Google Maps and Directions
One of the most helpful features the search engine giant had ever introduced in this Tech world is the free Google Maps. It is the most useful features since Google search.
Maps is a free web mapping application that powers other related mapping services by Google– including map web embedding. The company offers Google maps and directions complete with route planner, street maps, and guides for vehicles such as bicycle, cars, business locator and pedestrians. There are also some cities with traffic details.
Moreover, there is a third-party web application for maps called Gmaps Pedometer or Google maps pedometer. A great web app for those travellers who tread on foot to enjoy the sceneries on a new place, It provides them information on the measure of a distance covered by a traveler on foot. The number of steps taken in a travel were recorded. This app proves to be useful in trekking places covered in the maps.
The company though already has a similar feature to Gmaps pedometer. You can now check the directions to that place either by car, by public transportation (on some areas), or by walking. It will show you how long it will take to get to a place if you will just walk. The walking directions is still in beta though.
Also, this innovative world maps provide useful information especially on business locations. Owners can put business on Google Maps. Then customers are provided with accurate data on how to get to a certain location with adjacent establishments and streets. Directions to a certain area is often supported with close coordination among the developers to further expand its efficiency.
And since finding directions is most important when people are on the road, these map services are available on mobile phones and similar gadgets. This move maximizes Google Maps potential and services.
Related Articles:
- Street View Car Busted?
- The Role of Google Earth in an Interracial Relationship
- Using Google Maps to Get Directions
- Putting Your Business On Google Maps
- Maps in Mobile Phone
Google Lively: The 3D Chat Rooms
At the height of the game SIMS, the interactive Second Life and IMVU along comes Google Lively. Formerly known as Google Metaverse, Google Lively is a three-dimensional chat world pulled out from Google’s magic box. It is an eye candy three dimensional social networking chat tool that soon to invade every home, office and other areas where there is a flat surface that a computer can sit, a broadband connection and some excess time to burn.
Since I’ve been warned that installing Google Lively on your computer makes it Uber slow and ultimately makes your PC crash, I decided otherwise to read a bundle of reviews and FAQs to satisfy my killing curiosity of the matter.
If you’ve got a Google account then you can set up Google Lively. Once it is installed, you navigate your avatar to talk to others in the chat world. You can talk; you can even show your emotions, dance around, change furniture, mingle with others, build your own rooms complete with facilities or embed a 3D chat widget on your website for your visitors to interact with you in cyber environs.
Google Lively is a very SIMS-ish, Second Life-ish kind of thing. As if not satisfied with chatting through web cam, they offered 3D chatting and interaction in a silver platter. What’s the fuss? I have nothing against techno advancement, of course who wouldn’t want to grow? But the question is: for what is it all worth? Hate to tell you guys but communications among fellow humans should not be all that complicated, and if the inner core in making this Google Lively application is to bridge people through fun communication—well this bridge is made up of fancy yarn thread.
For Google this thing is a massive income generator for years to come, it’s like having the reality show ‘Big Brother’ with millions of ‘housemates’ lurking around the cyber world full of ads splashing at every nook and cranny. This ginormous social networking/virtual world space will be more appealing to the youth of this generation and as they replace their old PCs (Google Lively does not work with slightly old trashy PCs—sorry!) communications maybe confined to 3D chatting. And what a sight if Yahoo follows, far more,Microsoft is planning something of this genre—oh, what a world we’re in!
I know many people drooling over to try this thingy but wait! There’s more, check your computer to see if you’re in, your computer should have the following:
* a video card with at least 32 MB of video memory
* Pentium3 800
* 512 MB RAM
* DirectX 9
* 32MB GPU, like GeForce 2 or higher
* Flash 9 player and up
* Broadband connection
Rules about profanity and nudity are being set, but hey it’s chatting on the cyber world since when somebody reprimand someone as he/she blurts out profane and vulgar language in chat? I don’t think 3D avatars will add much social experience to anybody unless he/she breathes and eats computer every day. And reprimanding/banning one’s Google account would hurt so much because you use a single Google account on all of this.
This thing Google Lively in my opinion should not be taken seriously, unless you’re a hardcore gamer who takes a break from shooting aliens in ‘Half-Life’ by chatting as thumb thumping Uber shrewd girlie in pony tail. Communication is simple don’t complicate it. And oh, did I tell you that it only runs on Windows?
Update: Google Lively is Shutting Down on December 31, 2008.
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