Google Maps for Android Get Battery Improvements, Expanded Indoor Coverage

Google has just made available for download a new flavor of its popular Google Maps application for devices running under the Android operating system.

The latest flavor of the mobile application arrives on devices with a series of improvements related to the battery performance.

Users who will download and install the new app release will benefit from fresher locations for friends in Latitude, as well as from one more route options for public transit directions.

In the new app release, Transit Navigation (Beta) can determine the location based on vehicle speed at times when GPS signal is lost.

These improvements are available on all supported Android devices and will be accessible as soon as users download and install the latest version of Google Maps from the Android Market.

However, there are also some other enhancements that Google brought to its Maps, and which will appeal to all Android users present on the floor at CES 2012, namely an expanded list of places with indoor maps.

The Las Vegas Convention Center is one of the places on that list. Select resorts and casinos were also added there, as well as the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.

Google notes that they have partnered with MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and others companies to deliver indoor maps for Caesars Palace, Bellagio, The Venetian, The Palazzo, MGM Grand and many more.

“We hope that these indoor maps will come in handy when finding your way through the slots and to the shops,” Brian McClendon, VP of engineering, Google Earth and Maps, notes in a recent blog post.

“And for those of you who catch gadget-fever with CES in town, we've also partnered with a number of Best Buy stores in the Las Vegas area. For more detailed list of indoor maps partners, go to our help center or to see a demo, start here.”