The Yahoo! Geo Technologies group has announced new updates to Yahoo! Maps.  Gus Maldonado, Sr. Product Manager posted about the new upgrades which include:

• Improved Local Search integration that utilizes the Search/Direct Display Index
• More user-friendly Driving Directions – a more user-friendly left rail that’s both wider and more legible (larger text), for easier reading of driving directions
• A redesigned Print Page
• The ability to minimize multiple driving direction instructions to save vertical space
• The ability to display inline turn-by-turn images for each driving direction segment
• An Interactive Print Page Map
• Users can now select from a variety map views (full route, full route + finish, full route + start + finish)
• Drag/Pan/zoom functionality for print page maps
• Interactivity between Points of Interest (POIs) and Map view; minimized POIs are removed from the map view
• Improved POIs – with ability to minimize/collapse multiple POIS to maximize viewing area

The blog promises more updates to Yahoo! Maps throughout 2008.