So I decided to go to Columbia this past weekend. I hadn't seen Ray, Jess, and Grant in ages, and I had finally settled on buying a BMX bike to race this year (more about that later). I've lived in South Carolina, in Myrtle Beach particularly, for about 20 years or so, and in that time I've probably been to Columbia about 3 times. You see, I'm not much of a City dweller, and Columbia never had much to offer beyond the usual city accoutrements. More/Bigger Comic Book stores, a wider selection of Bicycle shops, etc. Obviously I have NO idea where anything is, nor even the remotest idea of how to get there.
But I have a Google Android Phone, and Google has this thing, perhaps you've heard of it? "Google Maps"? Good, you're familiar...
I'm driving up to meet Ray. He lives near the comic shop, and I figure I'll drive up to his place then we'll drive around, fuck off, and meet Jessica for lunch. Again, I have no idea where he lives, or even how to get there. I'm pretty good from here to Dillon, heading to Charlotte. All my family lives in Charlotte and I go there all the time, so getting up to Dillon's pretty straightforward, heading over to I-20, then into Columbia...no problem, but as soon as I get close to Columbia I'm completely fucked because I don't have a clue.
But again, I have a G1.
So I decide to let Ray help me a bit, and that's what led to what I thought was just the coolest, most seamless, transparent, useful and completely straightforward thing I've ever done with a phone:
1. Ray goes to Google Maps. He selects my address (from his address book, naturally) as the starting point, and his address (default, of course) as the destination.
2. Google Maps the route. He likes this route. He clicks the email link and emails it to me.
3. He emails it to my Gmail account. This is the default email account for my G1.
4. *ding* My phone chimes, alerting me to a new email.
5. Clicking on Ray's email brings up Gmail on my phone, and I see the directions. There's also a link if I want to see the map. Of course I do, so I just touch the screen to view the map.
6. My phone, hyper intelligent being from another planet that it is, realizes the link I clicked on was a google map link. It asks me very simply, by means of a popup selection, "Do you want to open this link in a browser? Or would you like me to open the Google Map application that came with your Google phone?" Naturally I touch "map, baby".
7. Google Maps launch on my phone. Then it draws Ray's directions on my map, starting with my place, and ending on Ray's front porch (I know it's Ray's front porch because I can click street view to see where I need to park when I roll up on his place).
8. Then, looking at the route, I think to myself, "I wonder where I am on this thing?"
9. Then it dawns on me. I have a google phone. It has a built in GPS. What if...
10. I hit "Menu" and am completely NOT stunned to see "my location", which of course I select. GPS powers up, and about 45 seconds later, I'm dropped right on the map in realtime, letting me know precisely when I passed the exit to Ray's place, and where the next exit will be for me to turn around and get back on my route.
All of this happened effortlessly. I did nothing weird. Nothing hyper technological. No special software or hardware beyond just my phone and the email app that came with it, and the google map application that was preloaded on the phone. In fact, you could say with all confidence, "Even my mom could've done this", which as every technophile knows, is the ultimate test.
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