When users search for a place on Google Maps, whether it’s a specific address, cross-street, or restaurant name, there’s a new button called “share this place” that posts the location info to Google Buzz, Facebook, Twitter, or via e-mail or SMS. Users can also send a snapshot of Google Maps indicating their current location. Google is stepping up to the new trend of location-sharing, in a way that’s simple and appealing to users who no longer have to download a third-party app to do the same thing. Additionally, the update adds biking directions to the list of driving, walking, and public transit info. Biking directions are similar to walking directions but it also includes topography information and calculates routes with specialized bike lanes where applicable. And finally, Google has pulled out its “Navigation” (GPS directions) feature from Google Maps and turned it into its own app. The new Navigation app lets users create “starred” destinations, allows them to easily get directions to contacts stored in the phone, and offers a voice command option to speak the address or name of the destination.

Resource:
http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-brief/49730-google-maps-android-update-adds-location-sharing-bike-routes

After a successful launch of the Google Buzz for mobile web application, Google today announced that the new Buzz widget is now available on the Android Market.

Google’s Buzz application acts like an extension of the Google Chat found in Gmail, allowing users to update and comment on each other’s statuses, post images, videos and links, and add a location tag to show where they were when they posted. The Buzz widget is currently only available in English, although Google say they are planning releases in multiple languages for the near future.

Google Buzz came under criticism last month for its overly complex privacy settings and by default allowing people to track users’ “most contacted” contacts. Google has since resolved the issue, although whether the new widget will allow it to compete with services like Twitter and Facebook remains to be seen.

If you happen to be an Orkut user with an Android phone, you might be glad to learn that Google has announced the release of an Orkut widget for phones that use the platform.

Along with the Orkut widget, Google Buzz too gets a new Android widget.

For those who are still unaware, Orkut is a dominant social network in Brazil and India where even Facebook finds itself relegated to the second spot. Although Facebook has managed to usurp Orkut’s dominance in India to an extent of late, it has not managed to do so in Brazil. The Orkut app boasts of features such as Live Folders and photo upload options right from the phone. The Live folders option allows users to scroll through your buddy list even whilst you are “offline” and are not using a data connection. And yes, you also get scrap notifications – in real time. The Orkut app can be downloaded from the Android Market.

The Google Buzz widget helps you do what it is intended to do – post Google Buzz updates. You can post text, photos and stuff directly from the phone. The posts can be tagged as well. The Google Buzz widget for Android is compatible only with devices that have Android OS 1.6 installed. To add the widget, all you need to do is to go to Menu > Add > Widgets > Google Buzz and that should do the trick. Will this new Orkut widget manage to save Orkut from being usurped by Facebook as the largest social networking website in Brazil and India? Not likely. For that to happen, these applications have to arrive on more widespread platforms like Symbian and even Windows Mobile 6 for that matter.

Resource:
http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Android_Gets_Google_Buzz_Orkut_Widgets/551-110024-580.html