Mobile mapping service

Technology Giant Google has just announced a mobile mapping service that will allow people to share their location with friends.

Google Latitude users will be able to find friends on Google Maps mobile applications. Users can then send friends text messages and photos directly and update their own status.

Reading the official Google blog, Vic Gundotra of the Google mobile team, said, "Everything about Latitude is opt-in. You not only control exactly who gets to see your location, but you also decide the location that they see. For instance, let's say you are in Rome. Instead of having your approximate location detected and shared automatically, you can manually set your location for elsewhere - perhaps a visit to Niagara Falls,".

It's the first major social layer Google has applied to its mobile mapping service and is currently available in 27 countries.