The next big platform for app development is likely going to be mobile devices. Unlimited data plans, GPS functionality, and reasonably-good processing power make such devices a ripe target for commercial and open-source goodies.Google and Microsoft have both recently released search+map applications for the Windows Mobile platform. Microsoft has introduced Live Search Mobile and Google is offering Google Maps Mobile. (GMM is also available for Palm and Blackberry.)

I own a HTC Apache PocketPC and a Pharos iGPS locator, so I decided to take both apps out for test drive. I tested them on both my phone and the Microsoft Device Emulator for Windows Mobile. While each application offered similar functionality and a couple of unique features, there was one aspect in particular that made one of them the clear winner.

Here are the results:

Platform Overview

The phone I used is a standard PocketPC with a touchscreen, stylus, and slide-out keyboard. It runs Windows Mobile 5, a miniature version of Windows with mini versions of Office applications and Internet Explorer. It is wifi- and bluetooth capable as well. (Taking pictures of the screen in action wasn’t practical, so screenshots in this review were done with the Device Emulator.)

Download and Installation

A quick download from ls.windowsmobile.com gets you the CAB installer for Live Search (LS). The installer is 418KB, and installs with a single prompt for location. Once running, you must accept a EULA and wait several seconds for the app to load. This seems to be a first-time hit, because subsequent runs don’t take nearly as long.

Google Maps Mobile can be had at google.com/gmm, with the CAB installer downloading at 376KB. The install also takes a single prompt, with a EULA for the first run. You also must click through a text splash every time you launch GMM, which admonishes you to not use it while driving. Ahem.

Google gets kudos for a smaller URL (the less typing to get a mobile app the better) and points for a smaller download (size still matters on limited-memory devices), but the ‘Don’t Drive While Mapping’ nag every time gets old.

Map Interface and Usability

The mapping functionality of both applications are similar at first blush, but after a little use the differences become more obvious.

Both apps allow you to drag-move the maps if you have a touchscreen device. LS uses the center pad button to zoom, while GMM gives you on-screen zoom controls on the lower left. (Click the thumbnail on the right to see a side-by-side comparison of the two map views.)

Each app has a Road View to see the street layout of an area. These are functionally equivalent, but I found the Google version to be easier in bright sunlight, because the colors have more contrast.

If you’re in an area where traffic data is available, you can get traffic overlays for both applications. This colors major roadways with red, yellow, or green according to traffic speeds. Updates are pulled by both applications on a regular basis, about 2 minutes.

From here, the usability of the applications begins to diverge.

Microsoft’s Arial View provides a photograph view with overlaid street names. I have always found this perspective to be a compelling one, but the street names are essential to keep your bearings. Google’s Satellite View is photographic as well, but the street names are glaringly absent, making the view useless for most uses. Normal Google Maps have a hybrid view, so the omission in GMM is as puzzling as it is annoying.

When you have used search functionality to put a marker on the map, I like the way that Live Search displays business telephone numbers right there. GMM makes you click the marker to see the phone number. One other nice thing that only LS offers is the ability to name a given location (like ‘work’ or ‘home’) for easy reference later. Granted, you shouldn’t use these applications while driving, but if you’re trying to find something while at a red light, the fewer clicks the better.

Both applications are both GPS aware, allowing you to center a map at your current location. GMM puts a small blue ball on the map to represent your location, whereas LS has a directional triangle to show location and orientation. The triangle is easier to see, and the orientation aspect is really nice. Unfortunately, I experienced a number of hiccups with LS when it came to location updates, so it was ultimately much less reliable than the GMM functionality.

On the flip side, LS takes little advantage of the touchscreen capabilities of the PocketPC. While GMM lets you click-and-hold anywhere to bring up a context menu for handy commands, Live Search makes you go through the bottom menu bar for nearly everything. This essentially forces you to use the stylus or use the directional pad as a stand-in for arrow keys.

