Google Maps 更新 - Android

http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/07/google-maps-57-for-android-introduces.html

Today we’re releasing Google Maps 5.7 for Android. From Bangkok to
Baltimore, we’ve added Transit Navigation (Beta), updated access to
directions, better suggested search results, and a photo viewer to Place pages
—all of which can help you whether you’re traveling to an unfamiliar part
of town or visiting a city across the world.

Transit Navigation (Beta)
Google Maps Navigation (Beta) currently provides over 12 billion miles of
GPS-guided driving and walking directions per year. Now, GPS turn-by-turn (or
in this case, stop-by-stop) navigation is available for public transit
directions in 400+ cities around the globe with Transit Navigation.


http://youtu.be/1NTXkd0dguQ


Transit Navigation uses GPS to determine your current location along your
route and alerts you when it’s time to get off or make a transfer. This is
particularly helpful if you’re in a city where you don’t speak the language
and can’t read the route maps or understand the announcements. After
starting your trip with Transit Navigation, you can open another application
or put your phone away entirely and Google Maps will still display an alert
in your notification bar and vibrate your phone when your stop is coming up.

Left: Transit directions without Navigation. Right: with Navigation

Navigation alerts appear even if you switch to another app

Now you can spend more time enjoying the sights out the window and less time
worrying about how many stops are left, where you are along the route or
whether you missed your stop. Since Transit Navigation relies on GPS signals,
we recommend using this feature for above-ground transit.


Updated Directions
Now that we’ve improved our directions services, we wanted them to be
incredibly easy to pull up on your screen. If you select the driving or
walking icon and your route is supported by Google Maps Navigation, the
Navigation icon will automatically appear so you can get access to
step-by-step directions in one click. Note: this change is currently only in
place for driving and walking and does not appear for public transit.

One-click access to Navigation from directions

We’ve also streamlined how you access directions from within a Place page.
Before, clicking directions in a Place page would bring up options for “
Driving Navigation,” “Walking Navigation” and “Directions.” Now, you’ll
be taken straight to the map and see the new directions box shown above.

Improved Search Suggest
We’ve made two changes to search suggestions that improve their quality and
speed. First, we’ve added category icons, so instead of all search
suggestions displaying the same icon, the icon next to the listing will
reflect the type of result. You’ll see a pin for a Google Places listing, a
star for a starred Place or location, a clock for a previously used search
term, a person for contacts and a magnifying glass for “anything else.”

Two examples of search suggest with new icons

Also, any place you got directions to or called directly from its Places page
will be included as a suggestion for a relevant search. For example, if you
recently received directions to the U.S. Post Office on Wilshire Boulevard,
afterward, when you begin a search with [p] or [bou], that U.S. Post Office
would appear as a search suggestion.


Photo viewer for Place pages
Since we released business photos for Place pages last October, millions of
photos have been added to Place pages around the world. To enable you to view
these photos on the run, a slick new photo viewer has been added so you can
browse photos while deciding where to go.

Left: Business photos in Place pages. Right: New photo viewer

To start using Google Maps 5.7 for Android, download the update here. This
update requires an Android OS 2.1+ device and works anywhere Google Maps is
currently available. Learn more at our help center and have fun exploring,
whether it be by car, transit, bike or foot.


============


A NEW addition in Google Labs: Download map area

How to download Google Maps data for offline use
http://youtu.be/vSgcNTZ0afg


============


http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/07/download-map-area-added-to-labs-in.html



Download map area
When you’re visiting an unfamiliar location, Google Maps for mobile is great
for getting an idea of how close you are to your destination, where streets
and landmarks are in relation to each other, or just for getting “un-lost.”
But what if you don’t have a data signal, or you’re abroad and don’t have
a data plan? We say that if you use Google Maps for mobile, you’ll never
need to carry a paper map again. The “Download map area” lab in Google Maps
5.7 for Android is a step in making that statement true even when you’re
offline.

Let’s say later you’re visiting Bordeaux during a trip to France. If you
were to open Google Maps for mobile and zoom into Bordeaux without data
coverage or wifi, you’d see the image on the left:

Left: Bordeaux with no data or wifi. Right: Bordeaux with downloaded map area

That’s not particularly useful when you’re trying to find out how close you
are to the Cathedrale St. Andre. But a little advance planning and “Download
map area” can help. Before you take your trip, while you still have access
to WiFi or data coverage, you can open up any Places page in the world, click
“More” to get the Place page menu, and download Google’s maps for a
10-mile radius.

Left: Tap a landmark to enter its Place page Right: Place page “more options
” menu

The download can take as little as a minute or two. This download stores only
the base map tiles and the landmarks on the map, so you still need a data
connection to see satellite view and 3D buildings, search for Places and get
directions. But we hope the level of detail available will help you find your
way!

Left: Status screen for download. Right: Coverage of downloaded map area

All your downloaded map areas can be managed in your Google Maps cache
settings so you can delete maps you no longer need or if you want to free up
storage. After 30 days, all downloaded map areas will be removed from your
cache; they can be re-downloaded any time.




--