The new Google Maps update to version 4.4 is available in the market right now and includes a new dedicated app for their “Places” feature.  This just puts Google that much closer to complete cell phone domination doesn’t it?  Their Maps and Navigation have already become everyone’s #1 option and this new move should put a strain on Yelp’s grasp.

Funny note…the Android robot watermarking the “Bars” section is a nice touch.

Source:  Google Mobile Blog

The texting app Road SMS from the Galaxy S lineup of phones has been ported to just about any Android phone.  I’m actually not even sure the app needed tweaking as it seems to work flawlessly on the Droid, Incredible and Droid X.

Not sure what Road SMS is?  It’s essentially the coolest texting app around.  Using your camera, you can now walk down the street texting and see exactly where you are going rather than running into the curb, angry transient or weird guy on the segway.

*For all users.  Should work on Droid 1, Incredible and Droid X.

Download:  roadsms 1.01.apk (alt link)  (alt link2)  (alt link3)

Instructions…

1.  Download the roadsms.apk to your SD card.
2.  When it finishes, tap on it and select “install.”
3.  Once it finishes installing, go to your app drawer and open the app.  Enjoy!

Source:  XDA Forums

Cheers Greg!

The guys at Phandroid have received a picture of a Nexus One displaying a test version of Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) that is guaranteed to bring out the “Photoshopped!”, “So fake! Look at that notification bar!”, and “Build.prop hacked!” guys.  While we should all be skeptical about the reality of 3.0 in the wild this early, why not just accept it as a rumor and have some fun with it?

We should also point out that Droid Dog has found some Linpack test results showing a few different versions of Gingerbread including 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2.  Interesting enough.

And this news obviously prompted us to head to our own analytics which have in the past brought out some fun gems and were hoping to find Android 3.0, but instead found an Android 5.0?  Huh?

We also found a unicorn tucked deep inside our “visitor loyalty” section.

Thoughts?

Source:  Phandroid

Droid X accessories are starting to stock back up across the nation and we snagged one of the new multimedia stations to test out the HDMI output and because for some reason we’re obsessed with docking stations.  Overall, this is the best docking station on the market and a lot of that has to do with the multimedia app that comes pre-loaded on the DX, but the look, feel and features on this bad boy are also top notch.

Check out our review…

The Droid X multimedia dock is now available in the Droid Life store.

And the Kanex HDMI cable featured in the video can be found here.

Our story last week concerning Asurion and their inability to replace your broken Droid 1 with another Droid 1 after Motorola decided to stop production on it caused enough of a stir for the mobile insurance heavyweight to reach out to us with some good news.

While they immediately confirmed that the Droid 1 is out of production and that the Ally, Eris and Devour are your current options for replacement, they did drop a Droid X/Incredible reference as a future option.  Asurion expects some limited shipments of both devices later this summer and will offer them up immediately as replacement for your broken D1.  Limited is probably the key word there as Verizon can’t keep either in stock, but at least it’ll be an option that should be more than satisfactory.

On a related note, some of you have gone through the process and had success replacing your D1 with another D1, but they assured me that will not be the case for long.  When asked if they were still expecting to receive shipments of the D1, they said that will not be the case and for now, it’s just the lower end Android options.

Good news on the DX/DI stuff though right?

There are some differing opinions as to the quality of the camera on the new Droid X, but one thing that can’t be argued against is the coolness that is the “Panorama assist” feature.  The DX’s camera allows you to line up 6 shots consecutively while moving in whichever direction you choose to snap some pretty cool wide-range views.  This is essentially the same feature seen in the new Sony Cybershot commercial with everyone’s favorite country sweetheart Taylor Swift.  Err…here’s how it’s done!

Open your camera app and press “Menu” and choose “Picture modes”…

Select “Panorama assist”…

Choose the direction you’d like to take your series of photos in…

Snap your first shot and start moving in the direction you selected…

It can take up to 6 consecutive shots so just keep on rollin’ until your shot is complete.

Have fun!  And feel free to post your own shots in the comments.  Upload them to your favorite image hosting site and paste the URL to share with the rest of the DL community.

Remember the Droid Shadow?  No?  If you are new here that name might not mean much, but to those of you following along in our Droid X coverage over the last few months, know that this device went through various name changes before Verizon finally settled on a single letter just before launch.  The first time we saw the name Shadow was all the way back in January just after the Nexus One hit Google’s online store.  It now appears that this original name wasn’t just some rumor and in fact was expected to be final as you can clearly see from that shot of the DX’s car mount above.

On this new car mount, there is an insert that can be removed for those of you docking with skins and the backside references the name “Shadow.”  Awwww, memories.

The Droid X car mount is now available in the Droid Life store.

Cheers Tony!