Hasta La Gadget!

What’s the best method of finding your way in a foreign land? Just ask the locals, and that’s exactly what El Goog is doing in India with its Mapathon 2013 competition. The contest is running from February 12th through March 25th, and is asking residents of the Asian nation to add additional detail or update information in Google Maps using Map Maker. Working for Google without actually working for Google isn’t very alluring, so to compensate participants for their knowledge and effort, the search giant is offering prizes — slates, phones, vouchers (presumably for the Play store) and other merchandise — for the top 1,000 contributors. If you’re willing and able to get involved, head to the source link for the lowdown on how. When you finally get round to seeing the Taj Mahal in person and check your phone for the nearest watering hole, remember to raise a toast to Mapathon 2013 for getting you there.

Filed under: Google

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Source: Google India Blog

True to Iwata-san’s word, Google Maps with Street View is indeed making its way to the Nintendo Wii U this month. Word of the mapping service’s impending arrival first came this past December, but at the time, no mention was made of availability outside of a vague January 2013 launch. As we learned later however, it was pushed back another month but Wii Street U Powered by Google is live in Japan, and will be free through the end of May. After that, there will be a fee for access to the service’s Panorama View-like feature, which leverages the GamePad for 360-degree perspectives.

Of course, you can also peruse both plain and Street View maps from the TV, but that kind of diminishes the gimmicky point of the second screen controller. (Also, you could just use a laptop, tablet or phone for Google Maps — just sayin’.) There’s no word on US release plans or potential pricing, but it’s worth noting the TVii app that’s free here carries a nominal 100 yen charge in Japan. Hit the source link for an interview with the team behind bringing the app to the console.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Google, Nintendo

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Source: Nintendo Japan (Twitter), Nintendo Wii Street U interview

If you’ve ever been skiing or snowboarding, you likely know all too well the annoyance of carrying around a huge map of the resort — especially when you’re trying to refold the darn thing as you quickly approach the top of the lift. Fortunately, Google — which has been no stranger to the slopes the last two years — has a digital answer to this minor snow-centric dilemma, adding routes from 38 of the most popular resorts (a number that will continue to grow, as it should be noted) to its Maps. This means that Android and iOS-toting winter recreation enthusiasts can save a few trees and ditch the folding whilst enjoying the grand outdoors, provided you’re willing to take your glove off to move to a different part of the map. Head to the link below for a full listing of resorts that are currently supported.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple, Google

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Source: Google Lat Long

Back in October, we reported that the Google Maps Street View team took to the Grand Canyon to capture imagery from the beautiful landmark with their new Trekker camera backpacks. Today, Google has released the Street View imagery in all of its panoramic glory. Over 9,500 images of Grand Canyon were taken by the Google Maps team.

The images cover over 75 miles of trail all around the Grand Canyon, including this scenic route, and now you can hike the trails yourself without even getting up from your desk. Of course, the experience won’t be as fulfilling as actually being there, but at least you can see for yourself through images what you’re missing out on.

Google used specially-designed “Trekker” backpacks that are Android-powered essentially include 15 camera lenses that capture 360 degrees of landscape at once. The backpacks weigh about 40 pounds, so if you can imagine walking around with that thing under the hot sun of the American southwest, then you probably have a good idea of what it was like for the Google employees.

Google didn’t say what they’ll do next with the Trekker backpacks, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing more stunning landmark Street View imagery in the future, including other trails and areas around the world where the Trekker could only do the job. On a related note, the company added more info and imagery to some of the “world wonders“, so if you get bored with the Grand Canyon, hop on over there to explore even more.

Google Maps Street View ads panoramic imagery from Grand Canyon is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Hate flying? Google Earth could keep you visiting attractions anyway for the next, oh, rest of your life or so, thanks to 100,000-plus new tours it just added across sites and cities in over 200 countries. That’s on top of the 11,000 tours that came with its recent launches on iOS, Android and more recently, the desktop app. The option provides a virtual video flyby of the selected area, adds Wikipedia snippets and concludes with user-provided Panoramio photos of the area. You’ll need not lift a finger to get it, as all the tours are automatically available — provided you’re running the current Google Earth 7.0 for desktop or mobile. Check the video after the break to see how to use it.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Tablets, Software, Google

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Via: TNW

Source: Google Earth (Google+)