14 DAY TRIAL // Mountain View-based Internet giant Google has just announced a new version of one of its most popular services on Android, namely Google Maps, now available for download as version 4.7.
According to the company, the new release comes with a nice range of new features, including a new local recommendation engine, offering users the possibility to get personalized recommendations, and enabling them to rate places on the go.
“Google Maps on Android just got even hotter with Hotpot, our new local recommendation engine that helps you discover places you’ll love based on opinions from you and your friends,” a recent post on Google Mobile Blog Reads.
With the new Hotpot, users can rate places on the go, via a new widget designed specifically for this.
The widget can be installed easily on the handset's homescreen through going to Menu > Add > Widgets > Rate Places.
“Now you can write and publish ratings and reviews from your mobile phone. [...] So, when you polish off the crispiest carnitas taco you’ve ever eaten, you can pull out your Android phone to celebrate the event and give that taqueria the public love it deserves,” the said blog post continues.
Moreover, Google Maps 4.7 enables Android users to receive personalized recommendations, based on the friends list one has, or to have friends receiving such recommendations.
“[...] when you add friends to the mix using Hotpot on your computer, your ratings will point them in the direction of the best enchiladas in town the next time they crave Mexican food, wherever they happen to be,” Google states.
Google Maps 4.7 can be downloaded from the Android Market for all handsets running under Android 1.6 or higher, in all markets where the Maps are already available.
According to Google, iPhone users should expect to get a Places app in the near future, providing them with the option to rate and get place recommendations as well.
“Alternatively, you can rate and get place recommendations from your phone browser (iPhone and Android) in the US. Just visit the Places tab at google.com as we roll out over the next day,” the blog post reads.
