Another day, another software update for one (or more) of our devices. This time it’s from Apple in the form of an update to iOS, which brings the software to version 6.1.3.

According to Apple, iOS 6.1.3 fixes a bug that could allow someone to bypass the passcode and access the Phone. Bummer. It also provides improvements to iMaps in Japan. Well, that’s nice for Japan, but what about here in the U.S.?

Maybe next week, right Apple? Meantime, we’re liking Google Maps just fine in iOS, thank you.

The download is 17 MB in size and can be found by going to System Prefs> General on your iOS device. We’re updating now and will report back if anything breaks or, more to the point, improves.

At one time or another, we’ve all needed to go somewhere, but didn’t know how to get there. Back in the old days, that probably meant a paper map and trying to plan a route or, in extreme circumstances, asking directions. And sometimes, things went wrong or didn’t work, and we ended up getting lost. Embarrassing to say the least.

Fortunately, those times pretty much ended with the advent of modern GPS navigation systems you could bring along with you in the car to make sure you didn’t end up someplace you didn’t want to go. Of course, the undisputed king of modern navigation and maps is Google. Sorry Apple.

And today, Google has given we iOS users a gift and updated its Maps application for iOS with several new features that make the app a bit more “personal.” The biggest change is in search, which now integrates with your Google contacts. Once you sign in to your Google account with Google Maps, the app will pull in the names and addresses from your contacts. These addresses will appear when you search for your friends or family members by name.

Google also added a new local feature that lets you search for nearby businesses by selecting categories such as restaurants, bars, gas stations and more. There’s also a new setting that lets you toggle between kilometers or miles. You can also leave that on automatic and it will choose for you depending on where you are.

Get the latest version of Google Maps for iOS in iTunes.

In what most will consider a bold, decisive move (and a few will think of as a simple attempt to save face), Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a letter of apology today to all users of Apple’s new Maps application. In the letter, Cook admitted that Apple “fell short” on its commitment to customers.

In addition, he recommended that while the company works to fix its maps, users should check out other options for iOS including MapQuest and Microsoft’s Bing app. No mention of Google Maps, however. Shocking, I know.

The full letter is after the break.

Whatever your experience with Apple’s new Maps application in iOS 6 (some people hate it, others are less critical) it is now part of the equation. If you update to iOS 6 or buy an iOS device with it already installed, you’ve just got to take the Apple Maps application and use it, right?

Well, maybe not. One enterprising iOS hacker by the name of Ryan Petrich has taken matters into his own hands and on Sunday posted a video that demonstrates the original Google Maps program from iOS 5 running on iOS 6.

Now before you get too excited the hack isn’t available to the public yet as, according to Petrich, it isn’t stable enough yet to do so. Also, and you should have seen this coming, you will have to jailbreak your iPhone running iOS 6 for this hack to work.

Still, if you just can’t get iMaps in iOS 6 to work for you and you’re willing to go through the steps necessary, relief for you may be in sight. That is until Apple closes this hole in the next iOS 6 updaate. Until then, go nuts!

Check out the video of this in action after the break.

Even if you’re an iPhone and iOS user, you have to give props to Google and Android in at least some areas. One such area is Maps.

Google has been doing maps for a long time and has really gotten them right, especially in its more recent versions of its Maps application for Android. Now they’ve updated the app to version 6.10 and have included even more useful features including full schedules for more than 1 million transit stops across the globe.

In addition, the updated app now has a more polished UI for viewing transit schedules and a new Transit map layer so you can filter by bus, train, tram or subway. They also added more info to My Places, location history, and included area borders during searches.

This is a great update and makes the Maps app even more useful, especially to those on the go. It’s almost enough to make me regret not using an Android-powered smartphone as my primary device every day. Almost.

The update is now live so go forth and, well, update. Let us know if you find any other cool features.