So, we all know that we shouldn’t text while driving. But in case you thought that checking Google Maps was acceptable, a Californian judge has made it clear that isn’t the case. More »
Sometimes, Google Maps throws up some striking imagery—and now David Thomas Smith has seized on some of the more striking elements to create a series of artworks that combine satellite images with inspiration from traditional Persian rug-making. The results are stunning. More »
So this is great. Google might have the smartest new gesture we’ve seen in a while: a smart, simple way to zoom in and out with one hand. Just double tap the screen with your thumb—anywhere on the screen is fine—and on the second tap, hold your finger down. Now slide your finger up and down. Zooming! More »
Following up on YouTube’s April Fool’s Day prank, Google has launched one of its own. It’s similar to its prank last year, when it launched an awesome 8-bit version of its Maps service. This year, Google has transformed Google Maps into a treasure map. In order to access the map, all you have to do is click on “Treasure Mode” on the top right of the Google Maps page. Then you can watch as your location is magically transformed into a treasure map.
Google provided an informational video that goes in-depth with its prank. It says that the Google Maps Street View Team discovered the treasures maps of William “Captain” Kid on September 16th, 2012, while they were on an expedition in Madagascar. There are several locations, like San Francisco’s Treasure Island, or San Jose State University, that have the “X” symbol marking treasure spots.
In the video, Google shows that there are many ways to decrypt the codes on Google Maps. Some symbols are revealed with sunlight and others when you align your mobile device with other mobile devices. There are more dangerous ways to decrypt symbols, such as holding your mobile device or laptop over an open fire, or skydiving in order to align your device with the landscape. Of course, Google is courteous (and pre-cautious) and has labeled some of these methods with “Don’t not attempt at home”.
All in all, it’s a well-executed and in-depth April Fool’s Day prank, expected from a company like Google. Throughout today and tomorrow, we should see some more awesomely thought-out pranks, so keep a lookout for them. If you haven’t already, check out YouTube’s April Fool’s Day prank, where they say that YouTube was actually an 8-year long contest where the winner is awarded an MP3 player and a $500 stipend.
Find treasure with Google’s new treasure map is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The Internet is a great place to look at things you can’t have, and this clever map that cross indexes San Franscico real estate listings with location fits snugly in that category. At least the nicer districts do. More »
A couple years have passed since the earthquake that devestated Japan and set off a nuclear emergency, resulting in the abandonment of Namie-machi, which is located near the coastline in Fukushima prefecture. The former residents of Namie-machi are still unable to return, but can now take a virtual walk around the place they called home thanks to Google Street View.
In a guest post on Google’s Lat-Long blog, Namie-machi’s mayor Tamotsu Baba detailed the state of things since the earthquake happened, and said that many former residents of the small city have asked to see how things sit today. By partnering with Google, they were able to satisfy these requests by driving Street View vehicles through the ruined city, capturing images of the state of things in the present time.
That imagery can now be viewed by anyone via Google Maps, or on the Miraikioku.com Memories of the Future website, which also has a comparison tool showing before and after maps images of the damage. Scanning through the Street View imagery is a sobering activity. Buildings still lie in ruins, collapsed or in a state of collapse. Piles of rubble lie where homes once sat.
Said Mr. Baba, “Ever since the March disaster, the rest of the world has been moving forward, and many places in Japan have started recovering. But in Namie-machi time stands still. With the lingering nuclear hazard, we have only been able to do cursory work for two whole years. We would greatly appreciate it if you viewed this Street View imagery to understand the current state of Namie-machi and the tremendous gravity of the situation.”
[via Google Latlong]
Google Street View shows abandoned post-earthquake Fukushima city is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Maps are handy items, especially when made to provide specific information that would be otherwise hard to visual or utilize, such as the specific locations of certain items, sites of phenomena, or more. Creating your own map can be tedious depending on the tool, and while businesses have been able to use Google Maps Engine, the average consumer hasn’t had an easy way to create their own Google Maps-based map. This changes today, however, with the launch of Maps Engine Lite Beta.
The tool is intended for non-business users, and allows anyone to create their own map, supporting data upload via spreadsheets. Once the data is added, the map can be individualized with drawing and style options, and a maximum of three data sets can be added for comparison. Those who have utilized “My Maps” will also be able to import their existing creations into the beta tool, with My Maps being incorporated into Engine Lite at an unspecified future date.
Google’s Map Engine Lite has already been used to create quite a few maps by various organizations and businesses, such as MAPA Project to track where sharks have been spotted along the South African coastline. Another example is one created by Google’s Product Manager Beth Liebert, who’s map details trail heads for various hiking paths in San Francisco’s Bay Area.
For the time being, Google Maps Engine Lite is in beta mode, so expect to come across a bug or two while playing with it. Likewise, the service is presently only being offered in English, with no mention given about future support for other languages, although we presume that is the case. You can check the map engine out here yourself.
[via Google Maps Blog]
Google lets you make your own maps with Maps Engine Lite Beta is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Good news for us mass transit riders — well, those of us in a couple of select US cities, at least. Google Maps is getting more live contextual info in New York, Salt Lake City and Washington DC. Riders will be able to check out live departure times for seven subway lines in the Big Apple and buses and trams in Utah’s most populous city. Over in our our nation’s capitol, Metrorail passengers will get access to alerts including unplanned delays and track work. Maps now has transit info for 800 cities in 25 countries, accessible through the company’s Android and iOS apps.
Source: Google
Public transportation carries millions upon millions of people to and from their destinations every day, so it makes sense that Google is wanting to bump up its public transit options in Google Maps. Case in point: the company just released live transit information for New York City and Salt Lake City, while adding service alerts in Washington DC.
Public transit users will be able to check live departure times for seven subway lines in New York City, as well as buses and trams in Salt Lake City in the great state of Utah. In Washington DC, Metro riders will now be able to receive service alerts that include delays, construction work, and any other situations that could make you late for work.
Google is making more and more strides with its mass transit features, while Apple’s own map solution doesn’t seem to be wanting to go anywhere when it comes to public transportation. In any case, Google says that mass transit information is available in approximately 800 cities around the world, including more than 25 countries.
Google says their mass transit coverage covers around 100 million miles of public transit trips every day — that’s a lot of subways, busses, and trams to keep track of. With New York City having the busiest subway system in the US, it’s actually about time that Google brought its live transit feature to the Big Apple.
Google brings live transit data to New York and Salt Lake City is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Just how well do you know your own city? Is the amount of knowledge pretty much the same to knowing the back of your hand, and you will be able to put any of those freshies from local tour agencies to shame? Well, there is no better way to find out a city’s “soul” than to take the public transport in getting around, and Google Maps have been helping folks do that for some years now. It is then nice to hear that there is a new update on Google Maps Transit that will bring live transit information to even more cities than ever before, assisting folks to gain access to what is deemed as the “most comprehensive, accurate and useful information” whenever you are outdoors.
From today onwards, one is able to check out live departure times for seven lines on the New York City subway system (MTA), in addition to buses and trams in the greater Salt Lake City area (UTA). This ought to help you plan your trip with greater accuracy without missing a beat, no?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New Evernote For Windows Phone Version Now Available, Samsung Galaxy S4 Hits The FCC, 
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