Check-ins and rating places get easier with Google Maps 5.5 for Android

(Cross posted from Google LatLong Blog)

We’ve made it easier to check in and out of places, rate various locations, and get transit information with Google Maps 5.5 for Android. This release adds ‘check in’ and ‘rate and review’ buttons to Place pages, the option to edit your home/work address for Latitude, and redesigned transit station pages.

Read below for more details about the new features, which we hope will improve your user experience, a topic we take very seriously as there are now more than 200 million users of Google Maps for mobile across platforms and devices worldwide.

New check-in and rating buttons added to Place pages

Now when you open a Place page from your mobile device, you can check in to places with Google Latitude or submit a rating or review by clicking on two new buttons at the top of the listing.

This past week I had the chance to explore the Computer History Museum during my visit to San Francisco from across the pond in London. Once nearby, I could quickly open the museum’s Place page and check in.

When I was ready to leave and head to lunch, in a few seconds I could go back to the Place page and rate the museum – which certainly earned the 5 star rating it received from me.

Update home and work address for your Latitude Location History

Last month we released the Location History dashboard for Latitude which estimates how much time you spend at home, work, and everywhere else. If your home or work address changes, or you’d rather set a different address to represent ‘home’ and ‘work,’ you can now edit these addresses within Latitude.

Change home/work location from Location History dashboard

View the redesigned transit station pages

It’s been about two years since we added transit directions in Google Maps for Android. Since then, we’ve increased the coverage from 250 cities to more than 440 and counting - the most recent being Washington, D.C. To make it easier to plan your transit route, we updated the transit station pages in this release to better organize the information you need.

Each page now includes a list of upcoming scheduled departures for different lines, all the transit lines serving the station, and links to nearby transit stations.


Download Google Maps 5.5 for Android here to try out the new check-in and rating buttons, update your Latitude Location History home/work address, check out a transit station in a nearby city, or just make sure you have the latest version of Google Maps for Android. This update requires an Android OS 1.6+ device anywhere Google Maps is currently available. Learn more in our help center.

Posted by Luis Sigal, Software Engineer

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Caroline Dunst:

Born April 30, 1982 (age 29)
Point Pleasant, New Jersey, United States
Occupation Actress, singer, model
Years active 1989–present


Kirsten Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982) is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories (1989). At the age of 12, Dunst gained widespread recognition playing the role of vampire Claudia in Interview with the Vampire (1994), a performance for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. The same year she appeared in Little Women, to further acclaim.


Dunst achieved international fame as a result of her portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man trilogy (2002–07). Since then her films have included the romantic comedy Wimbledon (2004), the romantic science fiction Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Cameron Crowe's tragicomedy Elizabethtown (2005). She played the title role in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006), starred in the comedy How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) and for her performance in Lars von Trier's Melancholia won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.


In 2001, Dunst made her singing debut in the film Get Over It, in which she performed two songs. She also sang the jazz song "After You've Gone" for the end credits of the film The Cat's Meow (2001).









[caption id="attachment_607" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Actress Kirsten Dunst attends the "Melancholia" photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2011 in Cannes, France. "][/caption]



References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Dunst
photos collection

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie:

Born June 4, 1975 (age 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress, director, humanitarian
Years active 1982; 1993–present
Spouse Jonny Lee Miller (1996–1999)
Billy Bob Thornton (2000–2003)
Partner Brad Pitt (2005–present)
Children Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, Vivienne
Parents Jon Voight
Marcheline Bertrand (deceased)
Relatives James Haven (brother)
Chip Taylor (uncle)

Angelina Jolie (pronounced /dʒoʊˈliː/ joh-lee, born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. Jolie promotes humanitarian causes, and is noted for her work with refugees as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She has been cited as one of the world's most attractive people, as well as the world's "sexiest" and "most beautiful" woman, titles for which she has received substantial media attention.

Although she made her screen debut as a child with her father Jon Voight in the 1982 film Lookin' to Get Out, Jolie's acting career began in earnest a decade later with the low-budget production Cyborg 2 (1993). Her first leading role in a major film was in the cyber-thriller Hackers (1995). She starred in the critically acclaimed biographical television films George Wallace (1997) and Gia (1998), and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama Girl, Interrupted (1999). Jolie achieved wider fame after her portrayal of video game heroine Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), and since then has established herself as one of the best-known and highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. She received further critical acclaim for her performances in the dramas A Mighty Heart (2007) and Changeling (2008), which earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress, and reinforced her reputation as a leading action star with the comic book adaptation Wanted (2008) and the action-thriller Salt (2010). Jolie has had her biggest commercial successes with the action-comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and the animated film Kung Fu Panda (2008).

