MapQuest: Lost? Check your phone

MapQuest announced on Wednesday a new feature designed to let subscribers send color maps to their mobile phones.

The feature, part of the company's MapQuest Mobile service, also lets users send driving instructions, said the company, which is a subsidiary of America Online. Subscribers use the MapQuest Web site to find the maps and directions they want, then send them to their handsets. The feature is called Send to Phone.

MapQuest Mobile, which is priced at $3.99 per month from most wireless carriers, already lets users request and access maps and directions directly from their phones. MapQuest said its service is available on a number of compatible cell phones from major wireless carriers in the United States.

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"With Send to Phone, users can request maps and directions from home or work and have the comfort of knowing that when they turn to their cell phones for information, the specific maps and directions that they have created will be ready and waiting for them," Tommy McGloin, general manager of MapQuest, said in a statement.

The Send to Phone application has been developed jointly with mobile publisher Vindigo, MapQuest said.

In related news, Yahoo recently introduced a traffic-mapping service that lets users view live local U.S. traffic conditions, but the company has not revealed whether the service will be offered on mobile devices. In general, wireless carriers have been trying to boost data services to shore up stagnating voice revenues.

Cool but kinda pricy, dontchathink?

Unless lost = clueless, why would anyone ever pay $3.99 a month for Mapquest Mobile when they can just email the directions to their mobile (or other) email address and then simply access the info from their cell phone?