Artem Russakovskii was one of the first to notice a new icon on the bottom right of the Google Maps Android app and posted about it on Google+.

That new icon brings you directly to the nearby me functionality within Google Maps. A clear challenge to Foursquare and other local search apps.

The new features include the ability to view search results on the map or in a list and easily switch between them and search for places you’ve reviewed or saved using the “Your places” filter.

Here are some screen shots of the new interfaces:

Forum discussion at Google+.