Last fall, Google launched Place Pages which organize relevant and useful information about places on Google Maps. Since then Google have been developing a version, available now, which gives you access to the same useful information optimized for your mobile phone. For example, in the video below, the Place Page for Mama’s restaurant in San Francisco shows location information, customer ratings, opening hours and what people are saying about the restaurant in summary format.
To get more details on opening hours or on customer specific comments related to the food, service or ambiance, simply click on those respective sections to show more information instantly. The Place Page also provides links to useful websites where the user can read full reviews about the place. Lastly, if address and cross street information is not enough, click on the map button and you will be taken to a full screen dynamic map which is pannable and zoomable. In this way you can quickly see the restaurant’s location in the context of the entire neighborhood.
To try this yourself, go to google.com on your phone’s browser and search for “mama’s sf”. On the search results page, click on the listing for Mama’s restaurant to go to the Place Page. This mobile optimized Place Page is currently supported on Android-powered devices and iPhones/iPod touches in the US.
Google Maps version 4.0 is the first ever update in 2010 for BlackBerry from Google Maps Team. The new version help you find places faster, post from those places with Google Buzz, star them for quick access, and more.
Search by voice
Simply press and hold the green “call” button, speak your search, and see your results quickly appear without typing a single letter. Try it now for any search, like the name of my favorite hometown pizza place, “Punch Pizza in Minneapolis.” You can also search by voice for addresses like “802 Washington Avenue Southeast” or search for other another pizza place to try by speaking, “pizza restaurants.” Currently supported languages include multiple English accents and Mandarin Chinese.
Google Buzz
Google Buzz for mobile also makes its debut on BlackBerry phones in Google Maps 4.0 . Use the Google Buzz layer to see what’s going on around you or to post to the layer yourself. Check out the many ways to explore the Buzz layer in Google Maps for mobile, including sharing pictures, news, and more. From the Maps main menu, select Layers > Buzz to enable the layer; open the menu and select “Post Buzz” to add your own public post from a location or place.
Take your searches and starred places to go
Just like in Google Maps on Android, the BlackBerry version now provides personalized search suggestions from your maps.google.com search history. If I previously searched for “Punch Pizza” at home, I can simply type “pun” into Maps on my phone to see “Punch Pizza” at the top of the suggested search terms. Make sure you’ve signed in to your Google Account (Menu > Sign In) and have Web History enabled for your account.
Signing in to your Google Account also synchronizes starred items between maps.google.com on your computer (My Maps > Starred items) and phone (Menu > Starred Items). I’ll do my heavy pizza research at home, star several pizzerias I want to try, and browse the list in Google Maps on my phone when I’m ready to eat.
Wait, there’s more!
Also check out other new features added with 4.0:
Use Labs to try experimental features like the Scale Bar or Terrain layer (great for hiking enthusiasts!).
See nearby businesses at an address or location by selecting a point from the map.
Report a problem with the map data or a business listing.
To get started, install the latest version of Google Maps 4.0 for BlackBerry by going to m.google.com/maps in your BlackBerry’s Internet Browser. The update for BlackBerry Enterprise Server administrators and users, including support for BlackBerry OS 5.0 phones, is available here.
A new Google Maps version has been released for the Android users and just as usual it comes with some cool new features.
Updated search results page
The new version of Google Maps have been redesigned to give you all the information in one page rather than having you to switch tabs. Tap the new buttons to see the place on the map, get directions, call it, or see it with Street View. The extra space lets to bring details and reviews right up front.
Swipe for more results
Sometimes a single page result won’t do it for you. Well then you gotta scroll through pages. And yeah, no tapping, just grab the page and swipe it left or right. The next/previous results will be loaded. Could it be anymore fun searching ??
Latitude Widget and Live Maps Wallpaper
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could quickly find your nearest friends or glance at the traffic conditions around you without opening Maps? Add the Latitude widget to a home screen panel to see your nearest Latitude friends by pressing the “Menu” button from the home screen and selecting Add > Widgets > Latitude. On Android 2.1+ phones, you can also turn your home screen into one big, updating map using the Maps live wallpaper. Press the “Menu” button from your home screen and select Wallpaper > Live wallpapers > Maps. Now you can see nearby friends or a map each time you open your home screen.
Use Multiple Accounts
So if you have multiple IDs, then this is really handy for you. You can choose to add more accounts and switch between them easily. Features like Google Buzz, Latitude, Starred items, My Maps, and more can then begin using whichever account you’ve chosen.
So what are you waiting for ?? Go get the update and don’t forget to star us 
