by Rob D. Young
Google has added new features to the Google Places app, Google Maps, Google Music (beta), and the Blogger app. Here’s a brief outline of the key features.
Google Places iOS App
IPhone and iPad users will be getting some new filter options in the most recent Google Places release. Specifically, you can narrow your results by its distance, overall rating, or average price per plate. Users will also be able to see whether the location is open. Further, reviews – previously available as snippets – can now be read in full.
Google Maps for Android
Part of the reason we’re not seeing an identical release of Google Places for Android is that Places is largely integrated into Android’s Google Maps. Unsurprisingly, then, Google Maps is getting its own additions, including the option to quickly see any location you’ve rated as 4 or 5 stars and to upload photos with Places reviews.
The Google Music (Beta) Web App
The cloud-based Google Music application was released only for Android. However, all users with a modern smartphone can now access a web app that gives access to the features. This is especially notable because on iOS the music can continue to play in the background even as users open other applications or otherwise play around with their phone.
Users will need to have their music uploaded to the cloud and have a current login for the Music (beta) service.
The Blogger iOS App
The newest version of Blogger for iPhone and iPad users will allow you to publish posts, save drafts, and access drafts from your mobile device. That includes any drafts saved from another system – such as your computer or a different mobile device. You can take pictures directly from the app and add those pictures to your post.
This week’s common trend? It seems that Google is giving iOS users a lot of love while focusing on visual elements of the mobile experience.
