Video: Google Adds Cell Tower Location Tracking To Google Maps

If you've ever found yourself in a strange new town, wandering the streets looking for an address to plug into Google Maps on your phone to find the nearest place to get calamari, you're in luck! Google has announced a new beta feature for Google Maps on mobile phones called "My Location" that will quickly determine your current location without having to type in an address or zip code.

The feature can either use your phone's built in GPS, or if your phone lacks GPS functionality (like the iPhone), Google Maps will now use a growing database of cellphone tower locations to triangulate your approximate location CSI style.

No word yet on when this feature will find its way into the iPhone's version of Google Maps, but for those with phones that can install third party applications, you can text "BLUEDOT" to 33669, or go to www.google.com/gmm on your mobile phone's browser to download the new beta that includes the new "My Location" feature.

For those of you worried about privacy concerns, Google also mentions that no personal information is attached to your location when querying Google Maps.

[via: MacRumors]