May 26, 2011 13:00 GMT  ·  By

Inevitably, computing is becoming increasingly mobile. Users expect to be able to access the web anywhere they are and to get information when and where they need it. It's no surprise then that Google Maps is becoming increasingly used on mobile devices, so much so that Google expects mobile use to overtake desktop use next month.

Right now, 40 percent of users come from mobile devices, smartphones, tablets but also regular feature phones and the number is growing rapidly. On the weekends, mobile use is already the biggest.

In fact, the mobile Google Maps apps, in whatever form, have been installed more than 200 million times now. Of course, a mapping tool with local search and info is going to be a lot more useful on mobile devices, that you can pull out anywhere, than on desktops or even laptops.

The fact that mobile Maps usage is growing is not new, but now Marissa Mayer, head of everything having to do with maps, location and local info at Google, has now given a time frame for when mobile overtakes desktop use.

Coincidentally, Google has also released an updated Maps app for Android. Many of the changes and new features in Google Maps 5.5 for Android have to do with Places and Latitude.

"Now when you open a Place page from your mobile device, you can check in to places with Google Latitude or submit a rating or review by clicking on two new buttons at the top of the listing," Luis Sigal, a software engineer at Google, announced.

Another big update is a redesigned transit station page. Google has been adding transit data for more and more locations and the redesigned page should display the info in a more relevant manner. For a particular station, all departures are listed as well as all of the lines passing through that station. There are also links to other stations nearby.