One last factor in the area of usability: GMM offers a number of keyboard shortcuts (see the help file for details) to perform common tasks. LS offers neither a help file nor any shortcuts that I could find.

Search Capabilities

Both Live Search and Google Mobile Maps let you search (screenshot) for things near your location. This lets you quickly find the closest hotel, restaurant, museum, or whatever interests you.

Live Search lets you search by either drilling down through business categories or using free text, whereas GMM only offers a free text search. I didn’t think I’d care much about LS’s category feature, but I found it really nice when looking for restaurant ideas.

Once you’ve found something, both Google Maps Mobile and Live Search give you options to save it to your contacts (address book), see it on a map, get directions to it, send the info to someone via SMS, or just call the phone number outright. LS lets you tap a phone number to call it, while GMM makes you use the options menu.

Routing (Getting Directions)

You can use either app to ask for directions to a location, but the way this is handled is perhaps the biggest divergence between the two.

Live Search gives you a series of text directions, each of which can be clicked to see it on the map. The route is overlaid on your map, with each waypoint marked as a tiny circle. The circles are click-able, but you’ll need a stylus and a steady hand to actually hit them.

Google Maps Mobile shows the directions on the map with a callout for each step. You are given forward and back buttons on-screen that take you through the waypoints. Each waypoint is a large diamond, making them really easy to spot or select.

Here are screenshots (1, 2) of the two apps side by side.

After using both of the approaches, I found myself wishing that each app had some of the functionality of the other. I like the list of directions when I’m in a familiar area. (”Turn left on Academy for 2 miles, Turn right on Platte for 1 mile”) But the turn-by-turn laid on the map is also really handy when you don’t have a good mental picture of the intersections. This distinction alone is enough to make me choose one app over the other, based on the use case for needing directions.

GMM routing has a killer feature that bears mention. As stated earlier, it is much better at utilization of the touchscreen than LS. Accordingly, you can tap anywhere on a map in GMM and mark a starting point and end point It will then calculate and display the best route. This is simply perfect when you don’t have the time to key in an exact address.

Performance Considerations

A video is worth a thousand pictures, so I did a quick video demo of each app going through the paces. The goal of the demo was to start at Invesco Field in Denver (formerly Mile High Statdium) and find a nearby famously-named night club. (Disclaimer: I’ve never been to either.) The videos were originally intended to show you how each works, but they also illustrated just how much slower Live Search was when performing the same tasks.

If you can’t see the video above, click here for a video demo of Google Maps Mobile

If you can’t see the video above, click here for a video demo of Microsoft Live Search Mobile

If you’ll grant a fudge factor for missed clicks or hesitations on my part, you’ll see that GMM is still considerably faster than LS to accomplish the same basic task flow. The entire sequence took about 2 minutes with Google Mobile Maps, but it took 3 minutes to finish with Live Search. Since the average red light cycle is 2 minutes in U.S. cities, that extra minute feels like a lifetime. Because we wouldn’t use these while driving. Ahem.

The Votes are In

Okay, technically only one vote is in: mine. Here’s a recap of the comparison:

• Both apps had an easy install, although Google’s was slightly smaller.
• Highlights of Live Search are the arial view, categorical searching, GPS orientation on maps, and name-able locations.
• Google Maps Mobile strengths are touchscreen integration, on-map routing, and more reliable GPS integration.
• Live Search performance is noticably slower, in everything from zoom animation to map dragging.

The verdict: If you don’t absolutely need the satellite view or categorical searching, Google Maps Mobile is the clear winner by a long shot. A better GUI and faster application performance prove to be indispensible when you’re in a hurry (or have a limited data plan.)

My hope is that the next version of each app takes careful notes from their competition. GMM needs street overlays on the satellite map, GPS orientation, and a list view of routing directions. LS needs more on-screen controls, better on-map routing, and it needs to hurry the heck up.

If you have any observations or rants about these two apps, drop a comment below. I’d love to hear about your experience.