Now MapQuest offers a lot more than just driving directions, as we all know recently the Mapquest.com site launched walking and transit directions, transit directions where and are still only available for six major metropolitan areas while walking directions can be used in almost all the same places where driving directions are available.

Biking directions directions are now also available but they can only be used through open.mapquest.com, they have been added to all Open sites so that means that they are available worldwide, walking and transit directions have been included to all MapQuest Open sites too. Walking and biking directions have some cool features, bikers can choose routes with hills or without hills, pedestrians can choose between miles and kilometers as expressed in the official MQ blog latest blog post.

What I don’t like about OpenStreetMap data is that the accuracy of the information provided is not guaranteed, the user in order to access Open sites must accept all risks derived from the use of their service and that can lead to a lot of mistakes. On the other hand MapQuest has contributed to this project in a lot of ways including money and software development, they believe that user generated maps can lead to better maps with more information and improved routing capabilities.

I have tried to create a few biking routes in some open sites to test them out and the route planning software wasn’t able to create the route that I requested so I guess that there’s a lot of information still missing on Map Quest Open sites. I guess we will just have to wait to see what happens, things tend to get better over time so I hope that this is just a matter of time because I can’t wait to visit foreign countries where I can create accurate walking, biking, and driving routes using this service.

I have to admit that the web has a lot of great things to offer, I also recognize that there are some websites that do not provide anything to internet users except a waste of time, on the other hand we try to make our visitors moments on this site memorable that’s why we are always bringing you the best information and the coolest tips, I’m sure that with our help more than one person has saved more than one dollar and that makes us happy enough to keep moving on going forward trying to provide our users with information that will make a difference in their lives.

Today you are going to learn how to find cheap gas prices by zip code in your area, in fact it is not about learning because the process is actually very simple we are just going to inform where you can find the information and what you are going to get from those services, there are two sources that I can recommend that you can use and that you can trust if you need this type of information one is MapQuest a site that you already know that provides excellent driving directions and high quality maps, the other place that you can visit is Gasbuddy.com.

With Map Quest Gas Prices you will be able to browse fuel price and fuel type by state and by city including alternative fuels like BioDiesel and E85 Ethanol, in fact in some places like California they tell where to find electric charging stations for hybrid cars and 100% electric cars, they will aslo tell you the expiration date of the gas prices, Mapquest makes up to seven updates a day to provide the latest changes in the price of gas, prices older than 48 hours will show up in grey color, another cool and useful feature that Map Quest offers is the gas price calculator, look for the tab that says “Gas Calculator” next to where highest price is displayed click on it and input the necessary details to get the estimate cost of your whole trip in terms of fuel.

At GasBuddy.com you will also get a lot of great information that will help you save money on gas, I have used their service before and it is excellent, I don’t use it that much though because now I’m driving a hybrid car so I prefer to use the Mapquest’s tools. GasBuddy provides great information and it will help you find low local gas prices in a heartbeat, just go to the site and input you city, state, zip code, or address and you will be able to find information on Regular Gas, Midgrade, Premium, and Diesel. Gasbuddy.com has other cool tools that you can find very interesting and useful as well like the gas price heat map and the trip cost calculator, there are many more things that you will have access to by using this service but I think that you will have to become a member of the site to be able to use them all.

Google Maps vs. MapQuest is the all time classic matchup in the world of online mapping softwares, both of these sites have become well known for providing accurate turn by turn driving directions and high quality interactive maps, these are simple easy to use intuitive sites that meet all of today’s quality standards. Map Quest has been around for a very long time, the company has more than 40 years of experience and they have been online since 1996, Google Maps on the other hand is much younger but it has grown at a much faster pace and by now they have mapped out most of the world and they also provide excellent directions from and to almost any place.

I really don’t like to argue about which service is better, I have been using G Maps and Mapquest driving directions for quite some time now, and I still like to use them both, lately I have been using Google Maps more maybe because there wasn’t a Mapquest app for Android, maybe now things will change a bit with the latest Map Quest app released for Android. G Maps for Android is quite impressive and very hard to beat, I think that now not even Mapquest.com with all the great features that they offer including open street maps will be able to take over G maps, Google maps is offering offline routing and maps, compass mode, and 3d maps to most Android users.

By using G maps you will have access to many different type of views to explore the world, you can view earth satellite images around the world and overlay streets over these images, another very popular feature that Google offers is the street view feature which allows you to look at street level images taken from special vehicles in many cities around the world, using street view you can also move in any direction to simulate navigation which is perfect if you are driving to a place where you have never been before. Mapquest also provides the classic map view, satellite view, and their own version of the street view which is called 360 view.

