Google has updated its Maps app for Android smartphones to add a handful of new features.

Maps 5.5, available as a free download from the Android Market, adds a ‘check-in’ option for telling people where you are in Google’s Places pages, plus a ‘rate and review’ option for telling other people what you thought of a place while you were there.

A recent update to the check-in service also added the ability to see how much time you spent at home and work, as if you weren’t aware of that already…

The public transport directions service in Google Maps 5.5 has also been updated to make it easier to use. This lets you find out how to get from place to place using public transport in over 440 cities around the world.

The UK’s infrastructure is still pretty sparsely covered for joinery planning (its advice for a mixed bus and taxi journey from London to Stoke on Trent took 11 hours), but both Europe and the US seem to be well serviced.

Incidentally, vans in TomTom’s livery and a roof-mounted 360-degree camera have been spotted in Belgium, fuelling rumours that the sat-nav specialist is planning its own Street View-style service to compete with Google’s. There’s nothing more than a photo to go on for now, but we’ll keep you posted with any further developments.