Google Maps received an update last week that was supposed to improve battery life while using Latitude, only that’s not all that came with it. If you use the location and check-in service in Maps, you will notice that after a check-in, you are awarded points and a fancy animated leaderboard appears. From there, you can tap to see a full leaderboard that shows an all-time list, current week, and even last week. This new social check-in addition pulls from your Google+ Circles to let you compete with your friends or the world for that matter, similarly to what Foursquare offers.

Google has yet to officially mention that the service exists and has simply posted a brief 1 sentence section in their Maps support section. I’m sure we’ll see more before long.

My question is, does anyone actually use Latitude? I have always been intrigued by the idea of it, however, it’s difficult to find anyone that even knows what it is or how to use it.

Via:  Engadget, Google Support

Three of our favorite and most used apps all received updates today. Adobe’s Flash Player 11 has been updated with a few security enhancments. Sorry, no Chrome Beta still. The Google Maps application has been updated for improved battery performance on Latitude and Location History. And finally, Evernote is receiving lots of bug fixes, an improved interface for Explore Evernote and a fix for the copy/paste issue in the note editor.

Adobe Flash | Google Maps | Evernote

Cheers Chris!

This may not necessarily be Android-related, but Google+ and its growth is still fun to talk about. And with that growth we have the introduction of a new Google Maps game that’s essentially like the wooden pyramid game, only in a virtual setting on real streets through Maps. You will find city and indoor maps to help you “play your world, like never before.”

Attending CES? Be sure to check out Google Maps and their indoor maps feature, because it now includes the Las Vegas Convention Center for CES along with a variety of hotels. Basically what I’m suggesting, is that you ditch the 10MB CES app that updates on the daily, and go with GMaps instead.

Via:  Google

Google Maps received an update to version 6.0.0 this morning, bringing with it indoor maps for select airports, malls, and more. You can also easily switch between common features now using a quick menu up at the top of the app and find Places easier when searching. The star though, is clearly the indoor maps. I cruised over to the Portland airport and found a 3-level map of the place. Traveling and shopping just became a whole lot more fun.

Oh, and yours will look slightly different since that is the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Maps.  

A couple of updates to some of our favorite apps are available in the market as I type this. Google Maps jumped to version 5.12.0 and includes live event listings in Places pages for some major global players like New York, San Francisco, Paris, Zurich and London. The GMaps team also removed the “Post to Twitter” option from reviews in Places – is it just me or does that seem really odd? Anyone taking bets on a G+ sharing option soon?

The other update is for Adobe’s Flash Player 11, which as you all know, has essentially been given the ax going forward. In build 11.1.102.59, we see “performance improvements and bug fixes” that have to do with security and stability. That’s it.

Is this the last Flash update that we will ever see? Tough to tell. I can’t imagine that Adobe would stop putting out security fixes as they are needed. We just won’t be seeing anything new that you would write home to your mother about.

Market Links:  Google Maps | Flash Player 11.1

Cheers to everyone who sent this!

Verizon introduced a free maps app for your tablet this morning called UpNext HD Maps. It’s interactive and 3D just like Google Maps, includes quick tabs for finding restaurants, nightlife, and shopping, as well as deals. It’s actually not that bad of an app, I’m just trying to find a reason to use it over Google Maps. It doesn’t do navigation by itself, and instead matches up with VZ Navigator – an app you have to pay for. The 3D maps are colorful and fun though, but the app overall needs to find a way to load much faster than it current does.