Recently, Windows Phone 8 users began to experience something really strange, they couldn't access Google Maps from within the Internet Explorer 10 mobile browser.

Google's response was that the site is optimized for Webkit web browsers, which means Internet Explorer is not capable of rendering the page.

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"The mobile web version of Google Maps is optimized for WebKit browsers such as Chrome and Safari. However, since Internet Explorer is not a WebKit browser, Windows Phone devices are not able to access Google Maps for the mobile web," read a Google statement.

A blogger name Tom Verhoeff didn't believe what Google had to say about the matter, and chose to challenge those claims by replacing the Windows Phone user agent string with Android with the help of Fiddler. What happened afterwards may or may not surprise you.

As you can tell from the video above, Internet Explorer 10 mobile in Windows Phone 8 renders Google Maps for mobile perfectly. Everything from drag, scrolling, and pinch to zoom. So, what is Google's explanation now? It is clear from the video that the company deliberately denied access to Google Maps for mobile via Windows Phone 8, but this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Unlike the Apple iPhone 5, that is experiencing problems with Apple Maps, Windows Phone does not have such a problem. With great mapping applications like Bing and Nokia Maps, Windows Phone 8 users are well set and do not require the mapping services of Google. So, if you have been using Google Maps for a long time, it is not too difficult to make the switch.

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