AOL announced the launch of MapQuest Vibe, which it says generates “real-time rankings of neighborhoods, local hotspots and points-of interests using sophisticated algorithms.” “MapQuest Vibe helps people cut through the ratings clutter by providing actual rankings based on key criteria …

MapQuest has unveiled a new Android app that comes with voice-guided/turn-by-turn Navigation, voice search, a map toolbar (making it easily find restaurants, gas stations, etc. with one click), walking/driving directions, recommendations for the best routes, rotating maps, and live traffic flow/incidents.

MapQuest announced the availability of both walking directions and transit directions on its service. 

It’s interesting that it has taken this long for MapQuest to get such features, though to be fair, MapQuest did have walking directions available on its MQ4Mobile and Mobile Web apps for a while. But now they’re available on MapQuest.com. 

MapQuest’s embrace of user-generated content from a topographical perspective continues with the release of additional editions of MapQuest Open.

By aggregating its data from the OpenStreetMap service, MapQuest Open allows users to interact with their applicable map, which would, according to MapQuest’s blog entry, “indicate rapid change in geographic locations, points of interest and routing.”

AOL’s MapQuest has launched a month-long “Free Gas for a Year” sweepstakes for the holiday season.

MapQuest will be giving away free gas for a year to 31 people, one winner, everyday, during December.

AOL said today it is relaunching its City’s Best online guide to provide local food and entertainment reviews in 25 metro areas.

City’s Best local editors and writers in each market have visited and selected the best food,  and entertainment destinations in each city creating directory listings for each. AOL will invite local users to chose the most popular spots.

There are a couple interesting things happening with online maps today. Google has updated its Photos layer and MapQuest has introduced Atlas. 

According to the EFF, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that federal law allows judges the discretion to require that the government obtain a probable cause search warrant before accessing cell phone location data. 

Craiglist CEO Jim Buckmaster wrote a feisty blog post aimed at CNN’s Amber Lyon. It begins:

I see you’ve now gotten around to requesting an interview with me or a company spokesperson, 90 days after you ambushed our namesake and founder, Craig Newmark, following his May 20th talk on veteran’s affairs and other issues unrelated to craigslist, at a conference in Washington.

AOL’s MapQuest announced a partnership with Ford Motor Company today, in which MapQuest users will be able to search for destinations from the MapQuest site, and send them directly to their Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury vehicles (so long as they are equipped with the SYNC Traffic, Directions and Information service).

Mapquest recently rolled out a complete redesign, but it didn’t stop there. This week, the site made some additional adjustments, such as Full Map View and zoom via mouse scroll.

With Full Map View, users can now collapse the left pane to view a map that’s as wide as the browser window. "This is a great option for those of you that are visual and like to see as much map as possible," says Mapquest’s Ann Koerner.

MapQuest announced that it has expanded its live traffic coverage. It now includes over a quarter-million miles of roads in major North American cities.

MapQuest is now including "key" arterials and city streets. The goal of this is to provide users with more information to make better decisions about alternate cross-town routes.

MapQuest announced that it has enhanced its Route Planner product with some new features. Route Planner is a tool that lets users plan trips that include up to 26 stops, giving the quickest route and most efficient order for those stops.

AOL’s MapQuest has introduced a new look and feel that goes beyond maps and driving directions and focuses more on local search.

Starting today users can opt in via a link to try out the new MapQuest. The new redesign will replace the old version of MapQuest in about a month.

I don’t think too many people will dispute the fact that location is buzz topic of 2010 so far within the online marketing industry. Big players in this space include Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitter, Facebook (soon), and of course Google.

As reported earlier this week, Google noted that a third of its searches via the mobile web pertain to some aspect of the searcher’s local environment, and that they think of location as a "hugely important signal".

Local business search is becoming more of an area of great focus by search providers as time goes on. Google, especially, has been working overtime on providing new features that can help users find local businesses of interest. AOL’s MapQuest has been working on improving its own business search functionality, which we talked to the company a little about.

AOL’s MapQuest has announced the launch of "360 View," a feature that may remind Google users of Google Maps Street view. For now, it’s available for 30 cities and 13 suburbs in the United States, with more on the way.

"We have studied our industry, gleaning tidbits here and there, and polled our customer base in creating a simple, easy-to-use interface that fits seamlessly into the MapQuest mapping experience you have come to know and understand," says MapQuest.

Update: MapQuest has now issued a pricing update on the official blog:

Mobile mapping portals continue to grow in popularity, but PC-based mapping sites continue to attract more visitors, according to a new report from ABI Research.

The report found that the Asia-Pacific region is currently lagging behind North America and Europe, but it is on track to surpass both regions by 2013 with 245 million visitors, driven by the growing popularity of local Chinese portals Sohu and Baidu.

Mobile mapping portals continue to grow in popularity, but PC-based mapping sites continue to attract more visitors, according to a new report from ABI Research.

The report found that the Asia-Pacific region is currently lagging behind North America and Europe, but it is on track to surpass both regions by 2013 with 245 million visitors, driven by the growing popularity of local Chinese portals Sohu and Baidu.

Mobile mapping portals continue to grow in popularity, but PC-based mapping sites continue to attract more visitors, according to a new report from ABI Research.

The report found that the Asia-Pacific region is currently lagging behind North America and Europe, but it is on track to surpass both regions by 2013 with 245 million visitors, driven by the growing popularity of local Chinese portals Sohu and Baidu.

Mobile mapping portals continue to grow in popularity, but PC-based mapping sites continue to attract more visitors, according to a new report from ABI Research.

The report found that the Asia-Pacific region is currently lagging behind North America and Europe, but it is on track to surpass both regions by 2013 with 245 million visitors, driven by the growing popularity of local Chinese portals Sohu and Baidu.