Offline mapping is not just for foreign travel, but also great for summer time trips to the ocean, forest, or other places away from cities where you may not have a data connection. Google had some basic offline support for cached routes, but it was nothing like having full offline access like they will be providing soon. My HTC One X just became a much more useful device.
In addition to offline maps, Google revealed some other upcoming features, including Street View Tracker, Map Maker expansion, and adding 3D models to Google Earth on mobile devices.
Thanks to Android Central for the heads-up.