Too Embarassed To Ask Directions? Google At The Pump

Business Week has the story of Google's plans to offer its popular mapping service in kiosk-form at gas pumps. Initially 3,500, and set to expand based on demand, the service won't bring in ad revenue for the online ad giant.

Read more online from Business Week.

Google Maps Adds StreetView In Some Cities

Google has added a "Streetview" feature to its popular Maps product today. Launching first in five cities (San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, Miami, and Denver) with more promised, the feature allows users to take a 360-degree look from the street. It's the closest thing in mapping to actually being there.

Here's a video Google made to help show off the new feature (click to play):



I took it for a quick spin and found of my favorite spots in these cities. Here's my quick tour of the five cities available now -- feel free to add your own:

• New York City:Radio City Music Hall
  
• San Francisco: Apple Store & Virgin Megastore
  
• Denver: Coors Field (the 17th St. Pedestrian mall was my first choice, but unmapped by nature)
  
• Las Vegas: Bellagio Hotel (bummer the fountains weren't going when they took the photo :( )
  
• Miami: Miracle Mile, Coral Gables

Where are your favorite destinations in these cities? Share!

Thanks to Google, I've just killed about 30 minutes browsing different places in these cities! Wouldn't be it cool if these were live? The entire USA mapped? Video? Live video of the entire world?

I also wonder if this would make for good news coverage... i.e. the aftermath of a hurricane, take a street-level drive through an area to show viewers just how things look. This is great stuff... enjoy!

Read more at the Google LatLong Blog

Suggestion - Google Maps: "Take a Walk"

It's Monday and beautiful outside.

I found myself longing for coffee from a particular Starbucks (Second & Seneca) while at Century Square (1501 4th Avenue). I plotted these two addresses into Google Maps and it dutifully gave me the quickest route between the two locations. Thing is, while I have a car here and *could* drive, that'd be rather silly. (see above weather report)

So rather than the 0.7 miles from origin (Century Square) to destination (Starbucks), I was cleverly able to reduce the walking distance estimate to 0.5 miles by simply clicking "Get reverse directions". (I'll walk backwards and save two tenths of a mile). As you can see on the map screenshot below, the most direct path (assuming I can't cut through any buildings, etc.) would be to travel on 4th for three blocks and Seneca for two.

Now, I suspect the demands for Google Foot Maps is likely quite low... a temporary workaround might be maps that ignore one-way streets (that don't obviously apply to the sneaker lanes). Obviously with vehicle-centric directions, the one-way streets rules are critical!




How about it, Google? Want to take a walk? Anyone have any good sites that provide walking directions / distances -- if so, post to the comments! (I think I saw a good site for NYC that included Subway, etc. but can't recall the site (and/or be bothered to look)).

As for me? I spent the few spare minutes in my schedule writing this blog post -- I'll have to settle for the Starbucks in the building instead. Sorry Joe Jo, I'll get that grande iced soy mocha no-whip another time!


--BMW.

Did stranded Oregon family use online mapping?

I did an interview today with Newsradio 750 KXL about online mapping sites and how GPS technology may have helped the family stuck in Oregon for a week. (The father remains missing as of this post.) In preparation for the interview, I looked up the route the stranded family took from Grants Pass to Gold Beach. Curiously, Google (shown at left, top) sends travelers on a more direct (albeit closed during the winter months) route while Mapquest (middle) and Yahoo (bottom) send drivers south through California. This must be what they mean when they say "this information is for reference only" ... bet the Google lawyers are glad they insisted on *that* disclaimer today. :)