The new Google Maps application, released this week, offers new ways to interact with the virtual environment, while delivering the same navigational experience users have become accustomed to with previous versions.
The application is currently available for smartphones and tablets running Android, while an iOS version is expected to follow soon.
"It's a new mapping experience that makes exploring the world and getting to the places that matter to you a lot faster and easier," reads Google's official blog.
New features
The app offers several new features, such as the Explore button, which highlights activities available in the user's immediate vicinity - from restaurants and shopping, to recreational options - before listing specific locations.
Improved navigation makes driving through traffic simpler. "You can now see reports of problems on the road that you can tap to see incident details," Google says.
A five-star rating system also allows users to rate the places they visit, and these scores are then seen by other users browsing through the same area at any given time.
The app also gives users a glimpse of available specials from national brands.
A few changes
Latitude and check-ins are the two features dropped from the latest Maps app and Google says they will fall away from older versions from 9 August. "We understand some of you still want to see your friends and family on a map, which is why we've added location-sharing and check-ins to Google+ for Android (coming soon to iOS)," the blog says.
Also set to fall away is the offline maps feature. The company says the new way to access maps offline is "by simply entering 'OK Maps' into the search box when viewing the area you want for later".
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