Google Maps (free) has been updated to version 2.6.0. Though there’s only one notable change in the app, it’s a big one — the app now notifies users when a faster route is available while in navigation mode. If you’re stuck in traffic, or if traffic awaits ahead, the app should offer you another route if there’s a faster alternative.
OpenTable has updated its free app to version 6.2.0. The new update helps users searching for a table at a specific restaurant. “Find future tables” lets users scan up to two months of table reservations for that restaurant—a big improvement that should help users get into popular places.
Pacemaker (free) is now an iPad app from Pacemaker Music AB — in other lives, it has been hardware and a BlackBerry app. A DJ app, Pacemaker lets users use Spotify tracks in addition to iTunes songs. Users of Spotify Premium will be able to access all 20 million of the service’s tracks within Pacemaker for mixing. Pacemaker has a clean look that’s easy to use, and extra features are available through in-app purchases.
Facebook’s new app Paper – Stories from Facebook (free) hit the App Store yesterday after last week’s announcement. Currently only for the iPhone and iPod touch, the app lets users view Facebook’s main feed in a new way, while also adding in other curated genre-specific content sections, if desired. Garnering many comparisons to Flipboard, Paper certainly presents a cleaner, more modern view of Facebook while including content pulled in from around the Internet. As it contains virtually all of the prior Facebook app’s features with a new look, some users will likely use Paper as a full mobile alternative; it may in some cases spark the realization that friends’ “stories” really aren’t all that interesting, as they find themselves moving over to other content with more frequency.