In the next version of Microsoft's mobile operating system, you'll be able to bring up indoor maps when you walk into a mall, department store, or other supported off-road location.

The display is powered by Bing and looks just like the search engine's mapping app, but instead of streets and turn-by-turn directions, it's reformatted to show store names and locations of ATMs, entrances, parking garages, etc.

Indoor mapping technology is just beginning to take shape. In the future, apps will be able to pull from special GPS technology that shows exactly where they are in a mall, museum, office building, etc. There are all sorts of possibilities.

But Windows Phone Mango looks to be the platform that will pioneer the technology.

Via Tech2