Google preparing for full roll-out?

Google shuffles around some more DNS records et voilá:

• mail.google.com now resolves to a Google-owned IP (one of the cpt01s01 series)
• mt.google.com now resolves to a Google-owned IP (as above, so below)

Was the hosting of the Google Maps tiles on the [presumed] GGC caching box just a fig-leaf, a ploy for respectability? Since only YouTube access still seems to be directed towards those caching boxen, perhaps that traffic was a quite-substantial chunk of the original Google traffic to TENET's network, the rest of which is now easily handled by the local peering arrangement.

It might allow easier filtering or shaping for the IT/ICTS departments so inclined, but why else keep the YouTube traffic on those boxes? Google's purported 'boxenertia'?

However, seeing that GMail is now locally hosted, that means the major services are being served from local machines. Perhaps this means Google is getting ready for a full-bore load test, in preparation for a proper roll-out?

iPhone + Geolocation + P2P

Since Apple's announced new embeddable Google Maps for the iPhone, not to mention the new P2P support, perhaps it's not too much to ask to get a cool new proximity-based alerting system?

Such a system could be used for geocaching or even friend-finding (the real kind of friend-finding where you already know the person...)