It seems that getting lost isn't as easy as it used to be. MapQuest, the Pennsylvania-based location services company, announced Send to Phone to take the edge off of asking for directions.

For $3.99 a month, the new feature allows MapQuest Mobile subscribers to send color maps and driving directions from MapQuest.com directly to their mobile handsets. MapQuest Mobile is available on an increasing number of compatible cell phones from almost every major U.S. wireless carrier, according to the company.

The service, jointly developed with New York-based mobile publisher Vindigo, requires subscribers to visit MapQuest.com to retrieve maps or directions. Subscribers then click on the Send to Phone link and input their cell phone numbers to transfer the messages.

"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, senior vice president and general manager of MapQuest, said in a statement.

The latest offering expands on existing MapQuest technology, which enables users to request and access maps and directions directly from their cell phones.

McGloin said the technology gives users the power and convenience to choose exactly how, where and what kind of information they receive.

In related news, keeping pace with the trend to electronically map the world, Yahoo introduced its own service that lets users view live local U.S. traffic conditions. The company has not released any plans that include offering the product on mobile phones.