Hasta La Gadget!

After working on its sea legs for some time, Google Street View is ready to take users on virtual scuba expeditions through six living coral reefs with the first underwater panoramic images to hit the service. In partnership with The Catlin Seaview Survey, Mountain View created the on-rails snorkeling experiences using undersea pictures from Heron, Lady Elliot and Wilson Islands at the Great Barrier Reef, Molokini Crater and Hanauma Bay in Hawaii and the Apo Islands in the Philippines. Combined with views from Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan, the new underwater tours might make for a respectable, desk-based vacation. Interested in paddling through the briny depths? Head past the break for a short preview or hit the source links below to dive right in.

Continue reading Google Street View gets its first underwater panoramic images, ready for desk-based scuba expeditions (video)

Filed under: Internet

Google Street View gets its first underwater panoramic images, ready for desk-based scuba expeditions (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been 30 years since we saw Deckard track down replicants by having a machine “enhance” pictures, and yet we’re still stuck with distant-looking photos when we want more detail than our smartphone cameras can manage. While we’d argue that a few phones already live in that Blade Runner future, Google has just obtained a patent that could give the rest of us a helping hand. If the zoom isn’t up to snuff, the proposed software could gauge a mobile device’s position and orientation to offer a closer, already-taken photo from a server as a substitute, whether it’s a Street View shot or a more traditional image. The geocoded system could even cue photos based on the time of day and year to provide that extra dash of authenticity. We already get a trace of the concept through photo overlays within Street View itself, although there’s no indication as to whether or not Google will link our camera apps directly to a cloud of substitute photos — suffice it to say that the industry has changed a lot since Google was using the iPhone 3G to illustrate its photography concepts.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Internet, Software, Mobile

Google patent delivers close-up photos when your phone can’t, Blade Runners would approve originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin announced at IFA today that it’s gearing up to roll out a set of updates for its smartphone apps on both iOS and Android. These updates will be adding a number of helpful tools for Garmin users, including in-depth details on public transportation routes and support for Google Street View. Get ready to hand over some extra cash if you want these features though, because some of them will only be offered as in-app purchases

It would seem that Garmin’s “Urban Guidance” system is the main star of these updates. After these updates hit, the app will begin considering various public transportation routes – including water taxis – when trying to plot the most efficient pedestrian route. If public transportation is suggested as part of your route, the app can guide you to where you need to be on foot, and you can even look up schedules and stops to know precisely where you need to hop on and off. To make things easier, the update will also allow for color-coded public transportation routes, matching the transportation lines in your city – something that will undoubtedly be appreciated by tourists.

Urban Guidance will be coming to StreetPilot Onboard for iPhone and NAVIGON for iPhone and Android. You won’t be getting it for free, however, as it will cost $4.99 as an in-app purchase. Those who act quick after the update hits can get the feature on the cheap though, with Garmin bringing the price down to $2.99 for its first two weeks of availability.

Next up we have Garmin’s “Last Mile Navigation” feature, which gives users a “streamlined navigation experience when continuing by foot after parking the car.” When you’re getting close to your destination, the feature will suggest nearby parking lots and structures for you to park in. After you’ve picked one and parked your car, the app will switch to pedestrian navigation mode, saving the location of your car so you can easily find it once you’re ready to leave again. Android users should already be familiar with this feature, as it’s currently available in their version of NAVIGON. It’ll be coming to NAVIGON for iPhone with this update, but sadly it will be giving StreetPilot Onboard a pass for the time being.

Finally, we come to the integration of Google Street View and Panorama View 3D, which are both being included to give users a better understanding of their surroundings. Features like these will obviously come in handy when visiting an unfamiliar face, as Google Street View can show you what the area surrounding your destination looks like. Both of these features are already available in NAVIGON for Android and iPhone, and will be added to StreetPilot Onboard once these updates land. Keep in mind that you’ll have to pay extra for Panorama View 3D, which Garmin is charging $9.99 for.

We don’t have a solid release date for these updates yet. In its announcement, Garmin only said that they would be coming in fall 2012, so they should be arriving relatively soon. Keep it tuned here to SlashGear and we’ll have more information for you once Garmin releases it.

Garmin smartphone apps getting public transportation features soon is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Looking for somewhere remote, quiet and cold for retirement? You can’t get much further out than Cambridge Bay — hidden away in Canada’s arctic Nunavut territory, this sleepy town is only reachable by plane, boat or Google Maps. Navigating its streets on the latter option is about to get a whole lot more detailed, too. The Maps team has started working with residents like Chris Kalluk to build what it hopes will be the most comprehensive map of the region to date. Mountain View’s digital cartographers are training residents to use equipment like the Street View tricycle to take in the isolated territory’s natural beauty while letting locals fill in the finer details (like roads, lakes and rivers) at community Map Up gatherings. “This is a place with a vast amount of local knowledge and a rich history,” says Kalluk. “By putting these tools in the hands of our people, we will tell Nunavut’s story to the world.” Fittingly, the community’s first mapping event saw local landmarks mapped out in both English and Inuktitut, one of the territory’s official languages. Check the project out for yourself at the source link below.

Filed under: Internet, Software

Google mapping out Canada’s Nunavut territory with local community, Street View trike originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today’s a stupendous day for lovers of the one and only National Aeronautics Space Administration — nearly half as great as when we took you inside Kennedy Space Center shortly after it had opened its fascinating doors to the public. At any rate, Google announced earlier that its captivating (and sometimes troubling) Street View technology had made its way into NASA’s KSC, allowing people to check out what the compound is all about and what sort of sensational machinery lies inside. With Mountain View’s doings, you can now find your way around different spots within the Space Center, including the Launch Firing Room, Vehicle Assembly Building and, as seen above, the Space Shuttle Launch Pad. There’s a video past the break if you’re interested in a quick preview, otherwise you can give it a go yourself by clicking the more coverage link below.

Continue reading Google takes one giant leap: now lets you Street View the Kennedy Space Center

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Science, Internet

Google takes one giant leap: now lets you Street View the Kennedy Space Center originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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