First off, Google Maps has seen more than a few updates lately but all have been very minor and the same applies here. Only adding a “night mode” for navigation while going through tunnels. Here in Vegas we don’t have too many of those, and instead just lots of Casinos. Give the new update a try and check out that night mode.

Next is Google Goggles — yes they are still updating this application occasionally although it has been a while. Goggles appears to have received a rather large update bringing all sorts of improvements and big fixes this time around. The performance improvements for continuous mode are a welcomed addition.

Not to be rude but looking over the “what’s new” for Goggles I can’t help but wonder who the heck wrote it. English skills seem to be lacking. Get the updates right now from the market links below.

Google Maps
Google Goggles

Full details on the Google Maps game haven’t been revealed, but it looks like the floorplan data is used to track users as they move around and collect points. We’ve seen location-based gaming before, but Google’s heft and the huge number of Android devices in the wild could mean it finally takes hold in the mainstream.

As for the current Google Maps app, that also has new battery improvements that reduce power consumption for Latitude users, while the Transit Navigation beta can now use vehicle speed to figure out positioning if the GPS fix is lost. There are also more public transport route options shown by default.

Google Maps is a free download for Android devices.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Earlier in November, we noticed Google Maps made indoor malls and airports available for navigation – and this is precisely what they’ve done at the CES event. Hopefully, they continue to elaborate their maps to include all indoor places – and here in Vegas we’ve been fortunate enough to have it wherever we go.

The Venetian malls and ballrooms are all mapped out as well, so if you plan on heading over to any events there – Google can still guide your way. And remember, stick with us through CES 2012 for more tips and updates!

TeleNav’s new HTML 5 browser-based system will allow anyone to use their services. Developers will be able to add one simple line of code into their Android app or website to offer customers and users free turn-by-turn navigation, which will then be available to anyone who has a smartphone or tablet. This same feature will be available for websites. Simply add the code to your site and users can instantly get turn-by-turn navigation without leaving your site.

This is an enormous amount of added value for any mobile, location-based website or app focused on travel, shopping, local search, deals and more. With one line of code, you can give your customers one-click access to premium, voice-guided turn-by-turn directions to any location, including hotels, restaurants, merchants or deal locations. Customers never need to leave your app.”

This could potentially take navigation to a completely new level. No more need for an additional application to launch or download for directions, taking up device resources and battery life — everything will be in the browser and quickly closed with a single click. TeleNav has told us users will not be required to be a TeleNav customer and everything will be completely free (for the end user). This creates an awesome opportunity for developers to make directions and more extremely easy — adding value to their site or application.

TeleNav HTML 5 web-based navigation is currently being opened to developers for testing and will be available early next year. Developers can get started right here.

Below is a before and after picture of the Mall of America near Minneapolis showing just how huge the changes really are. We have floor selectors and all the usual popups for select stores with phone numbers, reviews and more all neatly integrated with Google Maps. Now we’ll just have to wait for all these locations to start being used a bit more. Over at the Google Mobile Blog they have the same before/after images of an international airport. I can really see this being a huge deal that makes traveling and planning that much easier and less stressful. With full 3D tilt and more just like we are all used to.

This is still beta so obviously not all mall and airport locations will be fully supported out of the gate but don’t worry, Google will be updating and adding many more soon that is for sure. This looks quite neat if you ask me. Malls and airports aren’t the only ones either. They’ve partnered with Home Depot, IKEA, and a few other large retailer stores nationwide. Now maybe I’ll find my way to plumbing quicker at the Home Depot.

The new Maps also has a new menu at the top toolbar for easily changing features and options. They’ve also updated Navigation with a new setting allowing users to disable the automatic screen dimming “feature” during navigation — something I’ve been waiting for. All this and more is available right now for download in the Android Market. For a complete list of malls and airports included with these new features head down to the source link below.

