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Filed under: Internet, AOL, Web

MapQuest rolls out 360 view in really slow game of catchup with Google Maps

MapQuest 360 view
A few years ago I really thought that MapQuest was going to go the way of Kleenex or Xerox. When I asked people if they had directions, they'd say "I mapquested it." These days, Google Maps, Microsoft's Bing Maps, and other services are constantly getting new features while MapQuest sometimes feels like it's stuck in 2005.

But in the world's slowest game of catchup, MapQuest added 360 degree views to its maps today, over 2 years after Google first launched its Street View feature. Of course, it takes a long time to photograph major intersections across the country and add the data to and online mapping service, but in that time Google Maps overtook MapQuest in overall market share, according to HitWise.

Anyway, the new 360 feature works pretty much the way you'd expect. You can hit the 360 button to see a close-up of any highlighted streets on a map. And you can adjust the camera angle by dragging and dropping the image. You can also view another area by clicking the orange dot to move down a street or by dragging and dropping the green arrow on the map itself. In other words, it works pretty much exactly the same way as Google Street View.

The image quality is pretty good, and the drag-and-drop interface is pretty slick. But there's nothing really new here, other than the fact that it's MapQuest providing the feature.

In full disclosure mode, MapQuest and Download Squad are both AOL properties.

[via paidContent]

Filed under: Blogging, Social Software

Facebook and Google set up short URL services, competitors rush out to buy new pants





Well, bit.ly, you've had a good run. And while all the 20 and 30 somethings who Twitter with reckless abandon will probably stick with the venerable old truncator for the forseeable future, everyone else in the known universe will soon be using two new services.

You see, Facebook and Google have announced that they are joining forces to form the Separatist Alliance and destroy the Republic once and for all. Ok, so they're just going to offer their own short URL services, but the bottom line is that when the world's largest social networking site and Google offer a product like this, it's no longer business as usual for everyone else.

The convenience of sharing URLs using built-in options on Facebook or within your Google toolbar (and Feedburner) will win over plenty of users.

Google's official post says their service isn't a standalone offering - at least for now. They could very well decide to open the floodgates later and tie this into other Google products like Chrome and Chrome OS. Hey, why not?

Facebook's fb.me service will allow you to shorten any link on the site - even if you just want to trim down the path to a specific profile page (http://fb.me/YourProfile). No mention of whether or not they plan on providing an API for third-party developers to integrate the service. Share

Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Productivity

Droplr shares your files, links, and code quickly and easily


Droplr
is the latest of a growing selection of apps that make sharing files and links easy. Droplr takes the game up a notch by adding support for sharing "notes": any sort of text, including code with syntax highlighting. It even supports Markdown text formatting. Simply drag-and-drop the file or URL to the menu-bar icon and the file is uploaded and a link is created, automatically copied to your clipboard, and an option to immediately tweet the link appears.

The Mac-only app gives each account 1 GB of storage space for files, urls, and notes, with a slick file management interface that makes it easy to retrieve previously Droplr'd files and delete unneeded files to free up space. When first loading up the app, they grant you an additional 1 GB of space if you tweet about the fact that you are using the app. Brilliant promotional move (it's why I know about the app...)

A brief test drive has shown me a snappy, easy-to use app. Code highlighting was a little spotty on my few tests, but the fact that it exists at all is pretty neat. You are able to configure which Twitter client you prefer (including twitter.com) the app to use to tweet your links.

Droplr is free to use, supported by small ("but really pretty. Promise!") ads that appear on the page that shares your file or code. Give it a try and tweet about it.

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Social Software, Web

Wantzit - an online wish list you might actually use


As you're thinking about all the holiday goodies you're yearning to get your hands on, Wantzit is a super easy online wish list that lets you share your heart's desires with del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter, email, blogs, etc.

The service is universal as it allows you to share anything that's on the web to your list - including things that aren't even for sale and you get your own URL - YOURNAME.wantzit.

To play with Twitter just type @DOWANT and then write or link to whatever it is you want. And that's a nice segue for how it all began. Originally, Wantzit started out as a del.icio.us hack, where the owners republished everything people tagged "Dowant" in Del.icio.us. See how nicely things progress?

Filed under: Photo, Utilities, Web services

Simpleviewer 2.0 creates galleries from Lightroom, Photoshop and more

SimpleViewer, a customizable image gallery package for displaying photos on your site, just hit version 2.0 and added some slick new features. SimpleViewer can now grab photos directly from Flickr, and it also has the ability to automatically create galleries from Lightroom and Photoshop. The latest free version offers three gallery styles, it's also customizable via XML.

Other new features include full-screen mode and the ability to add links to your gallery images. The free version of SimpleViewer handles 50 images per gallery, which ought to be enough for most people's needs. Going pro ($45) gets you 500 images per gallery. SimpleViewer is Flash-based and cross-platform, so it should work on any site. If you need to set up a gallery without a lot of fuss, SimpleViewer is worth checking out.

[via John Nack on Adobe]

Starlight is a game of puzzling celestial perspective -Time Waster

When it comes to Time Wasters, my favorites are non-stressful puzzlers. Something to make my brain work up a sweat, but not so much so that it's going to have me swearing a blue streak. Starlight is exactly that kind of diversion. Here's how it works: you're presented a field of stars and connecting lines. Move your mouse around the play area and the field rotates - when you do it just right, ...

Pomodoro - a productivity timer for your Mac

The Pomodoro technique is a time-management productivity technique that involves giving yourself a set amount of time to work on a specific task, and then a short rest period. Finding timers that are specifically suited to this task can be troublesome, but our buddy Steven Sande over at TUAW has already done the hard work for us. And it turns out the best Mac tool for performing the Pomodoro ...

Wordpress enables posting and reading via Twitter API

Megablogging, meet microblogging. WordPress now supports posting to and reading your WordPress blogs through any Twitter client that allows custom APIs. Following a WordPress blog on Twitter means you get snippets and links to new posts, just like you'd get any other tweet. Connecting your own WordPress blog to Twitter means you can tweet and blog simultaneously. WordPress' Matt Mullenweg wrote ...

XMind - free open-source desktop mind-mapping software

Mind maps have become a pretty mainstream way to brainstorm. Children as young as grade one are being taught how to create mind maps on paper as a brainstorming technique. If you've been interested in using mind mapping, but have been turned off by the surprisingly high cost of the commercial mind mapping products, you might want to check out XMind. XMind is a free and open-source desktop mind ...

LogMeIn Express offers simple screen-sharing solution

LogMeIn has been around for quite awhile now as a very useful free remote access tool for casual users, as well as a commercial remote access tool for corporations. They've now taken the obvious step of putting their technology to use in the form of a screen sharing application called LogMeIn Express. The idea here is that you can quickly share your Windows computer's screen with up to 100 ...
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Level Up! A platform-hopping RPG Time-Waster

I don't know if this is a labor of love or merely the brainchild of four very gifted games designers, but Level Up is a really weird mash-up of gaming elements that you have probably never seen in a Flash game before. Let's start with the premise itself: Groundhog Day meets Memento. The game experience revolves around 'days': you explore the world and the clock slowly ticks towards the evening. You bounce around picking up gems and talking to the denizens of 'Level Upland'. Eventually you feel tired and head back to ...

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