Amazon Maps?

07-06-2012 • http://www.technologyreview.com, David Zax

You thought your worldview was secure, with your addiction to Google Maps. Then you were willing to reconsider, when you heard about how awesome Apple Maps would be. But now you may have to prepare for an outright cartographic battle royale, with Amazon now stepping into the fray.

GigaOm reports that Amazon closed a deal to acquire the New York-based 3D mapping startup UpNext. Since the Kindle Fire doesn’t have a dedicated, native mapping app, the acquisition might point to an era of a beefed-up Kindle Fire, or even that Kindle smart phone there’s been speculation about. The UpNext team will reportedly move to Seattle to lead Amazon’s expedition into the world of mapping.

UpNext offers cool, dynamic ways of interacting with 3-D maps of 50 U.S. cities (with 23 of those cities covered with additional details). You can zoom in, spin, tap onto specific buildings, and more. This video gives an impression.