For WinMo Treo users, Google Mobile Maps (GMM) has added some new features that can help you go a little greener. In addition to its existing maps, turn-by-turn directions, and listings for local businesses, GMM now helps you be more carbon-friendly by offering you public transportation directions in all of the 50+ cities available on the web version of Google Maps.

And if your goal is to stay out on the town as long as possible, GMM also lets you search for the last transit trip of the day. Need a recommendation on where to go in the first place? You'll also find ratings that show you what other people have to say about nearby businesses and attractions.

Check out the Google Mobile Blog for details and download instructions.

Paul Loeffler

Are you a smartphone newcomer, or a mobile lifestyle trailblazer? Here are a couple of factoids to help you peg just where you fall in the power-user spectrum:

• Smile and text “cheese”: Almost two-thirds of cellphone users aged 18-30 years old take snapshots on their device at least once a week, according to a study by Wirefly.

• Maybe multitasking has gone too far: Apparently 53% of e-mail users admit to checking in from the bathroom.

• Handy trivia to casually toss off while watching the Olympics this weekend: A ringtone based on a song about South Korea’s claim of jurisdiction over the Dokdo islands, a remote but hotly disputed cluster of rocks midway across the sea to Japan, has become the latest way to display your patriotism in that country.

Jon Zilber

Sprint recently launched Sprint Web, a new approach to mobile browsing that works with all Palm OS phones on the Sprint network (including the Centro, and the 755p and 700p Treos). Sprint Web is adaptive and learns from what you are doing most on the web.

For example, if you frequently search for Ducati motorcycles, Sprint Web will automatically prompt you with links to motorcycles and Ducati when you launch the browser. The idea is to quickly get you to relevant information based on whatever you use most often. Google search is now also on the Sprint Web homepage.

For more information, see Sprint’s announcement here.

Kimberly S. – Product Manager, smartphones

It used to be men that typically sought the latest technology gear. But women are now using smartphones more and more to help keep their busy lives in check. According to Nielsen Mobile, the number of women using smartphones has doubled in the past year, growing to more than 10 million. Smartphones have finally hit the mainstream after many years of being reserved for the mostly male gadget geeks and upper echelon executives.

That’s not too surprising given the wide range of features that are available. Women are using their smartphones for everything from checking their work and personal email, to tracking their calendars and reading restaurant reviews when planning a night out. There are a slew of third-party applications available that cater primarily to women, such as “Baby Insights” by Babblesoft, which helps track a baby’s eating, sleeping and medication cycle. This article in the Wichita Eagle discusses a few more cool ways women are taking advantage of their smartphones to keep their lives on track.

It also helps that smartphones like the Palm Centro are sleeker and sexier than ever before – coming in smaller form factors and a wide range of cool colors. And for some of us ladies, that’s important stuff.

Stephanie R. – Palm Product Marketing

If you recently got a Treo 800w (or are thinking about it), this new feature-packed Sprint smartphone now supports voice dialing via your Bluetooth headset or car kit. Get the details and grab the software download here.

Paul Loeffler

If a test in San Francisco proves successful, your smartphone may soon be the key to simplifying one of the most frustrating aspects of urban life: the never-ending search for an open parking space. Not only is the quest for parking a major source of headaches, it's also a major component of a city's carbon footprint - some estimates pin as much as 50% of the traffic (and gas consumption) in congested areas to drivers circling the block waiting for a space to open up.

San Francisco is developing a new wireless sensor network technology that will flag nearby open spots to anyone with a web-capable smartphone. (Check out this New York Times article for more details.)

Startups like SpotScout and GottaPark are also offering services in select cities to help you find (or sell) available spots. With luck, parking anxiety may someday become just a long-forgotten urban myth.

Jon Zilber

It’s great to be able to access Facebook on the go, and it’s even better when you can use an application that tailors Facebook to your smartphone. You might have caught our earlier post about Facebook for Palm, which is available on Palm OS smartphones. In the interest of giving equal airtime to both of the operating systems we support, here are some free Facebook clients for Windows Mobile devices:

• Snap2Face has an interface designed to make it easy to do common Facebook activities like checking your friends’ status updates and reviewing and responding to friend requests.
• The FriendMobilizer application highlights all of your Facebook notifications directly on its home screen, as well as giving you convenient ways to view and write wall posts, send messages, update your status, etc.

-Paul Loeffler

A new software tune up for the Sprint Centro gives your smartphone several new features and shortcuts. One highlight is support for the My Location feature in Google Mobile Maps. My Location approximates your location so when you're getting directions, you only need to select “My Location” rather than input your address. This makes it even easier to find nearby restaurants or businesses, check local traffic, or find the best route to your next destination.

Get information on the product enhancements included in the update and download instructions on Palm's support site.

Rob K. – Senior Product Manager, Consumer Smartphones