Google Maps for iOS to help you find quickest way home

Google Maps users on iOS can now find the fastest ways to get home with a new update. The iOS version is finally getting the feature that has been available for Android for about a month. You can chart a route home and set that as Google Maps shows you traffic data in real-time and inform you of the quickest way you can get home. You can choose to re-route or stick with your original plan. This feature works for countries where navigation is supported.

Source: Ubergizmo

Google Maps on iOS gains access to your flight, hotel and restaurant reservations

Google Maps on iOS just got a lot smarter with the recent update which now enables flight, hotel and restaurant reservations right to show up from the app. Integrating the functionality of Google Now into Maps, any of the above reservations that are tied in to your Gmail account will auto-populate on any relevant maps. This is  nicely integrated solution for globetrotting iOS users.

Google, NatGeo partner to offer 500 historic map online

Google and National Geographic have partnered to put over 500 of its signature fold-out historic paper maps onto the Google Maps Engine platform. Frank Biasi, digital development director at National Geographic, said high resolution maps will also be for sale or be available for licensing deals.

Source: The Verge

Google brings back embed feature for Google Maps, soon to include ads

Google is bringing back the embed feature for those using the new version of the mapping service. You just need to zoom in on the area you want to embed and locate the gear so you can select the “embed map” option. According to TechCrunch, Google also plans to include ads with the embedded maps.