Divorced from actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton, Jolie currently lives with actor Brad Pitt, in a relationship that has attracted worldwide media attention. Jolie and Pitt have three adopted children, Maddox, Pax, and Zahara, and three biological children, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne.

[caption id="attachment_601" align="aligncenter" width="530" caption="Angelina Jolie at Canes 2011"][/caption]

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelina_Jolie

Geri Halliwell

Geri Halliwell:

Birth name Geraldine Estelle Halliwell
Also known as Ginger Spice, Ginger
Born 6 August 1972 (age 38)
Watford, Hertfordshire, England
Origin London, England, UK
Genres Pop, dance pop, pop rock
Occupations Singer-songwriter, author, actress
Years active 1994–present
Labels Virgin (1996–98) Spice Girls
EMI (1999–2003)
Innocent Records (2004–05)
19 (2010–present)
Associated acts Spice Girls

Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell (born 6 August 1972) is an English pop singer-songwriter, author, actress and philanthropist. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic. Since then, she has released two more studio albums – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster and Passion – and four number one singles at the UK Singles Chart, "Mi Chico Latino", "Lift Me Up", "Bag It Up" and "It's Raining Men". In 2008, Halliwell published a book series named Ugenia Lavender. As a solo artist, Halliwell has sold 12 million records worldwide and been nominated for two Brit Awards in 2000 and 2002.

In 1999, Halliwell launched her solo career and released her debut album Schizophonic, with the lead single "Look at Me", produced by Absolute and Phil Bucknall. "Look at Me" would go on to sell over one million copies worldwide, followed by further number ones at the UK Singles Chart "Mi Chico Latino", "Lift Me Up" and "Bag It Up". Halliwell performed "Bag It Up" during the BRIT Awards ceremony in 2000, emerging between giant inflatable legs, ripping off her shirt and walking in stiletto heels over the backs of topless pink-haired men whilst performing the song.

"Look at Me" was released to radio in the United States in late 1999, receiving limited airplay. With only a radio single, Schizophonic debuted at number forty-two on the Billboard 200 before dropping out within the next month. The album was eventually certified Gold, distributing over 500,000 copies. In 1999, she wrote an autobiography If Only, in which described her life as a Spice Girl.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geri_Halliwell

Photos credit: 24h.com.vn

Jolin Tsai

Jolin Tsai:

Chinese name 蔡依林
Pinyin Cài Yīlín (Mandarin)
Origin Republic of China (Taiwan)
Born September 15, 1980 (age 30)
Sinjhuang City, Taiwan
Occupation Singer, dancer, Actress, Designer, Model, Spokesperson
Genre(s) Mandopop, Dance
Instrument(s) piano
Label(s) Universal Music Taiwan (1998–2001)
Sony Music Entertainment (Taiwan) (2002–2006)
EMI Music Taiwan (2006–2008)
Warner Music Taiwan (2008–present)
Years active 1998–present
Jolin Tsai (traditional Chinese: 蔡依林; pinyin: Cài Yīlín; Wade–Giles: Tsai I-lin; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhoà I-lîm) was born on 15 September 1980. She is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award Mandopop singer, dancer and actor. She is managed by Mars Entertainment Ltd

[caption id="attachment_585" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Jolin Tsai at Shanghai show"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_584" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Jolin Tsai at Shanghai model show"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_583" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Jolin Tsai"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_581" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Jolin Tsai"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_580" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Jolin Tsai"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_579" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Jolin Tsai"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_578" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Jolin Tsai"][/caption]

 

 

References: wiki, photos collection

Pushpika Sandamali De Silva crowned Miss World Sri Lanka 2011

Miss World Sri Lanka 2011:

Pushpika Sandamali De Silva was crowned as the new Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka for Miss World 2011 at the Galadari Hotel in Colombo on May 19, 2011. She is 21 year old and will represent Sri Lanka in Miss World 2011 in London, England on November 8. Shimalka Bodaragama and Chamupa Godage were the runner-ups.
The winner is an actress and model from Colombo.

Source: Global Beauties.