Google Maps on Android updated, adds full public transit schedules

You always knew that Google Maps had 'em -- schedule a trip on public transit and the app would tell you exactly when the next few trains or buses would arrive (or, at least, were supposed to arrive). But, getting to the full schedules yourself was never possible. Now it is, with Google Maps getting an update to allow you to tap on bus or train stations and retrieve a listing of which lines will pass through and when, making it a little easier to identify a proper last call that won't see you springing for an expensive taxi ride. Beyond that, Google has re-organized the information about restaurants and other businesses, and will also suggest friends who are sharing their whereabouts on Latitude. That last bit is helpful if their last call was a little later than yours and they're now too inebriated to tell you where to find them.

[oringal Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:17AM]

is it US only though? this would be really useful in sydney ! though buses rarely come on time in sydeny -.-"

[TC Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:33AM]

@oringal
Just tried it in the UK - it lists schedule when you tap the stations, but the schedules all seem to be strangely empty.....

[coolkams03 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:26AM]

@TC

i cant imagine how many times i have used this feature while travelling.
having this on mobile will be a great asset.
google maps rocks !
especially for an international in US like me :)

[blenderman345 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:53AM]

@oringal: darn you apple, why don't you have this?

[huskie fluff Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:58AM]

@blenderman345 because apple likes open standards. oh wait, nvm.

[tikigawd Posted Jun 23rd 2010 2:37PM]

@blenderman345

"You don't need to know pubic transit schedules. Having that information will kill your battery.
The magical iPhone will get you there and you won't even know it.
You're welcome."

-The Jobs

[Tanuki Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:44PM]

@oringal It works brilliantly in Adelaide :).

[lnm4444 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:17AM]

Useful. Is it available for Greece?

[Mr Itcher Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:25AM]

@lnm4444 Greece can afford to run public transit?

[ANDZT Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:49AM]

@Mr Itcher almost died laughing from this... way to let my boss know i'm not doing anything productive today

[lnm4444 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 3:43PM]

@Mr Itcher They bought the buses thanks to the money that the E.U. gave to us in the 90's. Now that the moneys all gone, they will have to use the old Hungarian Icarus buses from the 80's (They sound like a jackhammer inside, the seats are made of wood and in all my life I only saw ONE speedometer work in the thousands of times I've been in one.) If the crisis gets worse and the bus companies will have to use the 1950's Alfa Romeo electric trolleys and the old Soviet Union trolleys from the 1960's (that go trolololo...)

[Genjinaro Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:18AM]

I'll enjoy this in Piladelphia & New York, beats carrying a schedule or fuddling through a mobile PDF.

[Genjinaro Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:19AM]

@Genjinaro *Philadelphia

[huskie fluff Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:59AM]

@Genjinaro just call it silly philly

[hell hound Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:19AM]

One of the few android apps i like.

[McHoffa Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:25AM]

@hell hound i agree

android reminds me of Nintendo in this sense... the first party software (google's own apps) shine brightly, but everything else is sorta half@$$

compared to the iPhone where 3rd party devs make some awesome polished apps that are even worth paying for

example - facebook app...
the iOS app has been a really useful full featured app since I got my first gen ipod touch a couple years ago and has been updated quite a few times... however, the facebook app on my droid sucks, and hasn't been touched in 8 months despite the quickly growing android userbase...

it seriously makes me want to give up on android and get an iphone... luckily for google, the iphone isn't on verizon still, or I would have switched already...

[Jean Marc Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:06AM]

@hell hound if you hate android so much why do you go into EVERY android article and complain. Get a life you LOSER.

[Jean Marc Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:10AM]

@McHoffa LOL you would change to a different phone because of a facebook app. i cant speak on the droid, but i know with the hero and the evo htc made facebook enjoyable.

[Blaque14K Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:30AM]

@McHoffa Well take that to with Facebook. It's probably because they never got over their beef with Google. The Android Twitter app for instance is considered the best mobile client out there. It's certainly not any shortcoming of the platform as its Java (most population language out there) and the possibilities with the APIs is basically unmatched by any other popular platform right now.

[LazarusDark Posted Jun 23rd 2010 7:26PM]

@McHoffa. Lol. The android app is the reason I finally started USING my facebook account after it sat unused for like 2 years. Besides that the contacts from facebook can sync with phone contacts, which is fantastic.

[Slimnutz Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:20AM]

Is there away they could add a strip club layer?

[MrCheeks Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:23AM]

@Slimnutz. Yeah but that involves rubbing your phone places you probably don't want your ear to touch...

[mr88 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:20AM]

This happened yesterday...guess you were too busy giving us pictures of the new iPhone 3GS box though.

[TimStevens Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:37AM]

@mr88 Actually we couldn't tear ourselves away from Androideroids.

[mr88 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:39AM]

@TimStevens
Touche. haha

[tricheboars Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:42AM]

@mr88

ohhh snap!