Getting driving directions from Google or MapQuest is very easy and you have to take practically the same steps on both of them to get their accurate turn by turn directions, you simply type in your starting address, ending address, and that’s it. Both of them allow you to add multiple stops to your routes, Map Quest is currently allowing users to add up to 26 stops which is perfect if you are planning long road trips. With both of these services you can adjust your routes as much as you want to by simply dragging and dropping the route line to a different point. You can also avoid highways and tolls using both of them, I think Map Quest has more driving options than Google because you can also choose to avoid seasonal roads, country borders, timed restrictions, and you can optimize your route even more by choosing the shortest distance or shortest time.

With MapQuest and Google Maps you will be able to explore the world, you will be able to get directions, you will be able to find important or historical landmarks and you can even have a really close look at them no matter where you are, you can find businesses, hotels, bars, parking, and much more in any place. A very cool feature that I really like to use at Mapquest.com is the cheap gas finder, you can use this tool to find the lowest gas prices near your location and that’s great because gas prices are getting higher every single day.

With Mapquest and Google Maps you will be able to find much more than just maps and driving directions, recently Map Quest introduced walking and transit directions, Google had already been providing these type of directions for a while now, in fact Google also provides biking directions. No matter which one you use or what type of transportation method you are using both of these services will build the most efficient routes, routes that will help you save time and money. Using these services you will get to your destination quickly and safely, the route builder, traffic info, the cheap gas finder really make moving from one place to the other easy and convenient. Instead of trying to figure out if Mapquest is better than Google maps or vice versa just use them both, it does not cost a thing and both of them will provide many benefits.

Mapquest for mileage is not the only way to get detailed information on how much distance you have to travel between two points but it is probably one of the best and easiest ways to do it. As you know using Map Quest does not cost a thing and the service provided by this company is recognized as one of the best in its field, mapquest driving directions are very popular and accurate people all around the world have used them, mileage data is as accurate as it can get too and that’s why I always recommend this site to people that are looking for this type of information.

To use Mapquest for mileage simply visit mapquest.com and do the same thing you always do to get directions, simply click on the blue Get Directions link, enter your locations in A and B if you want you can add more stops to your route by clicking on Add Stop, then click the green Get Directions button once more and the route will be displayed as usual on the map. On the left column you will see information about the suggested route like travel time and mileage, followed by turn by turn driving directions. If you added several stops to your route the total distance of the trip will be displayed.

Following this same process you can do the same thing to get mileage information from Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Bing Maps, Rand McNally, Via Michelin, Mappy, and other popular online mapping services. If you just need mileage data simply create routes as if you were going to drive there and the mileage data will always appear displayed on the left column. This feature is also good for business websites, any person can provide mapquest mileage from their website by simply adding a map or a directions form so any person can find their business, visitors only have to enter their address to get directions and mileage info.

Use the Mapquest route planner to plan your next route, this tool will help you optimize your route, it will help you spend less time driving, and it will even help you save some money too. There are a few ways to use this accurate route planning software, you can go directly to mapquest.com click on the get directions link to enter your locations and get directions, or you can visit www.mapquest.com/routeplanner a webpage built by the Mapquest team that allows users to access the route planner in a faster, easier, and more efficient manner.

The Mapquest route planner has helped millions of people save millions of miles, in fact if you visit the webpage where the route planner is located you will be able to find out how many miles the route planner has already saved for its users. Using this route planning software you will never get lost, you will never find yourself driving in circles, and you will be able to find the fastest and easiest way to get to all your destinations. The route planner allows you to add up to 26 stops, it will also show you highway exits, and places to rest while your are driving, these type of features make the Map Quest route builder the perfect tool for long road trips.

When you use the Mapquest route planner you have three options to get driving directions the first one is line by line which is the classic way of doing it you simply enter your locations in A and B, you can add more stops by simply clicking on add another stop. The second way to build routes is by clicking on the copy & paste area tab all you have to do is enter one address per line, choose your options, and then click on get directions. The third way to do it is by using the import spreadsheet option, this time just click on “browse” to import addresses using a xls or csv file. In any of the three options you are only allowed to add 26 addresses because that’s the maximum permitted number of stops per route.

Before clicking on get directions no matter which option you have chosen to create a route you can always make your trip a round trip, you can optimize your route by choosing the shortest time, shortest distance, or you can allow Mapquest to re-order the stops on your route to create the most efficient route possible. You can also avoid highways, seasonal roads, country borders, timed restrictions, tolls, and ferries.  I hope you get to save a lot of time and a lot of money the same way I have using this great trip planning tool, don’t forget to bookmark the page where the route planner is located and if you want you can also bookmark this site to constantly access more great info.

