Google Maps 5.8 Update For Android Adds Photo Uploads, My Places, And More

Google today released an update to version 5.8 for its Google Maps Android app. The update brings several new enhancements to the Places and Latitude components by adding the ability to easily upload photos for a Place as well as making it simple to add and check into a new Place while on the go.

The new photo uploader lets you contribute photos to a Place to help others get a better idea of what to expect upon traveling to that destination—almost like a crowd-sourced street view, if you will. The photo you contribute for a Place may even become the profile image for its page. To view or delete any photos that you've contributed to a Place, you can manage them via the "Photos for Google Maps" album in your Picasa account.

Additionally, the update brings a "My Places" feature that lets you quickly access the recent Places you've been as well as the Place pages you've looked at or starred. Descriptive terms are now included in search results for Place listings and it's also much easier to add new Places for check-ins while on the go. The update requires Android 2.1 and above and can be downloaded from the Android Market.

[via Google Mobile Blog]