We all know Google is entering the mobile market with its new Android operating system. The search giant's extended foray into the cell phone world doesn't stop there though. Google announced yesterday it was rolling out a location-based mapping system for mobile phones and smartphones.

Rather than relying only on global positioning system (GPS) satellites through the integration of GPS chips in mobile handsets to provide data about a user's location, Google's new My Location service will also work through cell phone tower triangulation to determine where you are on a map when GPS isn’t present.

The reason: Although global positioning is becoming increasingly common in cell phones and smartphones, the chips that enable the technology to work effectively are still far from ubiquitous. That way the maximum number of people can make use of My Location.

Currently in test mode, the free Google Maps for Mobile with My Location service lets users know where they are on a map with the press of the number 0. With Google Maps users usually have to enter their address into the application manually.

The use of cell phone tower triangulation in place of GPS satellites is nothing new.

In addition to Google's My Location, the government’s mandatory e911 service relies on cellular towers as well, for example.

Then there's also Navizon's Mexen application, which the company calls a Virtual GPS or peer-to-peer wireless positioning system. Navison triangulates signals from Wi-Fi access points and cellular towers to identify a user’s location information.

To learn more on about this service, see this article on internetnews.com.