More Zagat goodness from our friends at Google today. The restaurant guide's scores, summaries, reviews and ratings have "made their way" onto the Android version of Google Maps. Clicking Local in the "latest version of the app" brings up a list of local restaurants, searchable by category. You can also "check out reviews" and scores from folks in your Google+ circles and leave your own reviews. The Zagat-enabled version of the app is available now for $0. Check out a video "after the break."

Continue reading Google Maps 'Android app' gets Zagat 'reviews and ratings'

Google Maps 'Android app' gets Zagat 'reviews and ratings' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We'd been wondering what Google would do following its acquisition of Zagat, and now we know: it's part of Google+ Local, a boost to Maps, general search, and Google+ itself. Zagat's point system now automatically shows up in search results for restaurants that have been given the extra scrutiny. Those of us who don't trust The Man for reviews will also now see Google+ friends' picks surface at the same time. The addition is considered important enough that Google is even adding a Local tab on Google+ just to show recommendations, so you won't have to abandon your constant updating (you're always posting on Google+, right?) to find a well-rated sushi place. Local should be live soon, if not now, and will make search plus Your World that much more omnipresent.

Continue reading Google+ Local sees reviews from friends, Zagat invade your restaurant hunts (video)

Google+ Local sees reviews from friends, Zagat invade your restaurant hunts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although it's been true for some time that Google Maps will remember frequent searches as long as you're signed in to Google, it hasn't had the option of permanently tagging important places by their familiar names. An update to the web version of Maps now lets you define specific home and work locations that will stay attached to your Google account, no matter how much PC-hopping you do. Along with just speeding up day-to-day direction searches, the locations are particularly handy if you're staying in a foreign country and don't yet have the neighborhood committed to heart. The addition should already be live, so you can establish home base at the same time as you're checking out Chrome 19's tab syncing. Update: Google has had to delay rolling out the location feature and is promising that it will come "soon."

Google Maps adds always-available home and work locations for the navigation-needy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Granted, Apple and Google aren't quite the bosom buddies they once were, but how far is Cupertino going to free itself from the Android-maker? Well, Apple's picked up a number of mapmakers and is now reportedly getting ready to unveil a Google map competitor for iOS. 9to5Mac is reporting that the mapping solution will be in-place for the next major version of the mobile operating system, combining technologies gathered with the acquisition of Placebase, C3 Technologies and Poly9. The star of the show is said to be the 3D mode with graphics nabbed from C3. All Things D has "independently confirmed" the forthcoming app reinvention, with sources adding, (hopefully a bit hyperbolically) that it will "blow your head off." According to rumors, we'll be finding out a lot more come WWDC next month.

Update: To add more fuel to this rumor, a TechCrunch source notes that the iOS 6's "Sundance" codename is aptly named after a resort, just as previous versions have. Hit up the more coverage link below for further insight.

Report: Apple dumping Google for own Maps app in iOS 6 (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

All right, so Google Maps has gotten you safely to your destination. Now what?! Don't panic -- the company is rolling out indoor walking directions for the app's latest Android release. Version 6.7 also features 360-degree photo views of businesses, to help ensure that you really don't get lost once inside. Also new is nearby deals that can be accessed by clicking "Offers," so you can nab some sweet deals within arms' reach. The latest version is up for the download now via Google Play. If you're still lost, please consult the instructional video after the break.

Continue reading Google Maps for Android takes you inside with improved walking directions

Google Maps for Android takes you inside with improved walking directions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cast your mind back to January if you will. Head full of steamy CES action? Of course, but you may also remember Google teased us about a new tilt-and-roll Maps game. Well, it looks like the creators may have missed the original February deadline, having finally snuck it out this week. The browser-based game is a series of maze challenges, that'll take you through the streets of San Francisco, downtown Tokyo and beyond. All atop Google's iconic 3D textured maps, naturally. Eight levels in total are on offer, making it an ideal lunchtime -- or if the boss is away -- afternoon time kill. Roll down to the source link below to give it a spin, nudge and roll.

