TOMHTML's posted over on Ionut's Google Operating System blog that Google Maps now offers a "Saved Locations" option:

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2006/08/google-maps-saved-locations.html

You need to be signed in to your Google Account. The service "code name" is "local" which my scripts didn't pick up on either the live or sandbox servers, so they've kepy it well hidden! ;-)

Can anyone confirm whether this is switched on by default? I clicked the "Saved Locations" link before doing a search, so I'm not sure whether that activated the feature for me.

I clicked after doing a search and it had two searches I had done this morning. I didn't want it to be cluttered, so I added the locations I wanted and then disabled the "automatically add places" checkbox.

It didn't have searches I did yesterday, so could it have just gotten rolled out?

Its there I can see it...

Great new feature. I wish it would let you adjust the co-ordinates or scale in the saved locations though.

By the way, this feature first appeared on Maps for Mobile over a week ago:

http://blogoscoped.com/forum/46837.html

I find it annoying how you can't choose locations from searches you do. It has to be a direct location.

Tony: I can confirm it's on by default.

What I find interesting is the fact that the location you save are labeled. This leads me to again believe that Google is going to roll out some feature (through Co-op possiblly) where you can share your labels with others in a social networking type of fashion.

NateDawg, or it could even tie into other Google services. I.e. Your saved location "Home" in maps can now be quickly selected by name as your billing address in Google Checkout.

Niraj is right, this feature was already available on Google Maps Mobile.
But there is a big difference : on Google Maps Mobile you can see your favourites as "stars". I don't find that on Google Maps for computers... :-(

Niraj >> True, but because checkout is monetary service I can see them keeping it seperate so that there's no problem with billing and to it keep more secure.

An integration that could be useful is with Google Calendar...

When using a shared calendar and I enter a destination for an event – i.e. "our house" – it would be useful if Google could recognise that location, thus enabling people to get directions to "our house" without me having to type in our full address and then check that Google is pointing to the right place (which it doesn't always do in the UK because it's fussy about area names).

Nice feature, but in stead they'd better make the maps truly international. I can find my city on it, but although the streets are shown on the map, it is totally impossible to even find the most major streets in my town... :((

The official Google Blog now has some info:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

Tony

> Tony: I can confirm it's on by default.

Yup. Here too.

This is a great new feature. I've always needed something like this.