Google Earth Comes to Android
February 23, 2010
Google has launched Google Earth for Android, which is currently only available for the Nexus One (which runs Android 2.1). Google calls it the fastest mobile version of Google Earth yet.
Along with the release, comes the Roads layer, which has been popular on the desktop version of Google Earth. The layer is meant to give users a better sense of where they are, with road labels drawn on top of satellite imagery.
"As with other versions of Google Earth, you can also browse photos, places, and local businesses, whether it is in your local community or on the far side of the globe," says Product Manager Peter Birch. "Click on an icon to see photos, videos, and read about prominent places in the world. You can easily customize your version of Google Earth to display the layers that most interest you."
Google Earth for Android also takes advantage of voice recognition that "responds to your every command," according to Google. "With Google Earth for Android, we have brought together the convenience of Google Search by voice with the power of Google Local Search to make it easier than ever to navigate the globe and find whatever you are looking for," says Birch.
Google Earth will be available in the Android Market for devices that have Android 2.1 or higher. As older Android devices get upgraded to 2.1, they will be able to get it.
Google Earth Comes to Android
February 23, 2010
Google has launched Google Earth for Android, which is currently only available for the Nexus One (which runs Android 2.1). Google calls it the fastest mobile version of Google Earth yet.
Along with the release, comes the Roads layer, which has been popular on the desktop version of Google Earth. The layer is meant to give users a better sense of where they are, with road labels drawn on top of satellite imagery.
"As with other versions of Google Earth, you can also browse photos, places, and local businesses, whether it is in your local community or on the far side of the globe," says Product Manager Peter Birch. "Click on an icon to see photos, videos, and read about prominent places in the world. You can easily customize your version of Google Earth to display the layers that most interest you."
Google Earth for Android also takes advantage of voice recognition that "responds to your every command," according to Google. "With Google Earth for Android, we have brought together the convenience of Google Search by voice with the power of Google Local Search to make it easier than ever to navigate the globe and find whatever you are looking for," says Birch.
Google Earth will be available in the Android Market for devices that have Android 2.1 or higher. As older Android devices get upgraded to 2.1, they will be able to get it.
Google Shows How it “Gets Inside” the Olympic Games
February 17, 2010
Update: Google has posted its entire press conference from British Columbia so anybody can see it. In it, Google shows off the different ways it is involved in the Olympics experience:
If you don't want to watch the entire thing, but would rather see the gist of it, they have also uploaded the highlights:
Original Article: As the Olympics get underway, fans have a lot of options to engage online. Many popular sites on the web are involved in a variety of ways.
Google
Google allows you to take a virtual tour of the Olympics in 3D. They recently released updates in Google Earth's 3D Buildings layer, which showcase Olympic venues (54 buildings). Models range from downtown event centers to ski lifts and spectator bleachers. The Official site for the Olympics uses the models itself.
Vectoral Elevation has "an interactive artwork" that allows users to direct light beams and transform Vancouver's skyline until the end of the month using a custom interface built on Google Earth and Map APIs. It lets users design big light sculptures by directing 20 robotic searchlights located around English Bay.
Google has also taken Street View to Olympics country:
Bing
Microsoft launched a new Bing Maps application that pulls photos from Flickr, associates them with Bing Maps Streetside photos, and overlays them stretching the photo to form fit where in the world it belongs. The app is currently available in Vancouver (among several other places).
Bing actually has a Winter Olympics-specific Maps app as well. "In coordination with NBCOlympics.com, get up to the minute information about the 2010 Winter Olympics in everything from venues to news," says Bing's Chris Pendleton. "Click the Venues bar on the left to see the different venues where the events are taking place. Click the Medal Count bar to see every country mapped out with the number of bronze, silver and gold medals awarded to the respective country. Click the Winter Games News and Blogs to get the latest information about the Winter Olympic Games from news sources and bloggers on site. Finally, check out the Winter Games Tweets which filters information from our Twitter Maps application specific to the Olympics." Bing talks about more Vancouver apps that feature Bing Maps here.
Bing is also giving its home page some Olympics love. It will be updating it with various photos from the events. "And while we'll show some winners, this won’t be the standard parade of medalists," says Bing's Stephanie Horstmanshof. "We're out to show the great moments from the games: the alpine skier from Ghana, the debut of Ski Cross as an Olympic event, anything to do with curling—all with the stunning imagery that you’ve come to expect on the Bing homepage."
More ways that Bing and MSN are involved in the Olympics are discussed here.
Yahoo/Flickr
Yahoo has a games-dedicated site, as well as a new Olympic mobile site at m.yahoo.com/olympics. This will provide coverage with live results, upcoming events, medal counts, photos, news, commentary, etc.
Yahoo also has a Yahoo Sports Olympics Coverage app for My Yahoo, that gives you more such information.
On Yahoo's Flickr, the IOC, the official governing body of the Olympics, has set up their official Olympic photo group for people to share their photos of the events and of Vancouver.
Facebook
The IOC also has an official Olympic Games Page on Facebook. "Through the page, you can stay updated on activities and events at the Games, while sharing your own stories about what the Olympics mean to you," says Alex Huot, head of social media for the IOC. "You'll even be able to stay updated on future games even after this year's Winter Olympics end."
Alex also encourages people to use Facebook to become a fan of athletes and Olympics teams, play the Vancouver 2010 Official Minigame, and share photos.
Twitter
Twitter has a list of verified athletes from the Olympics who will be tweeting. Fans will of course be tweeting non-stop about things that happen at the Olympics throughout the events.
These are just a few of many ways fans of the Olympics can engage with the events on the web. How are you planning on staying connected?
Google Earth Makes Leap To Automobiles
December 17, 2009
The 2010 Audi A8 is a big, expensive car, starting at 4,409 pounds and $74,550. And the 2011 models aren't likely to be any lighter or cheaper. But the 2011 models will offer something that no other car's ever had: from-the-factory integration of Google Earth.
A post on the LatLong Blog announced late yesterday, "Audi is the first car manufacturer to bring Google Earth directly into the vehicle and to combine that with a set of useful Google services. We've worked closely with them to create a compelling in-car experience integrated with the Audi navigation system. You'll be able to enjoy 3D satellite imagery, terrain information and a wealth of additional geo information relevant to your current location: layers like Wikipedia to learn more about your surroundings or Panoramio images to get another view."
The post then continued, "To help you figure out where you want to go and how to get there, we've also brought Google Maps and Local Search into the A8, and linking it to your desk. You can send business listings directly from Google Maps to your car: search for an address at your desk, send it to the car, and by the time you go to the parking lot your car will know where to go. While in the car, you can use Google Local Search in the same rich quality as at your desk."
Now, car guys may wonder if Audi couldn't have used this project's budget to squeeze a few more horsepower out of the A8's engine. More sane folks would probably just appreciate a lower price. Still, this tech is sure to prove useful at times, if only to stave off boredom while stuck in traffic jams.
Look for the trickle-down effect to take place, too, eventually putting Google Earth within reach of more and more drivers.
Have You Read This?
> Google Adds Place Pages To Google Earth
> Google Earth Users Get A Way To Build Architecture