India is one of the fastest growing internet markets in the world, Google Maps India has a fast pace development and it is already providing transit and driving directions in cities like Hyderabad, Delhi, and Bangalore. Emerging countries are constantly going through changes while developed countries are more likely to stay the same, constructions and changes in traffic rules are not being made that often so it’s easier to provide driving directions and map cities in a country like the U.S.

Google relies on user data to map major cities in 180 countries, India belongs to this group of countries. Google developers feel that if they take the time to prepare a map by the time it is ready it will already be outdated and that’s the reason why user data is right now so important for Google Maps India. It’s nice to know that there is a big active community of users in India that want their country and all of their cities to be mapped correctly soon, they are using satellite imagery to prepare the maps of roads and they are doing a very good job at it.

According to Vinay Goel the current head of products of Google India they are getting a very dense graph of information that they are using to map every city and to give accurate driving directions. Eventhough frequent changes due to new constructions and other factors are common in Indian cities Google maps users will not be that affected thanks to user data and frequent updates. A good example of what user data can do and how fast it can do it was the creation of the Map of the Pakistani City which was mapped by users in only 3 days.

To use Google Maps India visit maps.google.co.in. The Google map of India is an interactive searchable map that you can use to get directions, explore cities through many different map views, and access other type of data, I hope that you enjoy it and that you find it very useful.

Download the Mapquest for Android app right now and get free turn by turn voice guided navigation from your smartphone. Installing this app is fast and easy, just click on “install” on the left column at the top of the page located at the following url http://market.android.com/details?id=com.mapquest.android.ace, just copy and paste the url on your web browser, the process will take just a few minutes, after installing the app you will have access to all the great features that the Mapquest app for Android provides like accurate driving directions, voice search (speak your destination or just make searches), automatic re-routing, etc.

Finally Mapquest has made its entrance to the Android Market with an easy to use very intuitive high quality product, I have been using this app since day one and I’m very pleased with it, it’s really nice to have access to all the features that this service has to offer, if you are a Map Quest fan, an Android user, and you like to visit the site using your desktop computer every single day to build routes, get maps, and make searches to find places then you will absolutely love the Android app because now you won’t need to do all of the things I just mentioned through your desktop PC, you can get voice guided directions (driving and walking directions) and maps on the go no matter where you are.

Another great thing about this app is that you will have access to OpenStreetMap data, OSM can really improve the quality of the service, people are constantly making this live map better, and international users get to take advantage of the software as well.

I have been a MapQuest fan for a very long time, in fact I’m passionate about online mapping softwares in general, I must have access to all of them all the time or else I’ll go crazy. On the iPhone my two favorite apps were Google maps for mobile and Mapquest 4 Mobile, recently I started using Android, G Maps is the standard on Android smartphones and even though Google Maps has incredible features like offline mapping and re-routing capabilities, 3D compass mode for improved orientation, places with hotpot, turn by turn GPS navigation, etc, I really missed being able to access M4M, as an android user I could still use most of  Mapquest’s important features like maps and directions through my mobile web browser but it wasn’t nearly as cool as the app that I had installed on my iPhone.

Mapquest has just announced the release of a free Mapquest app for Android very similar to the M4M app available for the iPhone, this app provides its users with the same powerful technology that has made Map Quest a leader in mobile navigation. This app allows users to perform voice searches to get directions, live traffic updated every 5 minutes, simple searches through 1 click, voice guided turn by turn navigation, multiple stops, walking directions, and many more great features.

Maybe you already know that Mapquest joined OpenStreetMap (OSM) not that long ago, Open street map is like a free mapping movement made by the people for the people, it is a map that is constantly being improved every single day, some people describe it as a live map that is constantly being updated by people everywhere. OSM maps are user sourced maps that can provide incredible local perspective and detail, if there’s something missing somewhere or if you see a mistake that can be corrected then you can instantly report it to the community and they will make the necesarry adjustments as soon as possible, users can also access more complete international maps and services, in fact map quest has improved and expanded their worldwide coverage thanks to OpenStreetMap data.

I have to admit that Google maps mobile is very hard to beat, Google has a lot to offer they are constantly making all of their products better, they are always making updates and adding new features, I really like the way they integrate most of their services and products together through their mobile platform making it a very convenient, useful, and intuitive system. Even though G maps turn by turn navigation with street view can’t get any better it is really cool to know that now Android users can also access Mapquest 4 Mobile through their smartphones, some people prefer maps by Google others prefer Map Quest so now anyone can access their favorite web mapping service through their mobile phone without any problem.

Printing maps is no longer necessary to carry your Google Maps with you, all you need is a mobile phone or any other type of portable device that allows you to access the internet wherever you are, don’t worry though later I will explain to you how to access G-Maps offline as well just in case you can’t access the internet. If you already have a portable device with a data plan or if you are in some place where you can use WiFi then all you have to do to get maps, directions, and a lot more useful information is visit m.google.com/maps which is obviously the mobile version of their popular web based mapping service, you can either type that address on your web browser or you can just click on it if you are already using a mobile phone.

