Google expanding mobile offerings

In a move sure to steal a few folks away from their carriers' WAP home pages, Google has added a system for customizing users' mobile screens independently of their desktop counterparts -- a good move, especially for those 99.9% of us without VGA screens on our phones. Separately, they've also announced a new version of their Java-based Google Maps Mobile app that adds support for live traffic and saving favorite locations. We've tried the new release, and yeah, it's gorgeous -- Moto bundling or not, Yahoo's got some catch-up to play.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 1:53PM]

Where's the Treo support?? This is exactly the kind of app many of us Treo owners would love to have. We have J2ME capabilities on our phones, so why no Google Love?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 2:53PM]

Palm sucks...Didn't you hear?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 3:03PM]

Yeah, who gives a crap about palm, WM5 is where its at... you can do anything on it. Cant wait to get my new TyTN

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 4:29PM]

no I must have missed the palm sucks memo. can you find me a link to it Danforth?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 4:50PM]

Danforth> You might want to take a look at this:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,126492,00.asp

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 5:36PM]

okay, palm doesn't suck, it's just so outdated it's useless. if you've never picked up an electronic device in your life, palm os is a good learning tool. that's about it. that or if you want to teach a five year old to work a pda.
and since when does palm os have anything to do with google for mobiles?

google has already whipped yahoo in every area of mobile convinece; i can check my gmail, run a search by http, pic, local, or wap, and now find directions to wherever i want to go, all without paying some stupid monthly fee. and unless yahoo has some revolutionary new service to offer mobile customers, i doubt they even have a chance.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 6:23PM]

Instructions for Treo support:

1) Open Pocket IE on your WM5 Treo
2) Go to http://www.map4pda.com
3) Download program

Instant treo support!

Oh, and the program also has Yahoo! Maps and Windows Virtual Earth maps, as well.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 10:21PM]

Downloaded it and works good on the Z520A. I could never get GMaps to work on my Blackberry for some reason.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2006 10:44PM]

mobile tracker reported about it. but where did they get a live traffic for it?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2006 4:10PM]

My phone (Sony Ericsson K790i) is apprently to new to be supported, but the general version works flawlessly nonethelesss.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 29th 2006 7:36PM]

Can someone point me in the direction of Google mobile's customizable portal.. "Google has added a system for customizing users' mobile screens independently of their desktop counterparts". I could not find this in Personalized Home, where I thought it would be.