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Google have released their latest version of Google Maps for Mobile devices. On the right is a screenshot I’ve just taken on an HTC Touch to track my phone’s current location within the Google Maps software.

Not quite the accuracy that is required of phone’s in the US for their E911 system, my phone can only identify which is the current cell tower it’s connected to. If I switched to satellite view and zoomed right in, I’d be able to see all the way down to the big mast sticking up into the air.

This is pretty much exactly what I’ve been trying to achieve with my own attempts at cell location lately. My method doesn’t link directly into maps, but it does keep a history of where I’ve been, by relaying the information to my website and also updates Jaiku with my location as I go.

I’ll certainly be using this in the future, as there are a few times when I’ve found myself wanting to quickly load up a map without worrying about entering details. Google have made this ridiculously easy. On my phone I didn’t even have to press any buttons or do anything. As soon as the software was installed, it took my straight to my current cell tower, as in the screenshot.

I’m very impressed. When do we get an API?

UPDATE: I jumped the gun on the screenshot. A couple of minutes later, my phone decided to connect to a different nearby cell tower. At this point, the software probably looks at the previous tower, the two signal strengths, and looks up both locations to mark me as being half way between the two. If it does real triangulation based on multiple current towers then I’m jealous.

Google today upgraded its mobile Maps program with a feature dubbed My Location, a feature that helps pinpoint the whereabouts of a cellphone without demanding a potentially expensive GPS receiver. Similar to assisted GPS, the utility calculates the rough position of the user based on their distance from cellular towers. The feature is usually accurate to within several meters and can even supplement devices which already have GPS, providing a location fix when buildings block satellite reception or consuming less power when a precise fix is less necessary.

My Location is currently in an open beta and does not work with all devices, though most any BlackBerry, Symbian Series 60, or Windows Mobile smartphone can upgrade to the test version of Google Maps. Some Motorola and Sony-Ericsson phones that support mobile Java apps also work, Google says.

Notably, the feature opens the possibility of location-finding on the iPhone, which has lacked both true GPS and assisted GPS to date. The touchscreen phone’s version of Maps was co-developed by Apple and Google and so shares code from both companies.