[via Google Blog]

Along with the live events we also have a small change where Google has removed the “post to Twitter” option while reviewing places. We aren’t sure what brought about that change, but no more tweeting from Google Places while writing a review. The new live events feature is currently just a BETA and is available now for a few select cities and more should follow shortly.

Currently Google is only offering this new update in New York, San Fransisco, Paris, Zurich, and London to the list of “live events” in the Places page. Users should be able to find events going on based on their location. Should be a great feature for this holiday season as the Christmas events start lighting up the night sky’s. Give this new feature a try and let us know what you think.

[via Android Market]

Then more importantly, we now have NFC support in Google Maps. While this doesn’t matter to most users currently, this will be a big part of Android moving forward with Ice Cream Sandwich and the new Android Beam. For more information on Beam click here. In Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Android Beam users will be able to use NFC to simply tap phones together and share content. From Youtube videos, pictures, web site links and pages, and of course maps. If you’d like to share the map with a friend just tap your phones together and initiate the Beam.

Most likely we’ll be seeing similar updates to YouTube and other applications over the next few days as we get closer to the Galaxy Nexus launch date but today Google Maps is already on board. There is a possibility other features are also included here with the latest Google Maps, but nothing was mentioned in the release notes. Either way go ahead and download it now from the Android Market.

If you are wondering what Ice Cream Sandwich is (you should already know) you can see all of our coverage by clicking here, and in the video below.

Galaxy Nexus and 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on

TeleNav GPS Navigator 7.1 will bring many new changes and one of the biggest is the new feature and homescreen called “My Dashboard,” for quick and easy access to what on-the-go people need every single day. It will feature real-time traffic overlays with dedicated home or work buttons for easy and quick toggling, as well as give full drive times based on live traffic. TeleNav has also developed three new Android homescreen widgets for the 7.1 update, and drivers now have the option to use fun, custom car icons such as a sports car, hot rod, tank, space ship, motorcycle and more. I think I’ll take the Tank icon please.

We also have local voice search, stay safe and keep your hands on the wheel while using your voice to search over 22 million places and even get user-generated ratings and reviews to quickly decide where to go. You can use voice search to get up-to-date gas prices and even have TeleNav re-route you around a traffic jam, some of these updates sure sound great right? With improved maps and rendering the new version 7.1 should be faster and better than ever. Here is a live demo of the latest from TeleNav.

Here is a list of some key features we can expect to see coming shortly from the folks at TeleNav.

- Multi Route: Recommends up to three routes to your destination with distance and estimated drive times based on traffic conditions
- Favorite and Recent Destinations: Drive to your favorite and recent destinations more quickly and easily with one-touch access on My Dashboard
- Daily Commute: Current drive times based on live traffic right on the home screen
- Live Traffic: Save time with live traffic updates that automatically reroutes you around traffic jams or road congestion
- Local Search: Search 22 million Places and get user-generated ratings and reviews to quickly decide where to go
- Local Reviews: Rate and review your favorite Place all from your phone
- Gas Prices: Search up-to-date gas prices by location and price to save money
- Voice Search: Stay safe and keep your hands on the wheel with voice-activated commands
- Local Weather: Get real-time weather and seven day forecasts for your current location
- Voice Guidance: Clear, easy-to-understand driving directions spoken by a real human voice

We can expect to see the latest version of TeleNav GPS Navigator 7.1 coming shortly and will launch pre-installed and be offered free on many Android devices, with optional premium features such as lane assist, speed trap, red light camera, speed limit notification and commute reports available for an additional $4.99 per month. For more details and to give TeleNav a run head down to the Android Market and give it a try by clicking here.

Back in August it was updated to support transit navigation and more and today a few fixes are aimed just at that for all you public transit users. While transit navigation is still in BETA many users have been trusting it for their day to day in big cities such as NYC and other large cities with huge public transit systems. Today the update should add stability as well as help the location services be more accurate.

Google has been busy this week with updates to the Nexus One, Nexus S and now Google Maps. I must say though, my favorite new feature still probably is the option to download maps before you travel, so while out of service you can still get directions thanks to Google Maps. If you haven’t gave that a try I suggest you check it out for your next vacation.

