Google Maps for Internet Explorer & Windows

Its scope may be narrow, but this simple freeware program offers a host of shortcuts for accessing Google maps. It will take you longer to say its lengthy name, Google Maps for Internet Explorer & Windows, than it will for you to use the software to open the Google Maps home page. Desktop and Quick Launch shortcuts are optional when you install, but these and the links in the program's Start menu folder are all just links that open the Google Maps Web site. You'll also find a tiny icon on your IE Explorer toolbar that takes you there. The most impressive of the shortcuts, however, appears on the context menu when you highlight an address in Internet Explorer. You'll see a Google Map option that will take you directly to the location's map. There's no dedicated interface for the program, no user settings, and no help file, but the program is totally self-explanatory. Though the publishers aren't affiliated with Google, they've developed a nice package of shortcuts for those users who frequently use the popular site.