Google maps mobile has a lot to offer to its users, almost all the tools and features that are available in the desktop version of the program are available for mobile devices as well, of course depending on the brand and the model of your mobile you will have access to more or less features. For example Android users will have access to much more features than people using other operating systems, Android users will have access to a free turn by turn GPS navigation system, places with hotpot which is a cool feature that provides ratings and info on places near your location, compass mode (this feature is also available for iPhone), offline reliability, place pages (also available for blackberry), business listings (available for all operating systems including Nokia or S60 and Windows),  traffic, my location, latitude, voice search, traffic, street view, driving directions, transit directions, biking directions, walking directions, layers, satellite layers, terrain layers, my maps, starred items, buzz, etc.

It doesn’t matter which phone you are using just type m.google.com/maps on your mobile’s web browser and Google will automatically send you the right version of Google maps for your phone. I have to admit that maps for mobile has been one of the best things that have ever happened to me, this app has some really cool features that improve my traveling efficiency and that also improve my safety, for example I don’t have to be looking at the maps constantly to follow directions which can be dangerous, all I have to do is listen to the voice guided turn by turn directions provided by the free GPS navigation system, driving directions and walking directions are voice guided.

If you want to know which features are available for your phone visit www.google.com/mobile/maps/, there you will also find a very detailed explanation of how every single feature works and what is it good for and you will also find the download link for NOKIA S60 and Windows, of course you don’t need to download from there you can just type the address of the mobile site on your mobile’s web browser and you will be able to download the app from there too, the process is faster and easier by doing it directly at the mobile site and directly to your phone.

There are many providers of digital maps and driving directions but only a few of them can be considered as the best, Yahoo Maps is without any doubt one of the best. This online mapping software has lots of tools and features that make it one of the easiest and most useful sites to use, a great advantage of using this site is that traffic reports are probably the best they are provided in real time, Yahoo has a deal with TrafficCast that alerts its users of accidents, it helps them avoid congested areas by re creating routes at will using the route planner, and it even provides information on speed limits.

Most people know that Yahoo Maps is a great a place to get maps and directions, the routes are just as accurate and efficient as the routes provided by other popular web mapping services like MapQuest and Google Maps. To get directions go to http://maps.yahoo.com, on the left column next to the map enter your locations on the blank field below where it says “get map and directions”, then click on “go”, you can also search directly for businesses on the search field below the maps and directions feature. The routes and the locations will be displayed and highlighted on the map, the maps provided by Yahoo are very high quality so navigation will also improve by using this route planning software. The efficient routes provided by this service and the accurate traffic reports can really help users save time and money, as you know the price of gas is constantly going up and it will continue to go up as time goes by that’s why better routes are vital to our personal economy.

Yahoo Maps has also been working very hard on improving their mobile services, they have integrated correctly search, maps, and directions for mobile users.  You can perform local searches by categories like restaurants, parks, bars, hotels, important landmarks, etc. The great thing about Yahoo’s mobile app is that it has shortcuts to everything you can find restaurants, news, local events, and it has a very nice voice to search feature,  you can find anything that you are looking for using any mobile device, but I have to admit that the functionality of Yahoo’s mapping service is improved a lot by using an Iphone, Ipad, or Ipod touch because there are some exclusive apps for apple’s products like Sketch-A-Search a very innovative application that allows users to access locally aware information faster in a more entertaining, engaging, efficient, and fun manner. One of my favorite sketch a search features is the Dish Search, this features provides updated information on the Dishes being served at the restaurants that they have listed. Sketch A Search makes local search very easy all you have to do is draw a boundary on your phone’s map to find local businesses within that location.

When you build routes using the Yahoo Maps route planner you can click and drag the route line to create alternate routes automatically, the driving distance and the driving time will be displayed on the left column as well. If you constantly use a specific route or map then you have some options to access that information faster every time you need it, you can print, save, or send by email the maps, you can also send maps and directions to your cell phone with the “send to phone” feature, or you can save all your Y Maps info to the “Address Book”. When you save your information to the Address book you will be able to access your favorite Yahoo driving directions and street maps in just a few seconds this way you will save even more time when you are using this incredible web mapping service.

Don’t forget to visit YahooMaps.com to get high quality maps and accurate turn by turn directions, although most people prefer Google Maps I do believe that Yahoo Maps is offering some things that no other online mapping service is offering and that’s the beauty of it each service has its own interesting and useful features, most services are free well at least most of the services that are discussed on this website are free, so why not use them all instead of worrying about which one is the best, they are all good and they are all making positive contributions.