Google Maps 'Cube' game rolls out, back, up, back again originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google's been spending some quality time with its Maps offering of late. Most recently, it overhauled the 3D buildings and landmarks to make them, well, better. This time, its Maps' juiced up sibling MapsGL that's been feeling the paternal love. The WebGL-based 3D renderings have been the same treatment, making your virtual aerial tours all the more realistic. Now, as you glide over the landscape, your view of the buildings is much more like real life. Or you could just take the lazy tourism one step further. Hit the source for examples.

Google MapsGL updates 3D buildings, improves virtual tourism originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Looking to get a better feel for that Yosemite National Park expedition this summer? Google Maps is looking to go beyond the regular ol' snapshot and offer an experience that feels more like an actual visit -- only you won't have to leave your sofa. The folks in Mountain View have added photo tours to over 15,000 sites around the globe from Italy to the aforementioned Half Dome in California. A search for your virtual destination of choice will indicate whether or not a tour is available for that particular locale. How does it work? The outfit uses user-contributed Picasa and Panaromio photos -- only those listed as public -- alongside some fancy computer techniques to provide a 3D tour. Along the way, Maps selects the best possible path through the highest quality images. At the bottom of each photo, contributor credit is given and Goog says when more shots get shared, these tours will improve over time. You'll need Google Maps with WebGL to get the sightseeing started, though. If you're looking for a quick preview, hit the video just past the break.

Continue reading Google Maps offers photo tours of popular destinations, won't make you leave the couch (video)

Google Maps offers photo tours of popular destinations, won't make you leave the couch (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Verizon announced that its LTE service now covers two-thirds of the US population, and T-Mobile dropped its 'nice girl' image in attempt to position its HSPA+ network as a viable competitor to LTE. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of April 16th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of April 16th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of April 16th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of April 2nd, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of April 2nd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google offers Floor Plan Marker app to businesses so they can improve indoor mapping originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google Maps 8-bit version for NES: April Fools arrives a day early in Mountain View

Google Maps 8-bit version for NES: April Fools arrives a day early in Mountain View originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Travel in traffic estimates return to Google Maps, promises not to suck this time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google Maps for Android gets bumped to 6.5, new navigation view and higher resolution map tiles in tow

Google Maps for Android gets bumped to 6.5, new navigation view and higher resolution map tiles in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Street View takes you to the Amazon, without all the pesky piranhas originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Maps improves 3D models of major landmarks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Maps delivers live traffic updates to Hong Kongers, Kiwis and Norwegians originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Foursquare.com checks in with OpenStreetMap, checks out of Google Maps API originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Maps for Android gets updated, improves battery life for Latitude, location history users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

French court fines Google France 500,000 euros for gratis Maps originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google adding Public Alerts to Maps, keeps you in the loop in times of worry originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading eye3 hexicopter helps your DSLR take flight for $999

eye3 hexicopter helps your DSLR take flight for $999 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google outs new tilt and roll Maps game, promotes Google+

Google outs new tilt and roll Maps game, promotes Google+ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Update to Google Maps improves battery life, public transit options and more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Maps indoor navigation: yeah, it works at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pastmapper looks to take Google Maps back in time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Despite Google's best efforts to continually roll out new features and updates, it can't add everything. This is where last April's Map Maker comes in and it's been given a design refresh in line with the rest of Google's portfolio. The update also attempts to make the interface easier for first-timers, with a brief tutorial page explaining all the tools on offer. You can now draw in new roads, bike trails and other local features in over 180 countries and once approved -- there is a moderation system in place -- they'll appear integrated into this alternate universe Google map. Wannabe cartographers can check the video intro after the break or get involved at the source link below.

Continue reading Google streamlines Map Maker, wants you to start crafting your own (video)

Google streamlines Map Maker, wants you to start crafting your own (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google Maps 6.0 hits Android, adds indoor navigation for retail and transit

Google Maps 6.0 hits Android, adds indoor navigation for retail and transit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Maps Android app update gentrifies Places, Live Events forces Twitter out originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Another month, another land-grab by Android's now-dominant Gingerbread iteration. According to the latest usage stats from its app market, the last smartphone-only version now lays claim to 44.4 percent of all Android phones. We'd put this down to continued efforts by the major phone manufacturers to deliver version 2.3 on their new phones, and not the often haphazard attempts at upgrading existing devices. Froyo, which took nine months to grab a majority share, still claws onto a 40.7 percent share, while Honeycomb on tablets (not included above) scrapes together just under two percent of the Android ecosystem. Hopefully ICS will bring harmony to all Google-powered devices, but it'll be a challenge to best version 2.x's high watermark -- it once captured 83 percent of everything Android.

