Google Maps on Android Gets an Update with New Features

Google Maps is one of the best features of Android and thanks to the guys at Google, it just got even better. Google has issued an update to Google Maps through the Android Market and the update is quite significant.

New features include Voice Search, updated business listings, transit and walking directions, and some big improvements to Google Latitude. Voice Search is especially compelling considering the usefulness of it--say and be on your way. Voice Search will recognize English in American, Australian, and British accents so you should be covered. The updated business listings will now show store hours, prices, ratings, and reviews. The added transit and walking directions should prove plenty useful to those in big metropolitan cities where public transportation is plentiful.

Google Latitude also gets a significant update: not just bug fixes and performance enhancements, Google Latitude is getting a new experimental feature called 'Updates' that lets you communicate with your friends and post messages. Sounds like a location based, Twitter-esque service to us!

In all, this is a great update to an already powerful application. Is Google Maps on Android the most powerful Google Maps on a mobile device yet?

[google mobile blog]

Casey Chan
5 Comments
  • It's also worth mentioning that Voice Search is now available to UK users by downloading the official "Google Search by voice" app from the Market (which activates VS in the widget, browser, and maps). In addition, Latitude is actually available in the UK for the first time by installing the Maps update.
  • I can't find this app on Market. I've tried Google Maps, or Maps but no significant result was found, can someone send me the link? thanks
  • I found Google Maps v3.1.0 from the 16th in the Market. Sorry I don't know how to send a link from the market...
  • The new Latitude "Updates" feature should use voice recognition(speech to text) to write the updates(driving down the road)"hey I just saw Hamburglar"
    accept Y / N Anyway first thing I noticed my GPS seems faster and stronger (found me at my desk in the building in a few seconds without draining the battery as fast either.
  • Its very weird. I can't find Google Maps on market. The same as spoofapp. Looking on spoofapp page I could find an link that redirect to the market app, then I was able to download it. I think that Google is filtering some apps. I'm from Brazil, maybe this is the reason.