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Google Maps to be restored to IE on Windows Phone 8


Users of Windows Phone 8, rejoice: Google Maps may soon run again on your version of Internet Explorer.
 
Google will soon remove its redirect for Windows Phone users who attempt to access Google Maps, tech site The Next Web reported Sunday (Manila time).
 
"Recent improvements to IE mobile and Google Maps now deliver a better experience and we are currently working to remove the redirect. We will continue to test Google Maps compatibility with other mobile browsers to ensure the best possible experience for users," it quoted Google as saying.
 
Earlier, Google cited performance issues in denying IE for Windows Phone 8 access to Google Maps.
 
But now, it said Windows Phone 8′s new IE version is "satisfactory in its handling of the web app."
 
The Next Web also noted Google had limited access to Maps not only on IE for Windows Phone, but also on other platforms where performance has lagged, such as Opera on iPad.
 
It quoted Google as saying that in its previous test, IE mobile "still did not offer a good maps experience with no ability to pan or zoom and perform basic map functionality."
 
"As a result, we chose to continue to redirect IE mobile users to Google.com where they could at least make local searches. The Firefox mobile browser did offer a somewhat better user experience and that’s why there is no redirect for those users," it added.
 
The Next Web noted Google's claim that its product decision to limit access to its Maps product on Windows Phone "was just that: a product decision, and not a move intended to limit access to its services for Microsoft’s mobile customers for purely competitive reasons."
 
Optimized maps
 
In an earlier post, The Next Web quoted Google as saying the mobile web version of Google Maps is optimized for WebKit browsers such as Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari.
 
"The mobile web version of Google Maps is optimized for WebKit browsers such as Chrome and Safari. However, since Internet Explorer is not a WebKit browser, Windows Phone devices are not able to access Google Maps for the mobile web,"Google said earlier.
 
But an article on Gizmodo said Microsoft has countered with the argument that IE uses the same rendering engine as IE in Windows 8, the desktop version of Windows.
 
"Internet Explorer in Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 use the same rendering engine," Gizmodo quoted a Microsoft spokesperson as saying.
 
The Next Web also noted Google "does not offer native applications for the Windows Phone platform."
 
It added there has been no recent change leading to maps.google.com not functioning on Windows Phone 8 devices.
 
"What this means in practice is that if you want Google Maps on your Windows Phone, you are out of luck. Google does not appear in a rush to support Windows Phone through applications, or through the Web," it said.
 
Because of this, it said Windows Phone users may be stuck with Bing Maps, at least for now.
 
Yet, it said Bing Maps is "competent," and has held up under its testing in various markets in the United States.
 
Google vs Microsoft?
 
Initially, the redirect triggered speculations of "sour relations" between Google and Microsoft.
 
The Next Web noted Microsoft "recently rallied behind a federal probe of Google’s search ranking practices, accused Googleof borking YouTube on Windows Phone, and publicly bemoaned the FTC’s final decision to let Google off the hook with little more than a wrist slap."
 
"There is little love missing atwixt the two," it added. — TJD, GMA News