UPDATED: For those not in the know, these statistics come from the Android devices that accessed the app market in the latest two-week period.

Four out of ten Androids prefer the taste of Gingerbread originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google Street View walks through parks, so you don't have to

Google Street View walks through parks, so you don't have to originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple reportedly acquires C3 Technologies, iOS Maps overhaul on the horizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• The HTC Rezound (codenamed the Vigor) started showing up in Cellebrite systems, just another indicator of its impending arrival -- and likely name. [Droid-Life]
• AT&T's current lineup of Windows Phones, such as the Samsung Focus, LG Quantum and HTC Surround, are now showing up as EOL -- End-of-life -- likely in preparation for the trio of incoming devices we saw earlier this week. [WMPowerUser]
• Cricket added another ZTE feature phone to its lineup this week, called the Memo (shown above). It's got a full QWERTY keyboard and is available for $100. [Cnet]
• Google Maps for Android was the beneficiary of yet another update. This time, version 5.11 makes one critical feature change: it offers different-sized maps for phones with different screen resolutions. Thus, if you have a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, you're not forced to download a map designed for a 4.3-inch qHD display, saving space on your phone in the process. [MobileBurn]
• Vodafone 360, launched in 2009 as a LiMo-based cloud synchronization and backup service, will be officially closed by the end of the year. The carrier stopped developing handsets that took advantage of the plan last year, so it really was a matter of time before this happened. [Wall Street Journal]
• Toshiba Mobile Display announced this week that it's working on a new type of mobile display optimized for wide-angle viewing. Dubbed the "Soludina," it'll be shown off at next week's FPD International in Japan. [Nikkei]
• Sprint announced a new plan called Wireless CapTel that's designed for those who are hard of hearing. The service, which can be used on Android devices, allows the caller to view conversations in real time as word-for-word captions on their phone's screen. [BusinessWire]
• Telus will officially launch the 4G Samsung Galaxy S II X on October 28th, according to its website. [Unwired View]

Mobile Miscellany: week of October 17, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google's Street View takes to the rails in Switzerland originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Maps adds 3D bird's eye route previews for high-flying navigators originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

'What Was There' project adds a pinch of history to augmented reality originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google acquires Zagat: good news for foodies, bad news for Yelp? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Updates can be somewhat of an addiction to the Android faithful -- just peep those XDA forums. And even though this particular Google upgrade isn't exactly the Ice Cream Sandwich of our Autumn dreams, it's still a noteworthy bump to the oft-used Maps app. Bundled up in version 5.10.0 are two minor, but useful tweaks that'll display your four and five star rated Places, as well as letting you tack a photo onto your review. We managed to download the update directly to our phone, but last we checked, the web-based marketplace still hadn't refreshed with the latest offering. Make sure to hit the source link below to keep your Gapps up to snuff.

Google Maps update adds top-rated reviews, photos to Places originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Scoshe already offers a fairly impressive range of mobile accessories, but its now branched out into some uncharted territory with its latest offering. The company has just announced its new RDTX-PRO radiation detector and app for the iPhone and iPod touch, which launches in Japan next month. With no calibration needed, the device attaches to your iOS handheld via the dock connector and offers gamma radiation detection above 60keV within +/- 5% accuracy. If that wasn't enough, the peripheral can also be used as a standalone alarm for radioactivity for up to 96 hours, and the aforementioned app will let you to share your findings via Facebook, Twitter or Google Maps. Still not convinced Scosche is fighting the good fight? Well, $10 from each $330 unit sold will benefit a group of charities dedicated to aiding those affected by the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. For an closer look at the UI, take a peek at the gallery below, or for the full rundown, hit the PR after the break.

Gallery: Scosche RDTX-PRO

Continue reading Scosche's RDTX-PRO for iPhone and iPod touch detects radiation, funds charities

Scosche's RDTX-PRO for iPhone and iPod touch detects radiation, funds charities originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google Maps adds current weather conditions for those who hate being rained on (video)

Google Maps adds current weather conditions for those who hate being rained on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.