A post on the Google Mobile Blog announces that the popular Google Maps service for mobile phones has been updated with a new feature, allowing users to find businesses while on the go. According to the post, users are now able to easily find stores, restaurants or other various points of interest by simply entering the name of the business in the end or start point.

Up until now, users who wanted to find a specific business were facing a problem if they were not familiar with the address of their point of interest. Google Maps for mobile was not able to understand when the name of a business was entered in the start or end point and searched for an address that would have the name in it.

From now on, the new feature will allow users to find directions to restaurants or stores much easier with the newly-announced update. Entering a name as “starbucks” or “mcdonald's” in the start point would provide directions towards the business and not the address. All that you have to do is enter a name to see what happens.

Those in possession of a BlackBerry, Nokia S60, T-Mobile G1, iPhone, or other smartphone owners who already have Google Maps on their devices can now enjoy the feature without the need of any additional download. The update was made on the company's servers, the blog post announces, and not on the Google Maps for mobile client. All that they have to do is try out the feature to see how well it goes along with their needs.

Those who own a compatible phone but do not have the app installed on their device yet can get it by accessing google.com/gmm directly from the handset. Perhaps you should give it a try to see whether the new feature appeals to you.