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"Navigating the outdoor world has been made extra easy over the years thanks to GPS and services such as Google Maps, but finding your way throughout malls, buildings and airports hasn\u2019t been optimal until now.\nGoogle introduced on Tuesday a feature included in its new Google Maps 6.0 for Android update that broadens its maps coverage beyond cities and countries to cover some heavily-trafficked indoor spaces. \n\u201CWhen you\u2019re inside an airport, shopping mall or retail store, a common way to figure out where you are is to look for a freestanding map directory or ask an employee for help,\u201D Google said via its Lat Log Blog. \u201CWith the release of Google Maps 6.0 for Android, that directory is brought to the palm of your hands, helping you determine where you are, what floor you're on and where to go indoors.\u201D\nAndroid smartphone and tablet users can view detailed floor plans on their devices when they zoom in on a building where indoor map data is available. The familiar \u201Cblue dot\u201D icon indicates a user\u2019s location, and it automatically updates when they switch floors. \nThe company said it has already partnered with various retailers and transit centers, including the Mall of America in Minneapolis, IKEA, The Home Depot, various Macy\u2019s and Bloomingdale\u2019s locations, Chicago O\u2019Hare airport, San Francisco International Airport and Narita International airport in Tokyo.\nWith Google Maps 6.0 for Android, users also can now use a toolbar to quickly navigate through features, from viewing their location on a map and finding GPS directions to discovering which restaurants and stores are nearby. In addition, a new home screen has also been added for its Places feature which highlights popular searches for current locations.\nThe latest mobile software update is available for download from the Android Market for Android OS 2.1+ devices.\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/11/29/google-maps-indoors/>