Rambler Maps – Flash?
I have to admit that up until today I haven’t spent much time on Rambler.maps. Somehow I never thought of Rambler as a mapping provider even though they are one of Russia’s biggest media portals and search providers. Either I was wrong in my perception of Rambler, or the company has recently changed its strategy and significantly built up the geo offering.
From first glance the map appears to be feature-complete with local search, traffic information, routing and all other standard map goodies. The full description of Rambler maps calls for a separate post, but for now I want to point out that the user experience and UI are nicely done.
The application feels and works just like any other mapping provider, but there is one big difference – Rambler Maps are implemented in Flash!? Although Flash is a powerful technology (which I am a fan of) it has several large draw-backs: accessibility from mobile devices and its proprietary nature. Also, in geo-applications, Flash is often employed for specific visualization tasks but not as a primary technology across the board… Not to say that the choice of technology is bad, but it is certainly unorthodox. I am curious to talk to someone from Rambler about their technology choice and experience of using Flash on a large scale.
Stay tuned for more updates on Rambler.