MapQuest iPhone app

MapQuest, the creator of its namesake mapping website, has debuted a version of the site designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch. Whereas Apple handheld users were previously directed towards the desktop pages, the site now presents pages formatted for the size of the iPhone, with special controls and larger buttons and fonts. All features of the regular site are recreated, including traffic, driving directions, local searches and gas price rundowns.

The site may be a necessary move on MapQuest's part, as the site has lost marketshare to Google's rival Maps site, which is the default mapping tool on the iPhone through its inclusion as a native application. Although both Maps and MapQuest must have Internet access to function, the native version of Maps is accelerated by not having to load interface items.

by MacNN Staff