Google Maps

We knew this was coming ever since Google acquired the Yelp of traffic apps, Waze, a few months ago. Google Maps users will now receive real time accident, construction and road closure reports from the Waze community, and Waze users will soon have access to Google Search and Street View.

Waze is a traffic and navigation service with over 50 million members. The Waze community uses its mobile app to keep each other informed about current traffic jams and road conditions.

"No one likes getting stuck in traffic," Google explained on its Maps blog. "That’s why the Waze and Google Maps teams are working together to harness the power of Google technology and the passion of the Waze community to make it easier to navigate your daily life."

Google released version 2.0 of its Maps application for iOS earlier this month. One feature that was not mentioned in the official change log is the ability to cache maps. In fact, this capability is hidden and requires a special trick to activate. Performing this one simple step will automatically pre-load the current map into your local cache, making it viewable offline.

This means if you suddenly lose your data connection the map is still available. To save a map to your iOS device, just zoom into the area you want to download then type "Ok maps" without the quotes into the Search box, then hit Search. If successful, Google maps will provide a pop-up box noting that the on-screen map area has been cached.

Google rolled out updates for two of its more popular iOS apps on Wednesday. The Google Chrome browser now shows your entire browsing history, instead of just the most recently closed tabs. You can view your browsing history by tapping the new "History" tab under Settings. To clear your history, just tap the "Clear Browsing Data" bar at the bottom of the page. This will take you to the Privacy settings where you can delete your entire browsing history, cache or cookies. Other improvements to Chrome include better integration with other Google apps, data cost savings, and fullscreen for the iPad.

Google Maps also received a new look for the iPad, and the new Explore feature that Google has been championing for this update. Explore allows you to find specific locations like local places to eat, drink and shop. To use the new feature, just tap the search bar and then tap the the Explore card that pops up. You can then choose the category you want explore like Eat, Drink or Sleep. Each category also features a few subcategories for you to choose from. Other new features include live traffic updates and a simpler 5-star rating system.

Check out the complete changelogs for both Google iOS apps below.

Google has launched the first update to its stand-alone Google Maps app for iOS. Version 1.1 brings several improvements for iPhone and iPod touch users. Local search gets new icons to organize nearby results by category, such as post offices, bars, gas stations and the like.

This can speed up the search process if you're in a hurry, making the local search feature even more powerful and convenient. The other major upgrade is Google Contacts integration. If you're a Google account user, this means your contacts will be included in Google Maps search results.

I've recently noticed that my iPhone is starting to look like a Google billboard, and I'm starting to wonder if other iPhone owners are feeling the same way.

YouTube beat out Instagram as the most downloaded free app of the year, and Google Maps shot to the top of the charts after being downloaded over 10 million times in less than two days. Granted, YouTube and Google Maps were already popular apps people were used to using, and iPhone owners just wanted them back after Apple removed them with iOS 6. But if you're like me, and have traded in Siri for Google Search, and Safari for Google Chrome, you might feel like you're betraying Apple a little.

Then there are Gmail users and the social networking addicts who use Google+ along with Facebook and Twitter, and now Google is taking over our iPhone cameras with YouTube Capture. At this rate iPhone users are going to find themselves with more Google apps on their devices than stock Apple apps, or any other third party apps.