Google Maps Becoming Social?

Alright so recently Google updated their Maps application with a slew of new features, to save my fingers here they are:

* See reviews from experts and people you know
* Find just the right places with Zagat scores and summaries
* Get directions directly from map bubbles.

Basically Zagat integration and easier directions. Yet, Google forgot to mention some other things that they had secretly storedwithin the Maps apk.

First off we have these pictures shown above that indicate that the next version of Maps will include some sort of timeline feature. As you can see each icon’s name is prefaced with “timeline_”. Obviously much? There are checkmarks, location icons, home icons, briefcases, and question marks. What do they all mean? Some seem a little more obvious than other but for accurate info I think we’re going to have to wait for the Google Maps Event.

The next feature hidden within the apk is the speculation that Latitude, Google adventure social feature that somewhat mimics foursquare, might be integrated with Google+ and its circles. There’s a file in the apk named “latitude_migrate_to_circles_welcome_dialog.xml”, come on now really. I’m not sure if Google was really trying to HIDE these files, more like tease them. Hopefully this means we will be able to add friends by the …”circle”-load instead of doing it one person at a time right now.

Also some other features and files, discovered in the latest update include names like “open table”, a layer that should help cyclist, and also what looks like it could be bus tokens, or other such coins, tagged with “bucketed_price”. Again these were all found by just digging around the apk, none of these features have been discussed by Google to the general public so we don’t know when or even IF to expect them. We do know that Google is actively working on them.