WebProNews

Google's My Location offering is a great idea that hinges on the company's ability to accurately detect users' positions.  As such, Google's seen fit to tinker with the way in which approximate locations are represented.

Think all blue circles are created equal?  Superimpose one over part of New York, slap another of equal size onto a map of Iowa, and you'll see a huge difference in how many buildings (and floors within buildings) are encompassed.  My Location's one-size-fits-all system was not ideal.

Now, as Zhengrong Ji explains on the Google Mobile Blog, "[T]he next time you're using Google Maps in downtown Manhattan, expect to see a much smaller circle that's also far more accurate.  Conversely, when you're in a lightly populated area like rural Iowa, expect to see a much larger circle which also happens to be centered closer to your true location."

Urban users are more likely to welcome this change than folks who now face big circles, but everyone can thank an analysis of the density of cell towers for the upgrade.  And the upgrade is, after all, based on the idea of offering greater precision.

More info about My Location can be found in Chris Crum's article on its recent expansion into the world of mobile search.