Today is a special day. It’s the first day that turn-by-turn capable GM vehicles as old as 2006 can search for destinations using Google Maps and have those destinations sent directly to their vehicles. Proof that some of us are living in a future slightly ahead of the rest of us. Those with GM vehicles.

The OnStar eNav feature is now fully functional and totally Googled. Hopefully other factory navigation systems start doing this very soon.

If there’s one thing (well two things) I can’t get enough of on my huge HDTV, it’s Facebook and Google Maps. I just need more of both in my livingroom. Can’t get enough when I’m watching my favorite shows.

Thankfully, Samsung has announced that they are now offering Facebook and Google Maps on their connected TVs that run Samsung Apps. Thanks Samsung, but I don’t need this. There are far better things you could be offering. Watching TV is one of the things people do when they want to relax and escape from Facebook.

Looks like Google Street View may be expanding. Apparently a New York retailer named Oh Nuts, allowed some people from Google to come into the store and take pictures of the inside, every 6 feet, in all directions. Pictures of the items on display were also taken.

Apparently its for a new Google Maps feature called “Google Store View”. Google Store Views will allow people to basically walk into the store from Google Street Views. So imagine you are looking at the store, and then you can click on the door to enter, all on Google Maps.

Monopoly has so many incarnations at this point that you may think they can’t do anything new. Turns out they have some tricks up their sleeve. Monopoly is about to go online. On September 9, Hasbro will launch Monopoly City Streets, which is a live, worldwide version of the popular game.

Players get $3 million to start and will be able to put nearly any kind of building anywhere they want, thanks to Google Maps. You want a football stadium in the the middle of town, where it doesn’t belong? Your wish is granted. Could be a lot of fun.

Check out this new mashup by Japanese coder Ryo Katsuma. It has a lot of potential. It takes the exercising aspect of the Wii and combines it with virtual tourism, by using Google Maps with the Wii Remote to create a virtual jogging or walking experience.

The crazy mashup takes you on a tour through a good bit of Tokyo, but what’s cool about it is that it could easily be applied to any city you want covered by Google Maps, letting you be a Wii world traveler. If you want to build one yourself, you can find out how over at Tokyo-jogging.

Fans of the hit show Weeds, and fans of marijuana for that matter, as well as Cheech and Chong fans will love this news. Marijuana is now legal in California as long as the sellers are licensed to provide the drug to those with a prescription. So it’s no surprise that people want to make the vendors of pot and the pot itself easier to find.

That’s where Potlocator.com comes in using Google Maps. Just type in your zip code and it will give you a map complete with color-coded pot leaves. That is if stoners can remember their zip code. It’s bound to be controversial and we here at the ‘Brick remain neutral as we only get high on gadgets, tech news and various geekery. Of course then there’s our daily caffeine buzzes, sugar highs from various junk food, that time I blogged for 5 days straight and saw god… Drugs are bad ummkay.

The folks at Google Maps have recently released a pretty cool upgrade to the mapping service incorporating geo-coded photos, entries from Wikipedia and even some real estate listings from local and national real estate companies.

The next time you use Google Maps to look up a location you will notice a ‘More’ button next to the ‘Street View’ and ‘Traffic’ buttons on the map. Click the ‘More’ and you’ll have a couple of options for both photos and Wikipedia. Selecting the Photos check box brings in small geotagged photos from Panoramio right onto the map. Checking the Wikipedia box, just as you would expect, brings up little “W” icons representing geotagged Wikipedia entries. Clicking on the Wikipedia entries then brings up an excerpt of the article and a link.

Sony Ericsson released it’s G502, another HSDPA phone. It’s a nice looking phone and also has the latest Google Maps for Mobile, an application to view high quality maps that will give you a satellite view of the local area, so you can view listings of restaurants and hotels.

The Sony Ericsson G502 will be available in select markets from Q2 2008 in Champagne Black and Brilliant Hazel colors. Some specs include: High Speed HSDPA, RSS Desktop, Bluetooth, FM Radio, 2 megapixel camera, 2-inch 256k color TFT screen with 240 x 320 resolution, plus 32MB internal memory and a Memory Stick Micro card slot.

Today Google launched a new beta application that is a small twist on Google Mobile Maps called Google Maps with My Location. The new service runs on Java and is designed for use in mobile devices that may or may not have GPS capabilities to help map the current location of the mobile user.

When launching the new location service application, it can use the phones GPS if available to find your location and mark it on the map with a solid blue dot. If GPS is not available on the mobile device or its maybe being used in a location that cannot receive the GPS signal the service will use the information of the cellular tower that the phone is connected in order to find the general location of the user.

Google has recently made an announcement that they will be making their way into your mobile devices and while your out driving around, starting next month you may start seeing Google Maps at your local gas station.

The internet search giant is expected to make an announcement tomorrow that they will be working with Gilbarco Veeder-Root, a gas pump maker based in Greensboro, N.C., to provide pumps at gas stations that have an internet connection and have interactive maps from Google on them. The maps will allow motorists using the pumps to scroll through a list of local landmarks and print out directions to them, all the while holding up the guy behind them a little longer while they fiddle with the new feature.