Feel free to let us know in the comment section below if the new update improves accuracy for navigation and location.

[via Google Maps]

Those uploaded images are then included in the gallery of shots stored for each listing. The change follows news of Google’s acquisition of Zagat, the restaurant rating company, yesterday, which is expected to be integrated into the range of location-based services offered on Android handsets.

For now, though, it’s user-generated reviews that take center stage, with this new feature allowing you to show exactly what you ate and where you ate it, rather than describe it. You can update your Android phone to Google Maps v5.1 through the Android Market.

Then comes the information on the apps. What’s interesting here is that the top 10 apps in the Android Market do really appear to hold sway over the device market with a steel grip. While there are thousands of apps on the market (hundreds and hundreds of which are duds, of course, but regardless,) the top TEN apps take up 43% of all the time spent by Android consumers on mobile apps. The top 50 apps then account for 61% of all time spent.

At this moment there are 250,000+ apps on the Android Market – the major bulk of these must compete for 39% of the tasty, tasty pie. And what are these top ten apps, you may be asking yourself? Certainly you’ve already got them all on your device this very moment:

Google Maps
YouTube
Facebook for Android
Pandora
Music Download
Kindle
Advanced Task Killer
Skype
Barcode Scanner
Zedge Ringtons & Wallpapers

Notable mentions:
Tiny Flashlight
Facebook Messenger

Sound reasonable to you?

[via Nielsen]

Google has been updating many of their apps as of late and Google Maps just keeps getting better and better. Here is the small but nice list of new features you can expect with the new Google Maps.

-Voice and ring tone notifications for Transit Navigation (Beta)
-Tablet support for Transit Navigation (Beta)
-’Bubble Buttons’ Lab to add call and navigate buttons to results on the map (see above)

I know the transit navigation BETA is a great feature and relied on it heavily in my recent trips to NYC, being able to have notifications alert me so I never miss another subway is a huge additional and I can’t wait to try it out. In case you haven’t tried any of the “Labs” in the settings menu I suggest you give it a look. The “Bubble Buttons” are convenient popups that will show when you select a store or a location on a map. The bubble gives you instant access to navigation or even to call the store and more. I’ve been using that for months but now its officially included.

There are a few new features to play with in the Labs too so be sure to check those out, report anything fun in the comments below, and be sure to head over to the market and get this latest update if it didn’t already update automatically.

[via Android Market]

What this means is you can download complete map info locally to your phone right from Google Maps, then when you go on a vacation or somewhere without coverage you will still have full map data to keep you on track. This is only in Google Labs for now but the feature seems to work great. You can download a 10 mile radius at a time from whatever point you choose. The phone stores multiple downloads so you can have plenty saved for your next trip ahead of time.

For more info on the public transit features check out this video:

The new map download feature would have came in handy for me recently as I just traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and T-Mobile didn’t have what I’d consider a strong signal way up there. Downloading the maps for directions ahead of time would have been great. I’m excited to see all these new features coming into Google Maps and can’t wait to see what else they have in store. Get the latest map from the market at the source link below.

Thanks for the tip Vince!

[via Google Maps]

Google Places was introduced to help people find businesses and restaurants in their area. What sprung out of Google’s love to organize and present information to the world, has become more useful with its integration into the mobile Google Maps app. Now when browsing maps for new restaurants nearby, you’ll be able to filter out which ones are the best.

Google’s apps continue to grow, and their integration with Android is one of its biggest strengths. Places isn’t necessarily the most popular of them though. What do you Places users out there think of the update? Is this a much needed update, or more of a ‘meh’? Let us know.

This update comes to the official Google Maps Android app, as well as the desktop and mobile web-apps. While the service is initially only available in the 6 cities mentioned, Google says they’re working with several other public transit authorities to expand the “live departure times” feature to other cities. In the meantime, the service is now live in those cities, so if you’re a commuter in one of the six, try it out.

