Google has pushed out an updated version of Google Maps for Android which now supports turn-by-turn walking navigation. It’s sort of like the GPS navigation you could previously use in a car — but for directions for getting from here to there on foot.

Google had previously offered walking directions, but not turn by turn navigation.

Walking Navigation is still in beta, so don’t be surprised if Google occasionally directs you to walk down a road that doesn’t have sidewalks.

The new version of Google Maps also has a persistent search bar at the top of the screen allowing you to filter your results or tap on icons to bring up the Places or Layers screens, or zoom to your current location.

You can grab the updated version of Google Apps for Android 1.6 and up from the Android Market.

Google has rolled out a new version of Google Earth for Android, and it makes up for a major oversight in earlier versions — the fact that 3/4ths of the earth is covered in water. Google Earth 1.1 for Android now includes underwater imagery.

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Not only can you explore underwater areas, but there’s also an “Explore the Ocean” layer which includes phtoos and videos from over 100 contributors.

Google Earth 1.1 also supports Adobe Flash if you’re on a phone running Android 2.2 with Flash installed. That means you can watch videos in a pop-up balloon without jumping out of Google Earth and into a separate video player.

You can read more about the new features in Google Earth for Android 1.1 at the Google Mobile web site. The app is available as a free download  for Android 2.1 and up.

Waze is a free turn-by-turn GPS service for mobile devices. There are versions for iOS, Android, Symbian, and Windows Mobile. And they’re all free. What sets Waze apart from other services, such as the free navigation tool that comes with Google Android, is the community aspect which provides real-time traffic, construction, and other information as you drive. You can also find Facebook friends on the road or check in to destinations using Foursquare.

Version 2.0 was released last week, and it adds support for Commuting Groups, ranking symbols for achievements, and new maps with 3D views and improved animations and movement.

If you bought into the Dash Navigation concept, as I did, you’re going to want to check out Waze 2.0.

While things didn’t quite work out the way we had hoped at Dash, Waze is carrying this torch. Heck, they’re more like Dash 3.0 at this point. Unfortunately, like Dash, the core navigation could still use a little work… as Waze was unable to find my weekend Calvert Cliffs destination by address and, in some cases, initial routing experiences haven’t matched the Telenav service I also use. But these guys are off to a great start and I dig what they’re doing.

You can find Waze in the Android market or download the free iOS app from iTunes. Windows Mobile and Symbian users can grab download links from the Waze web site.

A version of this article originally appeared at Zatz Not Funny

via Gizmodo

GPS units are cool and all, what with their spoken directions and 2D or 3D maps that show you where you’re going. But you know what’s even cooler? A GPS app that looks like something out of Star Wars. And that’s exactly what developer Christopher Caleb has come up with.

At first, the Adobe AIR-based app for Google Android looks like a typical GPS app. You enter the addresses for your start point and destination. And then things get all 1977-view-of-the-future on you.

The app shows a simple 3D graphic with yellow lines representing either side of a tunnel. On the side are two red lines. As you move closer to your target, the lines move toward the center until you’re right on top of it. At that point you get a bunch of red arrows excitedly letting you know you’ve arrived.

The app is based on the targeting computer from an X-wing Fighter from the original Star Wars movie. Sure, the app won’t actually give you directions. But it will let you know how far away from your destination you are. And while you’re driving you can hear “radio chatter” from other pilots, since the developer has also based the soundtrack for the app on Star Wars.

You can check out a demo video after the break.

via Engadget

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Poynt is a mobile application that lets you search for people, movies, and businesses including restaurants and gas stations. The app is location-aware, and makes it easy to search for listings close to your current location.

Poynt originally launched as a BlackBerry app, but it’s now available for Android as well, as a free download from the Android Market.

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You can either search for a business by name or type. Or you can use the browsing functions to do things like sift through nearby restaurants by cuisine. Once you find a listing you want more information about you can tap on it to bring up more options — allowing you to place a call, view directions, plot the business on a map, or visit its web site.

Unfortunately the restaurant listings don’t appear to have menus. But if you’re looking for movies you can browse by title or theater. You can browse for gas stations by location or best prices. And there’s even a reverse telephone lookup function that lets you find a business listing by entering the phone number.

The free app is supported by ads in the search results, and you’ll find a fairly large number of sponsored listings in the search results. But you can scroll past them pretty quickly.

