Simplify Google Maps API with Google Maps jQuery Plugin (webappers.com)

  * ...you can use the original Google Maps JavaScript API to do what you need.
  * Not all portions of the original API were carried over into this plugin,
  * Less than 10KB of JavaScript.

So 10KB extra data on the page, I can't really see why this is better than just using the Google Maps Javascript API. The Google API doesn't seem that complex :/

The submitted URL doesn't give much information.

Originial URL: http://www.mayzes.org/googlemaps.jquery.html

Since I have some experience with Google Maps API, I have to say that the code examples found on the website does seem a little easier than the original Google API.

For example, if you want to draw a polyline on a Google Map:

jQuery Plugin:

    $(document).ready(function() {  
        $('selector').googleMaps({ 
            polyline: { 
                startLatitude:     37.4419, 
                endLatitude:    37.4519, 
                endLongitude:    -122.1519, 
                color:             '#ff0000', 
                pixels:         2 
            } 
        });  
    });

Google Maps API:

        var polyline = new GPolyline([
  		  new GLatLng(37.4419, -122.1419),
  		  new GLatLng(37.4519, -122.1519)
		], "#ff0000", 10);
		map.addOverlay(polyline);

This plugin is a good "wrapper" around the Google Maps API but as @axod points out it doesn't offer much convience over the GMap API.

I've created a plugin jMapping which allows a developer to map a set of point by extracting metadata from a list of HTML elements that describe the locations. It also allows you to customize those markers and the interaction between the map and the HTML elements:

Usage: http://vigetlabs.github.com/jmapping/usage.html Examples: http://vigetlabs.github.com/jmapping/examples/