The feature is built right into maps and navigation. If you click on a supported transit station in maps, it will display the schedule, with special icons indicating “live departures.” Navigation using public transit will also utilize these real-time schedules when available, helping you get a more accurate arrival time.

Behold above and below some lovely screenshots then go check it out yourself by looking up Google Maps in your mobile browser. You’ll find a whole slew of working elements, basically exactly the same thing you’ve been loving since the beginning of time from your desktop machine. The laundry list of elements that will be featured for you are thus:

• See your current location
• Search for what’s nearby with suggest and auto complete
• Have clickable icons of popular businesses and transit stations
• Get driving, transit, biking, and walking directions
• Turn on satellite, transit, traffic, biking, and other layers
• View Place pages with photos, ratings, hours, and more
• When signed into your Google account, access your starred locations and My Maps

This update makes Google Maps platform independent, allowing you to access it from any device that has a web browser. Take a peek at how it’s working for you now over at http://maps.google.com/

Last year, Google got into trouble for collecting data on WiFi hotspots using their fleet of StreetView cars who main advertised purpose was to photograph streets for their Google Maps application. Privacy advocates were up in arms over Google’s war-driving after it was determined that in addition to wireless networks, Google was also collecting personal information like e-mail addresses and passwords. But according to researchers looking into Google’s location spying, no personal information is being transmitted other than the user location and phone identifier. And Google according to the Wall Street Journal, many Apps that users enjoy do the same thing.

And the whole idea behind knowing a user’s location is to mine the lucrative market of location based advertising which the Wall Street Journal states that users want. Location based advertising shows users useful information like local business look-up, social networking, and even pinpointing coupon distribution and sales. The triangulation via WiFi networks is what makes it possible, and it’s uncannily accurate.

But this is causing privacy advocates concern because it can be used by government to keep tabs on someone without a warrant or knowledge of the user. And not only government entitles. A savvy hacker can glean the information as well simply by jailbreaking an unsuspecting users phone and using the data to plot someone’s movement, making stalking a very real possibility.

The issue is attracting the attention of Congress, where S. Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) are demanding answers about why location based information is stored and what it is being used for. Investigations are also being done elsewhere as Federal prosecutors in New Jersey are looking to see if information is being illegally obtained, while the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in Canada has expressed concern about cellphones being used to collect user data. And it may be that users will be unable to opt-out, so there’s just cause. Currently, it’s unclear if either OS gives the user the ability to say no to location based data collection. And with the growing and competitive field of location based advertising driving it, it isn’t likely to get easier anytime soon.

[via Wall Street Journal]

As always, you can delete your location history either partially or completely, and it’s only visible by users themselves or the people they share their location with. There’s a new “check in at home” feature, too.

Finally, Google Places with Hotpot now allows you to add your own rating category, so you can leave custom feedback. The Google Maps update is available via the Android Market for devices running 1.6 or higher.

Mayer went on to say that the future looks bright for Google Maps as the company is always working to improve the interface and make it more intuitive.   Google’s goal is to make Google Maps more contextually aware so that it can analyze a driver’s route and offer suggestions automatically.  Google wants access to other details of a users life so that they can offer real time traffic data and weather conditions that could affect the user. That would certainly help people who need the information on the fly, but will that run afoul of privacy advocates who are worried that Google is becoming too intrusive?

While Google’s motto has always been “do no evil,” but it’s lesser known mission statement is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” That’s seems to be what Google Maps is moving towards. It’s made no secret of it’s goal to access every detail of their users lives and use it in various ways to not only turn a profit, but also to provide greater services. And it’s pretty hard to complain when your smartphone is helping you to get around faster and easier.

[via BGR]

Users don’t have to update the app as the change is done at the server level. That’s great news as all that the driver needs to do is access the Google Maps app as usual. There are also pings to return directions as well. The new Google apps features are available to North American and European markets where Google can link to real time traffic data.

[via Technologizer]