If you posses an Android 1.6 laden device (no 1.5 or 2.1, mind you) and are a regular user of the Google Maps application, you are surely in for a treat as Google has updated the app to version 4.1. The update brings in a plethora of features which are bound to make the Google Maps experience special and right at the outset, version 4.1 enables you to have Google Maps as a live wallpaper.

This means that a user can always have access to the live traffic update on his home screen. The update is not just an eye candy, it offers features that define utility at its best.

When it comes to Nokia, Ovi Maps have played quite a major role in their actions for the past few weeks, since they gave it away for free – and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone that a hardware manufacturer is showing interest in using the turn-by-turn navigation in cars.

The fast evolving brains at Navigon are keen to improve what exists rather than thinking afresh and that is what is earning a fast repute for the service provider which wants to make GPS navigation a peek out of the window. The news is Navigon has released the 1.5.0 update for its MobileNavigator iPhone GPS app which comes with three special features improving the services sphere furthermore. The Terrain view gets better with a 3D format and so does the Panorama view while there is also an in-app connectivity with Facebook and Twitter.

Satellite mapping is quite a significant element for smartphones as a thorough number of users revert to this technology in their daily life. Sony Ericsson is keen to go one up on its competitors by offering a 3D version of the mapping process on its latest handsets.

Ericsson Labs that broke this story reveals how SE is ready with 3D mapping on the Xperia X10, something SE did not showcase at the CES 2010. The good news is that the 3D maps are rendered pretty fast signifying that SE will be making this feature public hopefully soon.

Rejoice hikers for Garmin is back with a couple of useful handheld touchscreen GPS devices from the Oregon series. Such devices cater to adventurers and hikers and therefore manufacturers like Garmin normally target a niche market but, even others can use these devices to good a effect. Since you get turn-by-turn navigation on your smartphones, you might want to argue in favor of your phones but then, such applications end up sucking all the juice in your smartphone batteries.

Woot! are now offering the “Bushnell ONIX 400 GPS with XM NEXRAD Weather” for the astonishing $100 – that’s right, for just $100 you can get yourself a GPS with a NEXRAD weather overlay. This is the same kind of technology that’s used by most stormchasers in their vehicles, only on a much smaller scale – and of course, instead of taking the data from your own radar, it’s just pulled alongside the GPS data.

If you’ve wanted to buy a GPS device but never liked the idea of spending a lot of cash on one, you can now buy the TomTom XL 325 SE for a mere $89, thanks to Walmart’s Black Friday promotions. TomTom is a well-known name when it comes to navigation devices, and the XL 325 SE is a fantastic piece of equipment that will always take you where you need to get.

Crazy deals on Black Friday continue and we just caught wind that Amazon are offering a Garmin nuvi 285WT widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator for only $129.99, which is $120 off from the $249.99 price list. Technical details and specs are pretty amazing as the devices comes with a large 4.3-inch widescreen touch display that allows you to view map detail, driving directions, photos, and more in bright, brilliant color.

A navigation system is a must for anyone who travels a lot, and today they are relatively cheap and relatively cheap. The TomTom One 125-SE is a great device for this purpose – it offers a 3.5-inch screen with touchscreen functionality, readily available maps of the US, automatic text to speech conversion, and a POI database.

Mio Technology is the manufacturer of the MiBuddy GPS Navigation Devices. Till now their devices ran on Windows CE. Now it seems they too have been wooed by the ever-versatile Android’s slick looks and flexibility. They have announced that the next version of its MiBuddy 4.7-inch touchscreen Navigation Device will be running on Google’s Android OS.

The picture below shows a Mio Navman Spirit from Mio.

More details below the cut.