The new Google Map version 2.0 for mobiles uses cell towers to find out your location. It calculates the receiver frequency and the distance between the cell towers to trace your location. Google would have resorted to this as the total percentage of phones sold with GPS installed was just 15% and mobile users who have GPS enabled would be less than 5%.
Google Maps for mobile phones were first launched in the United States in November 2005. Google Maps enables mobile users to find local businesses, view interactive maps and satellite imagery, get point-to-point driving directions, and view live traffic updates, all while on the go. This application for mobiles is now available on various mobile devices and are also compatible for a wide variety of platforms.
Google Maps runs on most of the J2ME-enabled devices and are compatible with all models of color BlackBery PDAs. Google Maps are also compatible with Windows Mobile devices with Windows Mobile 2003, 5.0, and above; Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition devices; and Palm devices with Palm OS 5 and above. Google claims that Google Maps for mobile are being actively used by millions of people in more than 20 different countries around the globe.