Hasta La Gadget!

According to Bernhard Seefeld, product management director at Google Maps, “this is the most significant overhaul of Maps since it launched in 2005.” We sat down with both Seefeld as well as Jonah Jones — lead designer of Google Maps — following a marathon keynote to kick off Google I/O. Their slice of the event centered around the desktop refresh of Google Maps, but there’s actually a lot more to be excited about than what was announced today. Essentially, the preview that I/O attendees were granted access to is the first instance of Maps for desktop using vectors instead of tiles. In lay terms, that’s a far sexier rendering engine, and users of the mobile Maps products will already be familiar with how it feels. Seefeld affirmed that the new desktop Maps is slightly quicker to load, but you’ll want a WebGL-supporting browser to take advantage of the bells and whistles. (In our tests, the Maps experience was far superior in Chrome compared to Firefox.)

We toyed around with the new layout for a bit, and overall, it looks and feels better. Refreshing, you could say. The search box is now entirely more useful, popping up intelligent cards beneath places you search for. You’ll have glanceable access to operating hours, surrounding traffic and recommended places — that’s not new, it’s just surfaced in a more sensible way now. There’s also dedicated shortcuts to directions and starring. Visually, it looks a lot nicer, the zooms are a little cleaner, and the search box is a tad more useful. Street View is accessed via the search box now, and there’s a toggle on the right side that overlays Google Earth data and (impressively) shows it from varying degrees of tilt. The magic really begins after you sign in with your Google account. If you’ve starred or rated a restaurant using Google Maps or Google+, for example, it’ll automatically populate recommended eateries that your friends have rated highly. If, of course, your friends are using Google+.

Filed under: GPS, Software, Google

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Source: Google Maps preview

An errant leak this morning gave us a pretty good idea that Google Maps was getting revamped in time for I/O, so this announcement comes as no surprise. Mountain View just pulled back the curtain on the next major release of Maps for desktops while offering up an advance look at the Android and iOS versions. The mobile preview takes a more personalized approach to navigation, with a rating system and offers from merchants like Starbucks. The company also announced the Experience feature for tablets, which takes a look indoors and offers up info on things like shopping, dining and hotels.

Google also showed off the redesigned desktop version, too. New features include “immersive imagery,” and the map itself is now the user interface — with Street View and Google Earth integration. After entering search terms, icons will appear, indicating each type of result rather than the pins of previous versions. Clicking on one will pull up reviews from friends, Street View and a “see inside” option with 360-degree viewing. The views come thanks, in part, to user-submitted photo spheres. In terms of personalization options, the map will analyze the places that you travel, highlight routes and offer suggestions based on spots that you and your friends enjoy. Maps also gathers images for a specific location and displays those snapshots via a carousel down below. A retooled directions experience now offers the option of toggling between driving and transit routes alongside a schedule viewer for factoring in transfers and walking. To sign up for a chance at the desktop preview, hit the coverage link below.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

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Source: Google Maps Blog

Let’s be honest: it’s doubtful we’ll ever get to directly recreate the skydiving antics of Google I/O 2012’s opening keynote. Some of us on the I/O 2013 floor, however, could get the next best thing. As part of a Google Maps API showcase, Portland-based Instrument has developed a Map Diving game for Chrome that has players soaring over real locations to reach Pilotwings-style checkpoints. The version that will be at the event links seven instances of Google’s web browser, each with its own display; gamers fly by holding out their arms in front of a motion camera like the Kinect or Wavi Xtion. Sergey Brin probably won’t be waiting for anyone on the ground once the demo’s over, but Instrument hints in a developer video (after the break) that there could be a take-home version of Map Diving after the code is tuned for a single screen. Either way, we can’t wait to give it a spin.

Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software, Google

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Via: The Verge

Source: Instrument

If you can trust a couple of screenshots posted by the unofficial Google Operating System blog this evening, we’ll soon see a new Google Maps experience on the web. As shown above, the sidebar is toast, gone in favor of overlays for the necessary information, a move that more resembles its mobile app, the apps / websites of some of its competitors, and even its own Google Maps Engine view. Also noted as different are elements like the icons and colors, but the most major change could be integration with Google+ to filter search results to locations recommended by your friends. With Google I/O just days away this could be a perfect time for changes to roll out from Mountain View, we hope to know by then if one of our most used websites is getting a fresh coat of paint.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google Operating System

Google’s been taking heat for a number of years since its Street View cars were found to be pulling WiFi data, and the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information has today hit the search giant with a 145,000 euro fine (almost $190,000) for its indiscretions. You may not remember this specific case in Germany — it was nearly three years ago that investigations began, after all — but it has now come a close with this fine and the ruling that El Goog illegally recorded personal data including emails, passwords and pictures, which have all reportedly been deleted. We know the company has enough cash to pay in full, so the ruling will likely make more of a dent to its image than its bank account.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Via: PCWorld

Source: Hamburg’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom