maps posts

Google Maps gets a facelift, now easier to read

by Jay Hathaway Oct 25th 2009

If nobody told you, you might not even notice it, but the team at Google Maps just introduced some subtle visual improvements that make their maps easier to read. Worldwide changes include narrower roads, better contrast between text and the rest of the map, and colors that don't conflict with traffic and other overlays. You'll also start to see road detail at a slightly more distant zoom level. In short, the map view just became more like the hybrid map-satellite view.

How much this matters to you depends partly on where you live. Some cities received specific changes to the appearance of their maps. For example, Beijing's subway line is now marked in colors that match the local subway map, and London's rail lines are easier to see. To really appreciate how much clearer the new look is, take a look at some of the before-and-after shots on the Google Maps blog.

[via AppScout]

Tags: google maps, GoogleMaps, maps

Filed under: Fun, Web services, Google

Google's Street View trike goes where no Street View has gone before

by Jay Hathaway Oct 16th 2009

Google has built Street View into a fairly comprehensive collection of images from city streets around the world. The problem is that Google's iconic street view vans can't get into every tight nook and cranny. That's why the big G is introducing a new camera-equipped vehicle: the Street View Trike. The trike is coming to a walkable space near you, if you nominate your favorite spot.

The trike is actually a bike with a camera-equipped cart attached to it. It looks a lot like one of those ice cream carts, except that instead of ice cream, it's carrying thousands of dollars of photo equipment. Locations the trike has already visited include Legoland, California. Check out the video after the jump for more fun trike action.

[via Lifehacker]

Tags: google maps, GoogleMaps, legoland, maps, street view, StreetView, trike

Filed under: Audio, Web

How to Play Ohio like a piano - Time Waster

by Brad Linder Oct 8th 2009

Here's an interesting fact: The state of Ohio has 88 counties. You know what else has 88 components? A piano keyboard. Andy Woodruff was thinking about those two facts this summer and he decided to take the obvious next step and create a map of Ohio in Flash that assigns a musical note to each key.

The result is Ohio is a Piano. Click on any county and you'll hear a musical note.

Of course, a piano keyboard is laid out in a logical fashion making it easy to create music by placing your fingers over the proper keys. Ohio's districts weren't exactly drawn with music in mind, and it's a bit tricky to pluck out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. But the map has a few built in songs that you can trigger like a player ~~Ohio~~ piano. Just hit the play button and each county will flash as its note is played.

You can also rearrange the notes based on various geographic and demographic data including county name, population, age, sex, and so forth. One of the neatest features lets you plot a course from one area of the map to another and listen to the tune that plays as you pass through each county.

Musically, Ohio is a Piano isn't that interesting. But conceptually it's pretty cool and for some reason I can't make myself stop rearranging the notes.

[via Neatorama]

Tags: maps, music, ohio, ohio-is-a-piano

Filed under: Business, Apple, Google

iPhone Maps app now showing "sponsored links"

by Jay Hathaway Oct 5th 2009

It's no secret that Google's in the ad business, but it looks like they've snuck ads into an unexpected place: the Maps app on the iPhone. Maps is powered by Google - for now, anyway, because Apple has purchased its own map company, PlaceBase - and so Google has the ability to drop "Sponsored Links" into the system. You might not see them everywhere, but you can test for yourself by searching for things like food, sushi, and diners in NYC. You'll see some automatically highlighted results pop up, marked as sponsored.

None of the sources writing about this development seem to know whether Apple is getting a cut of the profit from these advertising placements, but Apple and Google have a complicated relationship. Although it's tempting to think that Google is trying to be pesky to Apple on the iPhone because Apple rejected the iPhone version Google Voice, I suspect there's something more going on. For now, though, we'll have to wait for one of the companies to comment, and see what Apple does with PlaceBase.

[via The Apple Blog]

Tags: apple, google, iphone, maps

Filed under: Web services, Google, Social Software, iPhone, Mobile

Google Latitude looks great on the iPhone

by Jay Hathaway Jul 27th 2009

Google Latitude is a great tool for sharing your location with your friends, and it works on a number of different mobile devices. Until recently, though, the iPhone was left out of the Latitude loop. Because of Apple's restrictions on iPhone apps running in the background, iPhone users didn't have access to Latitude's full set of features. Google and Apple have worked around that problem now, and Latitude options on Google's mobile site are rolling out now.

The iPhone Latitude experience is pretty smooth. Adding friends, approving requests, and changing privacy settings were all extremely easy. Privacy is adjustable for each contact you add: you can show your specific location, just your city, or nothing at all. Latitude can also update your location automatically or manually, depending on your preference.

Sure, you can be sour that Latitude is web app and not a native iPhone app, but it's a really well-done web app. Besides, a Latitude iPhone app would likely have been rejected by Apple for overlapping functionality with Apple's built-in Maps app (which happens to serve Google's maps).

[via CNET]

Tags: Google, google-latitude, latitude, location-based, maps

Filed under: Social Software, web 2.0, Android

Brightkite for Android is the best version yet

by Jay Hathaway Jun 30th 2009

A popular social network that has a strong following on the web and on the iPhone is now taking aim at the Android market. Brightkite, a slick little app that lets you check in at any location and share photos and notes with your friends, is available for free in the Android store as of this week. Current Brightkite users won't be disappointed with the Android version, and Android users will appreciate how it takes advantage of their device's location-based services.

The long-awaited app - there were reports over a year ago that it was in the works - takes advantage of Android's built in Google maps to let you visualize your friends' locations instead of reading them in a list. It also uses Android's notifications to alert you to any new activity in your friend stream. As an iPhone owner, I'm loathe to it admit it, but this looks even better than the iPhone version of the app. The maps, especially, are a great touch.

Tags: android, brightkite, maps, mobile, social

Filed under: Utilities, Web services, Google

Google Street View gets improved navigation controls

by Jay Hathaway Jun 5th 2009

Google Street View is an amazing tool, and it's fun to use it to take virtual walks around the world's cities, but it's not exactly known for its navigation interface. Fortunately, Google has introduced an entirely revised "pancake" navigation system that relies more on dragging and less on dozens of frustrating clicks just to walk down a street. Now, if you can see where you want to go, you can place the pancake there and jump straight away -- no arrow keys necessary!

Zooming behavior is improved, too. Any time you see magnifying glass inside the pancake, you can click to zoom in on that spot. This even works with individual buildings, allowing you to zoom in for more details than before. Google claims that the new navigation gives Street View's flat images a more 3D feel, and I'm inclined to agree.

Tags: google, google-maps, maps, navigation, street-view

Filed under: Design, Web services, Google

Easily put Google services on your site with Web Elements

by Jay Hathaway May 28th 2009

Google wants to make it as easy as possible for you to place its content, like news feeds, maps and calendars, on your site. Apparently, using the existing APIs wasn't simple enough, so now there's Google Web Elements, for even easier installation of custom Google widgets. Web Elements is starting with eight different modules: Calendar, Conversation, News, Custom Search, Maps, Presentations, Spreadsheets and YouTube News.

Of the eight, Conversation and Custom Search are the two I see actually gaining large userbases. A lot of sites have comments or shoutboxes, and a lot of them already have custom Google Search boxes. Those aren't going anyway any time soon, and it can't hurt that Google's made them so easy to install. Web Elements doesn't seem to be targeted at major sites, but it does offer some features that beginning -- or just time-crunched -- site owners wouldn't build for themselves.

Tags: google, maps, news, search, web-elements, widgets

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Web

California targets internet maps, seeks blurry buildings

by Brad Linder Mar 4th 2009

California lawmakers are considering legislation that would require online mapping services from companies including Google, Microsoft, and AOL to blur details of public buildings like schools, churches, hospitals, and government buildings.

The goal is to prevent terrorists from being able to obtain detailed images of buildings and surrounding areas by using Google Earth. But it's not like a terrorist or an amateur photographer couldn't just stand in front of these public buildings and snap their own photos, or use pictures already posed on internet photo sharing services like Flickr and Picasa.

Some companies have already taken steps to blur or remove sensitive information including detailed photos of military bases or pictures of shelters for abused women.

It's not clear if and when the California bill will come up for debate in the state Assembly. Just because a lawmaker introduces a bill doesn't necessarily mean it's going anywhere anytime soon.

Tags: california, legislation, maps

Filed under: Internet, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Google, Mobile, Web

Google wants to know where you are, make spying on friends easier

by Brad Linder Feb 4th 2009

One of the first things people do when buying a first computer and connecting to the internet for the first time is look up people they know (or would like to know, or are upset that they don't know anymore). Now Google-stalking is about to go to a whole new level though, because Google has launched a new service called Latitude that lets you see the locations of people you know on a map.

Here's how it works. You can install Google Latitude on your mobile phone so it can report your geographical position. Or you can use it on a computer by adding Latitude to your iGoogle homepage. Then when you're friends are looking for you, they can see where you are on a map or contact you through Google Talk, Gmail, or SMS. It could be a great way to find out if you're just around the corner from the coffee shop where your friend is sitting.

Of course, it could also let you find out when people you know are walking into a health clinic, gun shop, or some other place they'd rather not broadcast to the world. So Google has made Latitude an opt-in service. If you don't sign up for it, your location won't be broadcast. And when a friend wants to add you to their list, you'll receive an email asking if you want to grant them the ability to track your wherabouts.

Google Latitude is available for phones running BlackBerry, Symbian S60, or WIndows Mobile operating systems. Android and iPhone versions are due out soon.

Tags: google-latitude, location, maps, privacy

Filed under: Photo, Utilities, Microsoft, web 2.0

Photosynth: Microsoft's answer to Google Street View, with a twist

by Jay Hathaway Nov 10th 2008

Photosynth, the much-anticipated three-dimensional photo experience from Microsoft Live Labs, has finally launched. "Synths," as they're called, are series of photos stitched together by a fancy algorithm that compares them to one another to create an immersive 360-degree viewing experience. You can start exploring Photosynth on most Windows PCs (and some Macs running virtual machines) now.

Photosynth is integrated with Live Maps, as well, so you can view other people's synths of various locations, right from the map. That's what's causing people to compare Photosynth to Google Street View, which is the closest product out there right now. But Google Street View doesn't let you create anything on your own, with a regular digital camera. Keep an eye on Photosynth as -- I know this is clichéd, but it may be true -- a game-changing technology.

Tags: 3d, maps, microsoft, microsoft-live-labs, photosynth

Filed under: Productivity, web 2.0, Web

Meet InBetween Us: find a place to meet

by Jay Hathaway Nov 2nd 2008

If you have friends who live across town from you, it can be a constant tussle over who is going to drive to whose neighborhood. Sometimes the best answer is to find an agreeable place to meet in the middle, and now you can do that quickly and easily on a site called Meet InBetween Us. It uses the power of Google Maps to suggest places to meet, and then gives you the driving directions.

Using Meet InBetween Us only involves a few steps. First, put in the starting locations of everyone who's meeting, and then adjust the "middle ground" according to your needs. The halfway point between a friend and me was in the middle of a river, for example, so I moved it onto land. Potential meeting places are divided into categories, to make sure you don't get a bar when you want a coffee shop. Once you find one you want, just click "meet here," and it will come up on the map and show you driving directions. If popular restaurant recommendation sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon added this as a feature, it would be phenomenally useful.

Tags: Google Maps, GoogleMaps, maps, meet, meet inbetween us, MeetInbetweenUs, meetup

Filed under: Internet, Web services, web 2.0

Figure out how much gas money you need with Cost To Drive

by Brad Linder Oct 3rd 2008

Planning a road trip in the near future? Cost To Drive is a web application that can help you figure out how much cash to take out of the ATM before you hit the road. Sure, you could certainly get a rough estimate by dividing the number of miles you have to drive by your car's average mileage and then multiplying that figure by the average price of gas. But where's the fun in that?

Cost To Drive lets you select from a long list of automobile makes and models dating back to 1999. Just select your car from the list, plug in the locations for the start and end of your trip, and the web site will spit out an estimate of how much gas money you'll burn through. The figure is obtained by looking at the mpg for your car and the average price of gas in various spots along your route.

[via TechnoSpot]

Tags: cost-to-drive, driving, gas, maps, mileage, travel

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Search

Campus Destinations helps you navigate college campuses

by Brad Linder Apr 14th 2008

Google Maps is all well and good if you're trying to find directions for your road trip across America. But what if you're a freshman in college and you can never seem to remember how to get from the dining hall to the library? Campus Destinations is a new college-centric map/search engine that can help you on your way.

The service includes listings for academic, residential and other buildings on a handful of US university campuses. There are also listings for nearby restaurants and other destinations. You can find directions from one spot to another by entering items like "art building," and "library" rather than street addresses. Currently 10 university campuses are covered, but we're hoping to see more added soon.

[via AppScout]

Tags: campus-destinations, college, directions, maps, university

Filed under: Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for April 11, 2008

by Romeo Wahed Apr 11th 2008

Welcome to Googleholic - your bi-weekly fix of everything Google! In this edition:

Google Maps tracks Olympic torch around world
Google hiring: "Gmail doesn't yet build itself"

Tags: gmail, google, google earth, GoogleEarth, googleholic, maps, olympic torch, OlympicTorch

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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