Google has rolled out a new version of Google Maps for Android which has a new menu toolbar, a more detailed Places homepage, and the ability to show indoor maps for certain locations.

For now Google Maps 6.0 for Android offers indoor maps for a small number of airports, shopping malls, and other locations. The indoor maps feature is still in beta, but it can certainly come in handy if you’re trying to find the nearest restroom or fast food joint while rushing to catch a connecting flight.

Indoor maps are available for a handful of locations in the US and Japan as well as some retail stores including Home Depot, Ikea, and Macy’s.

The indoor maps also include a floor selector so you can check out the second or third floor of large malls or airports.

The new version of Google Maps has a toolbar located in the upper-left corner. Tap it to bring up a menu that lets you quickly switch to the Places screen, Navigation, or other popular areas.

Google also redesigned the Places screen so that not only do you see icons for restaurants, bars, cafes, and other popular items, but also previews of items that are nearby as well as prompts to check-in if Google Maps detects that you’re currently at a specific location.

Google Maps 6.0 for Android is available as a free download from the Android Market.

via Google Lat Long Blog

Google released an updated version of Google Maps for Android today, and while the company made a big fuss about a new feature that tells you when you’ve reached your stop on a bus, there’s another feature tucked away in the app which is at least as cool.

You can now download maps to your device so you can look up locations, get directions, or even use navigation even when you have no internet connection.

Here’s how to enable the feature:

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Google has rolled out an update to the mobile web version of Google Maps, offering many of the features that were previously only available in the company’s native iOS and Android apps.

You can now visit maps.google.com in your phone’s browser and view your current location, search for nearby businesses or attractions, get driving, transit, biking, or walking directions, and view traffic and other layers.

The app also shows Place pages with photos, business hours, user ratings, and other information. And if you’re signed into your Google account you can view starred locations or My Maps.

The new features are available in Android and iOS mobile web browsers.

The update is part of a growing trend toward mobile web sites offering more app-like features. Google recently rolled out a more powerful version of Google News for mobile which uses your location to find local news, and Twitter’s mobile web site now looks an awful lot like a native app.

Unfortunately the updated version of Google Maps is much more resource-intensive. When I tried out the app on my iPod touch the browser crashed repeatedly — something that rarely happens when viewing other web sites in the mobile browser.

There was a time before Google got into the mapping business when MapQuest was the go-to site for directions and maps on the web. And it turns out that even though most Google phones ship with a pretty slick Google Maps application and free turn-by-turn navigation, AOL noticed more than 1.4 million Android users coming to MapQuest mobile web site each month. So the company did the only logical thing and released a MapQuest app for Android. It’s now available as a free download from the Android Market.

The mobile app is choc full of features, including:

• Free turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance
• Auto re-routing if you miss a turn (assuming you have a good internet connection)
• Live traffic updates
• International maps
• Voice search capabilities
• A toolbar which lets you search for hotels, airports, gas stations, coffee shops, grocery stores and more with a single click
• Satellite and map views
• Place pages with directions, web site links, user reviews, hours, and more information

The app is attractive and easy to use. But I’ve found that on my Nexus One it seems to load imagery rather slowly and searches can take a long time. I experienced a few crashes while testing the app this morning, and the app also uses around 8MB of disk space, which may be problematic if you’re running out of free space on your phone (like I am). All told, I’m not entirely convinced I want to replace Google Maps as my default mobile mapping application just yet, but for a first release, MapQuest for Android is off to a good start.

MapQuest has been offering a similar app for the iPhone for almost a year.

You can check out some more screenshots after the break.

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Up until today, Google Places was one of the best Android-only features of Google Maps. But now Google has rolled out Places for iOS, letting iPhone users find nearby restaurants, coffee shops, ATMs, gas stations, and other spots with just a click or two. You can also customize the list with your own search terms.

Like the Android version, Places for iPhone also uses the new Hotpot service, which lets you rate locations and view personalized recommendations from your contacts.

The Google Places app is available as a free download for iOS. Interestingly, it’s a standalone app and doesn’t come bundled with the Official Google app, even though that app includes Google Maps.

Free turn-by-turn directions on a mobile phone are nothing new. Google has been offering them with the Android version of Google Maps since January. But Navfree is offering something that you don’t see too often: a free 1.6GB download for iOS which provides you with turn-by-turn directions throughout the US whether you’re online or not — since the data is stored on your device. You only need a GPS signal.

The free mobile navigation app has voice guidance and automatic rerouting. You can choose between 2D and 3D map views. Map information comes from OpenStreetMap, a user-generated mapping service, and updates will always be free.

The company plans to offer in-app purchases for premium content in the future, which could include things like live traffic updates.

Navfree is available as a free download from the App Store.

via Engadget

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.

Scan to download

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.

AOL has launched a new version of MapQuest 4 Mobile which adds a few new features to the company’s map application for iOS.

First and foremost, the new version provides voice directions with spoken street names. For instance, “Turn right on Broad street.”

Second, MapQuest 4 Mobile 2.0 now supports automatic re-routing. That means if you accidentally miss a turn, the app will notice and figure out the best way to get you back on track.

The third big change is support for iOS 4, which means that if you’re using the new app on an iPhone or iPod touch with the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, you can run MapQuest 4 Mobile in the background while another map is in the foreground.

To be honest, these are all features that Google Maps navigation already provides… if you’re using an Android phone. The iPhone version of Google Maps doesn’t yet provide voice directions or many of the other features available from the Android version. That makes MapQuest 4 Mobile arguably one of the best free navigation options available for iOS.

MapQuest 4 Mobile is available as a free download from the App Store.

via ReadWriteWeb