a nice way of knowing what your speeding ticket will cost. *GASP* Also while traveling with the kids it is handy to have a way to find a washroom fast. There is always that looming “I have to pee” waiting to come from the back seat :)

We also took a trip to my wife’s cousin’s place to which we have never been before. This was once of the first times I have ever blindly taken an address, entered it in the GPS and followed the instructions. It worked great. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to arrive at our destination which was what we were told it would take. When leaving there we were heading home back in Montreal so we put that in and it gave us a route around Toronto which was nice because we avoided the city traffic.

At this point most of the GPS units out there are about the same in quality. TomTom and Garmin are really popular names, it’s up to you to decide if it has the features you want. If it does, BUY ONE!

Happy driving…