Google Maps updated to 5.5 and crosses 200 million mobile users

Rejoice, Android users! Google Maps has been updated to 5.5 and it brings a slew of updates Place pages by adding a button for check-ins and one for rating that place. It also improves home/work location tracking in Latitude, and public transit Place pages. These updates come on the heels of the news that Google Maps has passed 200 million mobile users across all platforms. Of course, not all platforms get the same features, and, being Google's baby, Android gets all the best tricks first.

This Maps update is all about making existing features more prominent and easier to find. It adds easy access to a check-in button on the Place page, so you can check-in or check-out of your favorite places. It also adds easy access to the rate and review button. The tweaks to Latitude make it easier to edit your home and work addresses if you use Latitude's cool location history feature. This feature was released last month, and gives users a dashboard to track how much time they spend at home, at work, or out. This location history is completely private unless you choose to share it.

The last change is to the public transit Place pages, which adds information about upcoming departures for lines at that station. Google Maps transit information is a wonderful resource available in 440 cities worldwide, and this update makes it easier to find information from a nearby station without having to search for directions.

You can grab the update in the Android Market.