[liftedngifted1 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 12:16PM]

@mr88 Haaaa!!!!! +1 for you my friend...

[mikeroselli Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:23AM]

What about for the iPhone? Why is the google-maps app for the iPhone so out of date? It doesn't even have turn by turn! GAH!

[technomom Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:24AM]

@mikeroselli When iTunes comes to Android, maybe you'll get a better Google Maps on the iPhone.

[element4life3 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:43AM]

@technomom Please keep iTunes far away from my Android device, thank you...

[Levi Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:22AM]

@mikeroselli
ditto. The maps support in Android is one of the *very* few (only a couple?) things I feel that I'm missing out on with my iPhone. Free turn-by-turn is nice. Definitely improves the navigation experience as much as adding a real GPS did after the 2G iPhone.

[Seven2k Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:58AM]

@mikeroselli

go buy an App...Uncle Steve wants no freebies...lol jk

[cassidyjames Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:23AM]

Sweet, I'm on vacation in New York right now. Perfect timing, Google!

[coolpal Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:12AM]

@cassidyjames oh common... checking engadget even on vacation?

[cassidyjames Posted Jun 23rd 2010 12:31PM]

@coolpal Of course! I didn't download the Engadget app on my Evo for nothin', ya know. :)

[labrat Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:30AM]

Isn't the alternate routes and the avoid highways/toll new features in navigation?

[mr88 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:35AM]

@labrat
That would be new, yes... however I don't see that option, how do you get to it? I'm running it on the Droid Incredible (updated Google Maps last night).

[labrat Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:42AM]

@mr88 When you press on the arrow (bottom left) you will see two new icons appear.

One is alternate route, the other is settings.
The alternate route is pretty neat implementation and a nice addon.

[mr88 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:50AM]

@labrat
Sounds good...I'm not seeing it, but maybe it has something to do with me not having a GPS signal (in the office), I'll have to try it later. Thanks.

[mr88 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:30AM]

@labrat
I just noticed there's also a Terrain layer (in regular Maps, not Navigation) and I don't remember that being there before, but maybe I'm wrong.

[labrat Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:11AM]

@mr88 I think the terrain layer was there but in labs feature or something like that.

And yeah, you need to have GPS lock. But I was mistaken, you need to pres on the time of the trip (still bottom left) and then you will see an overview of the route. On the bottom right, you will see the alternate route Icon

[mr88 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:19AM]

@labrat I found it, thanks. Can also avoid tolls, nice.

[everyone does Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:36AM]

Neat! I don't take the bus really, but with this kind of information I could plan to do so on a whim quite easily

[inspiron41 Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:48AM]

works nicely. it displays the next train D/A for the whole day

[ndukyh Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:52AM]

My one Android envy is the Google Maps updates -navigation, reviews and now this. Damn I wish I had this on my iPhone!

[ravissimo Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:57PM]

@ndukyh sucks for you!

j/k it sucks for every iphone user...

[dhamp2g Posted Jun 23rd 2010 9:56AM]

Man this Apple vs Android battle needs to stop. I have an IPhone and all my computers are MAC. I have had my iPhone for years and I love it. I just got the EVO when it 1st came out and I can honestly say that I love it. I like it better than my iPhone bcuz its not so locked up and they both have more apps than any human will ever need. I can admit that android is a beyond good OS. I LIKE THIS EVO better than my iPhone so it will now be my main phone. I'm not betraying Apple bcuz I will always love me some MAC I also have the iPad since day one. I'm leavn my iPhone behind bcuz I can do everything on my EVO that I can do on my iPhone and I have a larger screen and 4g and an unlimited hotspot for only $30 and I can do video calling to computers via fring Skype and any phone with a front facing camera. I always wanted my iPhone to have a larger screen and I'm not staying with it just bcuz I have had it so long. better things come along in life and I can admit that. so if you love your iPhone stay with it but don't say that android is not good and the same for you android people. bcuz the truth is the only reason that u don't have an iPhone is bcuz u won't switch your carrier and u know it. The iPhone can do sooo much but at&t sucks So its limited. I now have a phone that's worth leaving my iPhone behind now. I may even go no to my iPhone it it ever comes to Sprint. I love how much cheaper my phone bill is now and I have traveled like crazy for work and the sprint network is very excellent they have made leaps and bounds from their past issues. let's all just lobe what we have and let the dumb shit OS wars go.

[saturnblackhole Posted Jun 23rd 2010 10:01AM]

@dhamp2g paragraphs motherf*cker do you use it?

[Seven2k Posted Jun 23rd 2010 11:02AM]

@saturnblackhole

leave him alone hes excited...LOL

[StalkyTheFish Posted Jun 23rd 2010 2:24PM]

@dhamp2g

That's what I've been sayin'! 8^)

Android (optionally with hotspot) for the phone, navigation and communications stuff and iPod Touch or iPad for games/media = BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses and for the most part one picks up where the other leaves off.