While the location based information provided by Google’s Latitude system has always been available on Google Maps for Mobile, hooking in to the system from a desktop computer has always needed you to go through a clumsy route using iGoogle. Well, no more, as you can now see where your friends are on this standalone web page.

While Latitude has not caught on with the chattering classes of Web 2.0, it’s still a popular service and has a huge reach on handsets thanks to its inclusion on the Google Maps for Mobile applications. By opening up access through a standard web browser page, the reach of Latitude can only increase.

More on the Google Operating System blog.