UPDATED: Life just got even harder for Navman and TomTom.

Google Maps launched a new application together with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority today that will display travel schedule details directly onto Google Maps.

The new application is part of the Google Transit programme and will give Aucklanders online access to the city’s extensive bus network.

A posting on Google New Zealand blog by Matt Batcheldor said; “

In a first for New Zealand, Wellington’s public transport information is now available through Google Maps, via a feature that lets you to plan trips using public transport.

Greater Wellington is the first organisation in New Zealand to have public transport information included in Google Transit and Wellington is the first capital city in Australasia to use it.

Google is aiming to make itself the first stop for anyone searching for a new home online.

The search giant’s latest New Zealand service, a new real estate section of Google Maps, lets you search for a house by suburb, then drill down using parameters like price and house size.

Google says the new service is launching with tens of thousands of listings.

Tesla Motors, run by PayPal founder Elon Musk, and backed by Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, is now taking orders for what it says will be the world's first mass-produced, highway-ready electric sedan.

Electric cars have several advantages over petrol, and some that you might not expect.

Booking a hotel continues to get more hi-tech – a website has added a new advanced map feature that allows travellers to compare hotel prices and locations at the same time.

Cheaperthanhotels.com says the feature combines dynamic pricing technology with the Google Maps API (Application Programming Interface).

This means site users can search for accommodation using a variety of criteria then view a display of appropriate hotels on a Google area map alongside average prices.