You can find more screenshots after the break.

via Android Central

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Google has pushed out an updated version of Google Maps for Android. As the company points out, this is the sixth update in the last six months. The biggest change in the new version is a new Places feature.

You can add a dedicated Places button to your home screen. Tapping on the icon will open the new Places tab in Google Maps, which lets you search for places near your current location. Or you can tap on icons for access to common searches such as Restaurants, Coffee, or Gas Stations. You can also add custom searches to this page.

The update also adds business hours to place pages, as well as other details such as menu links and parking information. You should also see compass information and distance information, letting you know how to get to those nearby places.

Google Maps 4.4 is available for Android 1.6 and up, and you can download the app for free from the Android Market.

Trying to find something to do this weekend? How about tonight? Goby can help. The app offers up information about all sorts of activities from dining to attending live music concerts to visiting museums or hiking trails. And thanks to the magic of geolocation, Goby will automatically find stuff near you — wherever you are.

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Goby covers every city, town, and region in the US, which means that you can find things to do near home or when you’re on the road. You can view results on a map, find phone numbers, and share activities through Twitter, Facebook, and email.

As with most apps of this sort, I’ve found that Goby is pretty good — but not perfect. For instance, when I searched for vegetarian restaurants, the closest it found to my home is 0.5 miles away — even though I live just a two minute walk from an excellent vegetarian sandwich shop. Your results may vary.

The app is available as a free download for the iPhone and iPod touch, and Goby recently launched a fee app for Google ANdroid as well. You can download it by scanning the barcode to the right.

Yelp has released a major update to its mobile restaurant search and review app for Google Android. Like the original Yelp app, Yelp 2.0 for Android lets you search for businesses based on your location, read reviews, bookmarks sites, and do pretty much everything you can do on the Yelp web site except for writing reviews (because Yelp doesn’t want short messages filled with typos). But Yelp 2.0 also adds a few new features that make the mobile app truly mobile.

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First up, there’s a new augmented reality feature called Monocle. When you click the Monocle button from the main menu, a screen will pop up showing you the view from your phone’s camera. Point your phone in any direction to start seeing restaurants, bars, or other businesses near you. The snippets show names, types of cuisine, distances, and average reviews. Click on any snippet to open the Yelp page for that business.

There’s also a new “Check-In” feature, which puts Yelp in competition with Foursquare, Gowalla, and other sites that let you compete with other users to see who uses the local Starbucks most often. I’m not really sold on the whole check-in experience at the moment, but as more and more businesses start offering coupons and other perks to customers who check in on a regular basis, I guess this feature could come in handy.

Yelp’s iPhone app already has both the Monocle and Check-Ins features, so the new update isn’t so much revolutionary as it is a step toward making Yelp’s iPhone and Android apps equal.

Yelp 2.0 for Android is available as a free download from the Android Market.

Google has pushed out an updated version of Google Maps for Android with a couple of minor, but useful improvements. First up, when you’re viewing a list of search results, Google Maps 4.3 will automatically expand as you scroll down the list.

Google Latitude will also now suggest friends for you to add, if you’re into that sort of thing. And when you click on a public transit stop, you’ll see upcoming departure info — which would be infinitely more useful if Google could make sure the next train will actually arrive on time. But some things are probably too much to ask from your phone.

Google Maps 4.3 is available as a free download/updated from the Android Market.

Layar’s Reality Browser is an augmented reality app for Android and iPhone that lets you find real-world stuff by looking through you’re phone’s camera. Basically, you point your phone in a direction and choose the layer you want to use, and Reality Browser will show you icons for nearby restaurants, Twitter users, or just about anything else that can be plotted geographically.

Today Layar is rolling out version 3.5 of its Reality Browser. The new version doesn’t wait for you to open a layer or enter a search term. When you first launch Layar Reality Browser 3.5, the app will show you points of interest that are near you.

For instance, I installed the new version this morning and when I first launched it, Layar showed me a few local cafes and pubs, a Wikipedia entry for architect Louis Kahn, and tweets from Twitter users within a few hundred meters of my house.

The data is drawn from some of the most popular layers available to Reality Browser users. You can also still manually apply a layer find upcoming eents in your neighborhood, crime reports, apartments for rent, or other information.

Layar Reality Browser 3.5 is already available for download from the Android Market. The updated iPhone app should be available soon.

You can find more screenshots after the break.

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